{"id":366,"date":"2023-12-13T13:58:16","date_gmt":"2023-12-13T13:58:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/emily-coggins\/?p=366"},"modified":"2023-12-13T17:26:22","modified_gmt":"2023-12-13T17:26:22","slug":"tackling-toxicity-drinking-debates-sparked-after-newcastle-womens-rugby-member-withdraws-due-to-alcohol-worries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/emily-coggins\/2023\/12\/13\/tackling-toxicity-drinking-debates-sparked-after-newcastle-womens-rugby-member-withdraws-due-to-alcohol-worries\/","title":{"rendered":"Tackling Toxicity: Drinking Debates Sparked After Newcastle Women’s Rugby Member Withdraws Due to Alcohol Worries"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Image credits: Emily Coggins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

A committee member of the Newcastle Women’s Rugby Football Club steps down, due to the heavy levels of drinking involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In October of this year, a Newcastle University student, who was actively on the Women’s Rugby committee, decided to take a step back from their role within the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This decision is said to have been made due to the “heaviness of the drinking”, according to another member of the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are taking this time out to focus on themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Issy Harkins, a member of Newcastle University Women’s Rugby Club, discussed the toxicity around alcohol and how prevalent it is within her experience and other team members, as a student, in a university sports society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She stated, “We do have a lot of sober socials, but they’re not as frequent”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“You’re only hanging out with these people when you’re drinking or actually playing sport”, she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“People know what the craziest sport is, and not really what the most successful sport is”.<\/strong><\/p>Issy Harkins, Women’s University Rugby team member<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, she discussed how she believes it has negatively affected her daily productivity. She emphasises that after the heavy drinking that continues every Wednesday on sports night, her university work is most impacted, especially on Thursdays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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