MedPageToday -- Retired National Football League players who abused opioid painkillers while active were most likely to use and abuse the same drugs after leaving the sport, the results of a telephone survey and analysis found. The survey found more than half of the retired NFL players interviewed used opioid painkillers during their career. Of those, 71% reported misusing the drugs while playing, and 15% said they still abuse the prescription medication, Linda B. Cottler, PhD, MPH, of Washington University School of Medicine, and colleagues reported online in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
