International Journal of Sport, Exercise and Health Research 2025; 9(2): 50-53 ; DOI:10.31254/sportmed.9203
Personality and Psychosocial Factors Are Associated with Excessive Alcohol Use Among Athletes: A Short Review
1. Independent researcher, Finland
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 7th November, 2025 / Accepted: 3rd February, 2026 / Published : 12th February, 2026
Several studies have shown that sports is associated with excessive alcohol use. However, there is a paucity of studies focused on personality and other risk factors of alcohol use among athletes in different sports. Therefore, the first aim was to explore underlying reasons for binge drinking and the potential explanatory factors associated with sports and high-risk alcohol use. The second aim was to examine the relationship between personality and psychosocial factors and alcohol use among athletes and former athletes. The results suggested that a high athletic identity, motivational factors, competitiveness, sensational seeking and risk-taking behavior, sports-related pressure, peer influence, commercials and sports culture may predispose to excessive alcohol use especially among team sports athletes. Furthermore, personality and psychosocial factors such as anxiety, depression, aggression, impulsivity, neuroticism and extroversion were linked to high-risk alcohol use. The same factors, especially a high athletic identity, personality and psychosocial factors, were related to binge drinking after an athletic career. Loneliness also might increase alcohol use. When examining alcohol use longitudinally, engagement in sports was not replaced with binge drinking among former athletes if their career did not end suddenly by sports injury or physical activity was continued. In conclusion, the role psychosocial factors, athletic identity and personal characteristics of individual and team sports athletes play as risk or protective factors for high-risk alcohol use and implications for interventions prioritizing athletes are discussed. The key is to facilitate positive experiences particularly among young athletes that promote engagement and generate a sense of personal fulfillment to prevent high-risk alcohol use. Finally, adaptation to forced retirement from athletics will be challenging if an individual has a high athletic identity, and the active sports career ends suddenly, this might lead to alcohol-related problems. These findings may be useful in healthcare and sports to identify alcohol-related risk factors and prevent high-risk alcohol use among athletes. Further studies should investigate the associations between personality of athletes in different sport types and alcohol use and other factors, such as gender, education, socioeconomic status and social environment during and after their athletic career. Additionally, it is important to examine the influence of social media on athletes.
Alcohol, Athlete, Personality, Psychology, Sports, Team sports.
