The PED Dilemma

The PED Dilemma From the dawn of time, humans have continually illustrated their competitive drives. Primitive hunts showcased strength in members while games such as chess revealed mental superiority. Desire for a competitive advantage dominates human nature. Along with this overwhelming desire comes the act of cheating. The present day, however, brings with it a heightened level of competition. Cheating is no longer copying off of another’s paper; it is becoming smarter through the use of ‘smart drugs.’ Instead of dismantling the other team’s equipment, the player instead injects himself/herself with steroids. A significant but unknown number of athletes use chemical substances to increase strength and stamina beyond what they can achieve
utilizing nutrition and training alone (Kenneth 2006). Performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) have redefined what competitive advantages are. These drugs enhance a person’s performance and ability. Competitive gaming and competition in general has become dominated by people who use/sell these drugs. PEDs have become a nuisance to society and should never be legalized or justified due to their negative ethical implications and numerous health risks that they impose. The most noticeable region of PED influence is the world of sports. Athletes have been attempting to gain an advantage over the other team since the Romans fought in the Coliseum; the Romans used herbal stimulants. “Through the years athletes have sought that edge from a variety of stimulants ranging from caffeine and brandy to heroin and cocaine,” (Kenneth, 2004). Some of the most infamous athletes that have been caught in the act include Lance Armstrong, Marion Jones and Alex Rodriguez. Each of these competitors became famous from their awe-inspiring feats and nations saw them as role models. Not one person suspected that they would have cheated and cut corners to earn their glory. While many athletes train and work hard to participate in the sport, many use PEDs to gain the edge needed to win. That edge continues rising each year creating many more types of PEDs. “The future of performance enhancement belongs to a dizzying array of medical wizardry, including manipulating stem cells and inducing euphoric mental, states, that could make the cheaters stronger and faster than ever--and catching them nearly impossible,” (Kotler, 2008). New drugs and techniques consistently keep the cheaters in the shadow of the gaming commission/drug tests. Rules were created to ensure fair play and equal opportunity of success within the sporting world. The use of steroids, doping and other PEDs only manages to showcase how many think cheating is acceptable. This embeds cheating as a positive in the young minds of children who watch/idolize said athletes. The use of the drugs spreads a “win at all costs” message which removes all the fun and joy that the game is supposed to generate. Doping has become so associated with sports that definitions of it include: the violation of sporting ethics (Lee, 2006). The integrity of the games has been injured by drug use. PED supporters will ramble on that no two people are alike, so PEDs give some the extra push they need to be equal to the other players. However, with training and determination one can achieve their goal and still not need to use PEDs; a prime example is Michael Jordan. Anti-doping advocates and fans alike share the discomfort from watching the drugs tarnish the mythic purity of sports. “’The public likes to have a clean game,’ says Don Catlin, director of the Olympic drug-testing laboratory at the University of California at Los Angeles. ‘They like it to be fair and square.’” (Kenneth 2004) Using PEDs compromises the integrity and fairness represented within sports. PEDs also represent ethnical problems within the workplace and school campuses. Many know how competitive work can become and how challenging schools can be. Most people decide to deal with these pressures by working harder, adjusting their lifestyles or seeking help from others. However, a new trend has been to use PEDs to handle the stressors. “Smart drugs,” such as Adderall and Ritalin, are being used by students in college campuses across America. Many businessmen/women, ranging from bankers to doctors, are also taking their fair share of these neural enhancing PEDs. These types of drugs improve the mental focus and performance of their users, increasing the amount of work they can achieve in their allotted time periods. This can reduce studying time, increase the absorption of material and make tests easier for students taking them. Meanwhile, they make coworkers stand out and allows for them to get that promotion easier. Colleges like Duke University are implementing policies stating that the “’unauthorized use of prescription medicine to enhance academic performance’ should be treated as cheating,” (Cederström, 2016). PEDs allowed for those who were less motivated to study for that exam or impress the boss for that promotion to outshine those who took the time to work hard and excel at the job/topic they are working/learning. Again, using PEDs is cheating and creates an unfair environment. Also, in a society that is incapable of differentiating between work and non-work, the use of PEDs would intensify the corporate rat race. Organizations and countries have struggled with always working cultures which PED use intensifies. This would lead to the elimination of overtimes and the cutting of jobs altogether.
The abuse and misuse of these drugs causes serious health problems for the mind and body. While many PEDs are legal to purchase over the counter, several are illegal to own/purchase or they are used to treat specific illnesses. PEDs are wide ranging and are organized into many different classes, each with its own set of grave side effects. Types of PEDs include steroids, narcotics, growth regulators, and doping, to name a few. Common physical side effects of PEDs are heart attacks, stroke, cancers, gender switching and death. Each of these physical side effects will greatly injure or kill any athlete that uses said drugs. The athletes are literally putting their lives in danger every time, even the first time, they choose to use PEDs. The use of said drugs also takes them away from a person who could actually benefit from them. Those born prematurely and patients suffering from cancer are treated with growth factors and peptide hormones, which are common PEDs (Effects of Performance-Enhancing Drugs [USADA], 2014). Drugs that are being used to gain an edge in a sport could instead be used to help treat an infant. Those who use PEDs in the workplace to help improve their brains are hurting themselves and the people around them. These “smart drugs” have psychological effects that include paranoia, increased aggressiveness, insomnia, and the inability to think. Not one person would allow a doctor operate on them while using PEDs that could have caused the inability to concentrate within the doctor. A pilot that uses PEDs to keep his focus could catch a heart attack while flying and let the plane crash to the ground. The use of PEDs affects those around the user in negative ways. The legalization of these drugs would also make it easier to produce them outside of the pharmacy. “Never before has it been so easy to obtain the instructions, the precursor molecules, and the manufacturing capabilities to produce exotic, unregulated compounds on a mass scale -- or print out crude recipes for drugs you can make yourself” (Piore, 2012). New and toxic strains of these PEDs could be created by amateur chemists and drug dealers due to easier access to the drugs. The lethality of the PEDs is extreme and the legalization of these drugs would only increase the death rate that they produce.
PEDs are infamous for manufacturing horrendous effects on society and therefore should never be legalized or justified.
“Harm is practically the universal reason for banning steroids and other performance enhancing drugs from sports, whether it’s harm to the sport’s integrity, physical harm to the athletes, harm to the children, etc.” (Lee, 2006). These drugs are used to cut corners and cheat. Many athletes use them so they do not have to train as hard or so they can improve their performance/body rapidly. This act destroys the integrity of sporting and it sends a negative message to the youths of the world. PEDs are also used by the average Joe and kids in school. While the drugs used by this group of individuals affects their mental capacity they can still harm the people around them. Many people would agree that a construction worker should not be on PEDs while wielding heavy equipment. The main reason not to legalize these drugs is the serious effects they have on the body and mind. PEDs can cause stroke, heart attack, nervousness, nausea, headaches and even death. Risking one’s life just to become a better competitor in sports or the workplace is not worth the risk if death is just around the corner. As the monetary and other rewards of elite competition have increased over the years so has the popularity of PEDs (Kenneth, 2006). Competing is not all fun and games anymore due to PED usage. Overall, PEDs are not safe to use and decimate the competitive society that the people live
in.