Sophie Fawkner Performance Enhancing Drugs

Performance-enhancing Drugs – Sophie Fawkner

Performance-enhancing drugs are chemically made substances that improve or alter the performance of any consumer. In sport, anabolic steroids are the most commonly abused drug. Performance-enhancing drugs are not always beneficial, as they come at a cost, in more ways than one, and there are many potential risks.

Athletes, bodybuilders, students or military personnel may use the drugs. They are not illegal, but they are also not permitted while taking part in a physical activity, according to standard rules or guidelines. They enhance a performers activity by increasing muscle mass, strength and allows sportsmen/women to participate at a more competitive level. Not only this, but they also help
an athlete to recover from an intense workout, by reducing the muscle damage through the duration of the activity. Using performance-enhancing drugs is sometimes referred to as doping. When such a substance alters a student’s performance, it can be referred to as academic doping. Some highly recognised athletes that have used the substance are Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Lance Armstrong, Floyd Landis, Alberto Contador, Tyson Gay, Justin Gatlin and Vijay Singh. The drugs that these athletes self-administered were a combination of generic steroids, testosterone and human growth hormones.

Generally performance-enhancing drugs are a cheap or faker version of testosterone. They are consumed either as pills, injections or treatment. A type of synthetic drug has been invented illegally, to be hidden when a doping test is performed on the consumer. These drugs have not been approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) therefore they possess a large health risk to athletes in particular. The most common drugs that are recognised are called HGH (Human Growth Hormones), Beta-2 Agonists, Diuretics, Stimulants, Narcotics, Cannabinoids, Glucocorticosteroids, Beta Blockers and Blood Dopers. Each drug individually provides different enhancements and different side effects. Many athletes that participate in the doping take larger amounts than what is the recommended or standard dosage, when it is prescribed. This can cause over-doses. There are many physical side-affects for both men and women. These include baldness, decreased size of body parts, acne, deepening of the voice, skipping periods, joint pain, muscle weakness, diabetes, HIV or hepatitis, liver damage, stunted growth, impotence, increased LDL (low density lipoprotein), high blood pressure, aggressive behaviour, mental illness and future health problems. Each type of drug provides different benefits and disadvantages, but each drug does not only alter the way in which the body’s muscles work, but the way the brain works. It has been discovered that one of the main causes of clinical depression, schizophrenia and an increase of physical abuse, are the result of an excessive intake of performance-enhancing drugs. The main motives for an athlete, who has at some point, or continuously, uses performance-enhancing drugs are due to, a desire to win or to perform better, a strong addiction, or prescription use, which has escalated.
Athletes have such a strong desire to win, as most sports offer a grand amount of money to the winners and it is also very good for the image of the player to the wider public. The portion of athletes that are addicted to using performance-enhancing drugs, allow themselves to be put at very high medical risks and more often than not, are caught in the process. If an athlete, student, coach, etc. is caught addicted to the substance, a referral to rehab will be issued. Drug doping is classified as cheating, although there are many arguments for and against the use it can be expensive, dangerous, and has not yet been allowed into Australian sporting. The result of a player cheating can result in expulsion from their position or club and it can also lead to a great deal of public humiliation. In previous years players have been shunned by fans, friends and even family for being caught
using

USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) is an organisation that is designed to prevent the use of performance-enhancing drugs in American sport.
It is estimated that only 10-15% of participants in a major sport are tested for drugs and this particular organisation strives to close the gap of the other 85%. The World-Anti Doping Agency recognises those drugs that are, performance-enhancing, risky, or break the standard rules of a sport, as illegal. The biggest priority for supervisors and coaches is the health of their players, excellence in their honest performance, fairness towards their opponent and respect for their fellow members and community. Experts believe that as the drugs contain some natural substances there will be many more drugs that become untraceable. Some believe that in response to this the drugs should be allowed and that would also allow a level playing field. The drawbacks of this are the dangers and also the expenses. The players who do not want to have an intake of this would be excluded from their sport and it would promote a bad behaviour to the use of drugs as a
whole.