What does a lifetime drug-use statistic say about one gym visit?
In a Swedish survey of 1,969 people who lifted weights at 54 gyms, about one in five reported having used an illicit drug or a benzodiazepine without a prescription at some point in life. That statistic describes a history reported on a questionnaire. The answer changes when the question asks about a shorter period.
Three time windows, three answers
Molero and colleagues reported 19.6% for lifetime use, 6.5% for the previous year, and 2.1% for the previous 30 days. Even the shortest window covered a month. The survey did not measure drug concentrations or record whether anyone was impaired during a specific workout.
What would establish timing in an individual case?
Start with the time of the event and the time of any documented observations or specimen collection. Then ask what those records can establish about the interval between them. The authors noted possible recall and reporting bias and recruited weight trainers during weekday afternoons and evenings. The survey can describe what that group reported. Linking use to a particular injury or incident calls for evidence from that event.
Source
Molero, Bakshi and Gripenberg, Sports Medicine – Open (2017)
