ATHLETES ARE RELUCTANT to admit their drug abuse and their addictions to alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, and nicotine. Coaches, trainers, parents, and recruiters also shrink from discussing drug problems. They do not want stories about drug abuse to damage the reputations of their professional clubs, Olympic teams, or high school and college programs.

Those who study drug abuse in U.S. sports think athletes' drug abuse reflects the general level of drug abuse found in this country. Drug use has gone up nationwide in the general population, so a rise can be assumed within sports as well.

Drug use is up

In its booklet, "Drugs and the Athlete . . . A Losing Combination," the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) notes that the government estimates that as many as 20 million Americans regularly use marijuana, and 500,000 abuse heroin. The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates there are 5 million to...