More Sports = Less Drugs

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About 60% of my days when I was a teen was spent doing some type of sport. If you needed to find me, all you had to do was to look for a soccer field, a volleyball court, a basket-ball square or a marital-art club. Yes, I was a sport junky… It was my food, my essence… My life. 

My family was a bit worried that I was too much into sports—except my mom who was always supportive. In reality, most parents would be worried. They’re concerned that their little girl is a tomboy and may want to become a “boy” when she grows up. Or, they are afraid that their child’s career goal is to become a sport’s teacher (because let’s face it, deep inside, most parents want their child to become a lawyer, an engineer or a doctor). So apparently, a girl who spends 60% of her time competing in sports is a RED FLAG for disaster. Really?

What most parents don’t realize is that involving their kid in physical activity is probably the BEST thing they can do for them. Believe it or not, the likelihood of a teenager taking drugs or even cigarettes is considerably low if he practices sports on a daily basis. Why? Well, 2 reasons: First of all because he doesn’t have time for that nonsense (between practices, games, and school, there is little time left for anything else); and second, because he is getting all the adrenaline he needs from sports (so doesn’t need or want to venture into drugs).  Besides, a young athlete who wants to continue shining in his sport’s skills would not want to poison his body with drugs (normally).

Aside from being healthy, what being an athlete brought me was the chance to avoid all the “dangers” of teenage-life. I just simply had not time for high-school drama, drugs, alcohol or cigarettes. Half my friends were drinking or smoking by the age of 14—mostly those who were not doing any type of sports. Me, I got my epinephrine from the rush of winning games or scoring the best goal. The advantages of that are:

1. I was rarely in trouble at school. And if you are not in trouble, you tend to…
2. … Succeed faster (getting good grades easily for example), then possibly getting a scholarship for college.
3. Teachers adore you and the administration of the school respects you. So life in your high-school days is just a bliss.
4. Everyone wants to be your friend because you are "smart" and "popular" (whatever that means).
5. Your parents are extremely proud of you. Thus, you are allowed to do almost anything you want in exchange of being a ‘good child’.

So parents, let your kid join any sports club she wishes to. It doesn’t matter how many sports she wants to practice… Let her do all of them if she wants. When it’s too much, she will know, don’t worry. Truth it, the more she exercises, the healthier she gets… But also the smarter she becomes. Yes, that’s right, exercising boosts blood flow in the brain, which helps improve memory skills. In addition, it provides faster cognitive functions. So why stop your kid from being an athlete?

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Let me be specific though. When I speak about sports, I’m talking about competitive sports. I mean being involved with an actual club that has championship games and regular practices. I don’t believe that merely doing sports for leisure is enough to reduce the likelihood of falling into bad habits. Oh and by the way, it doesn’t have to be sports only; it can be music, art, theatre… As long as they are done seriously and regularly, in the long run, they have the same benefits as sports.

Remember, most people don’t start drinking, smoking or using drugs because they have problems (that comes after). They start when they are teens because they are bored or think it’s “cool”. So if your kid is too busy with sports/art/theatre/music and is cool thanks to his/her skills, why in the world would he/she start smoking or drinking?

This post was based on my knowledge and experience, but also information I gathered from the following articles:

http://www.theantidrug.com/pdfs/ei/parents_brochure.pdf

http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/tipsforparents/a/aa111297.htm

http://www.better-brains.com/post/5066318840/sport-is-good-for-the-brain

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/186790.php

http://psychcentral.com/news/2008/09/02/sports-can-improve-brain-function/2863.html