Painkillers and teen athletes: It's easy to get addicted after an injury

An expert on the opioid crisis shares his insights on the latest Create An Athlete Podcast

Jerry Carino
Asbury Park Press

Dr. Alan Cavaiola has a message for injured athletes, and it might be the most important one they’ll ever hear.

Painkillers have been overprescribed to injured athletes.

“People have to heal,” he said. “If you’re injured, it’s better to heal than trying to push through and risking your life.”

All too often, “trying to push through” means popping prescription painkillers. Abuse of these strong medications is killing 22,000 Americans each year, according to the National Safety Council. A significant number of those, experts believe, are athletes who got hooked after suffering injuries.

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“We’re really talking about a huge problem, a huge concern,” said Cavaiola, a psychological counseling professor at Monmouth University. “It really does put a lot of athletes at risk for developing addictions to some of these very, very powerful drugs.”

An expert in addiction, Cavaiola was the guest on the Asbury Park Press’ latest Create An Athlete podcast. Click here or on the graphic below to listen to the episode. 

“I can’t tell you how many young people I’ve seen, not only high school age but mostly college-age kids, who began (addiction) when they were prescribed Percocet or Vicodin or OxyContin in high school for injuries,” he said.

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Overprescribing by doctors has been a problem, Cavaiola said, and states are starting to rein in the amount of pills doctors can authorize (for example, 6-8 instead of a month’s supply). Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey, a statewide nonprofit, is pushing legislation that “would let the patient and the family know that these (prescriptions) are addictive substances,” Cavaiola said, but that’s been met with resistance.

“There are doctors who are fighting this legislation tooth-and-nail,” he said. “They feel this legislation would impinge on their practice. You would think this would be a no-brainer.”

In the meantime, concerned coaches or parents should look for changes in behavior and motivation. Does a high-achieving athlete suddenly start missing practices? Is someone responding in an overly emotional fashion to everyday things?

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Not everyone is at the same level of risk. For those with a family history of addiction, it’s higher.

Either way, there are alternatives to prescription pills.

“Some people do great with physical therapy, some with chiropractors, some with acupuncture,” Cavaiola said. “Some do well with ibuprofen.”

But the bottom line, for those who do get hooked?

“There’s a lot of help out there,” he said. “That’s the first step.”

To listen to this interview or check out other episodes, which drop each Wednesday, check out Create An Athlete on Soundcloud or iTunes.

Staff Writer Jerry Carino: jcarino@gannettnj.com.