With the uprising of competitive sport embedded in Australian culture, the consumption of certain substances with the intention to improve performance, fight against pain or help recuperation, feels somewhat accepted in Australian society. The modern era has led to some athletes across sporting fields seek new ways to achieve their intended outcomes.
In today’s era, the easy accessibility to pharmacy’s, doctors and physicians who are in a position of power to prescribe medicine with a purpose to relieve pain, act as an anti-depressant, stimulant or sedative, it seems common for some professional athletes to be consuming some form of prescription or non-prescription drug.
This paper will focus on school leavers in a sporting …show more content…
From a well-being viewpoint, these incidences are concerning, as the warnings, which are well known, seem to be disregarded. Prescription medication have therapeutic and genuine uses in today’s era following correct consumption advised by a doctors or physicians. However, the American college of Prevention Medicine (2011) found senior students, who partake in a broad range of sporting activities were more commonly using, misusing or abusing drugs compared to their peers. Firstly, to understand why school leavers constantly put their health at risk we must understand the meanings of abuse and misuse in relation to prescription medication.
As deemed by the American college of Prevention Medicine (2011) abuse is defined as self-administration of medication purposed to alter one’s state of consciousness. This is a maladaptive, intentional use of medication whether legitimately prescribed or not leading to significant impairments or distress.
Whereas, misuse is the intentional or unintentional use of prescribed medication in a manner that is contrary to direction, regardless of whether harmful outcomes occur (American college of Prevention Medicine 2011). Furthermore, per the Australian Controlled Substances Act (1984) SA, section 18, the giving, the offering, and the administering of one or several substances without recognition …show more content…
Students examine the meaning of health and the mind-body-spirit connection through wellness, while exploring health and movement. Students are guided through integrated programs including Life Education (2016), where the focus is to provide students the opportunity to develop strategies, and practice the skills required to avoid the harms associated with an unhealthy lifestyle. Students focus learning around the safe use of prescription medicines, over-the-counter products and medicines as early as foundation years. However, the content for students vary throughout the years focusing predominantly on drugs and the impact they can have on individuals, families, and