Why Athletes Use Steroids

For many years people have debated weather not to have steroids in sports, or to keep them away from all competition. However some athletes use steroids anyway to “get ahead” of the competition. These action can cause athletes being kicked out of a game or even all future competition. Some people ask “Why use steroids?” Some athletes use drugs, where they can train their bodies hard and then have their bodies recover fast. Different types of athletes use steroids in different ways depending on what sport the athlete is partaking in. Depending on what the athlete is trying to achieve they will combine certain drugs to give them the result that they want(Knight 23). Another reason that some athletes may start to use steroids is "To excel in
athletic competition is admirable. Most high school, college, amateur and professional athletes participate in sports for the opportunity to pit their abilities against those of their peers, and to experience the satisfaction that comes from playing to their potential."(State Health Department 1). People have fought back and forth about legalizing steroids into sports. In a poll in 2007 the majority that took the poll said that they don't want steroids in the sports(Parks 76). Also in a survey taken in 2009, 62 percent that answered the survey said that over the counter products need to be checked by the Food and Drug Administration(Parks 77). In another survey taken in 2009, 79 percent of the people asked said that steroids should still remain illegal in sports, 14 percent said no, that they should be legal, and the remaining 6 percent that were asked were unsure(Parks 76). The use of steroids has forever changed the face of professional sports, making it a world fueled by drug contacts instead of skill and talent.
Roids, juice, hype, or pump are names that people may use when talking about steroids. Anabolic steroids are different from steroids medications. Anabolic steroids help you build muscle, buy steroids can not help the ability and or skill of the athlete. Genetics, body size, age, sex, diet and how the athlete trains determines ability(State Health Department 1). "Steroids fall into the category of ergogenic drugs. A drug that is classified as orogenetic is a substance that can be used to improve athletic performance. Other ergogenic drugs include prohormones, such as androstenedione and androstenediol, growth hormones, and nutritional supplements. While these substances may act on the body in different ways, the goals are the same: to gain muscles, increase endurance, and speed muscle and strength recovery."(Knight 7). "Athletes who are doping rarely take one kind of drug. More commonly, they will do what is called stacking, which means combining a number of drugs in order to have the best chance at success. Unfortunately, stacking can also lead to overdose and greater chances of permanently damaging vital organs."(Knight 23). Even tho stacking is very bad for everyone, people do this so that they can get the result faster. Some people that take steroids prescribed, might start taking more so that they can get better faster. "When improperly used, anabolic steroids can cause serious health problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease; liver damage and cancers; and, stroke and blood clots. Other side effects of steroids include: nausea and vomiting, increased risk of ligament and tendon injuries, headaches, aching joints, muscle cramps, diarrhea, sleep problems and severe acne"(State Health Department 1). People who endanger themselves by taking steroids don’t realize that they are doing so much harm to their body. People don’t realize this because steroids are commercialized to be a good thing and help you, and not harm you. Even though doctors use steroids to help patients they know how much to give them. When steroids are taken not prescribed they can be used in a dangerous way.
Over the past years people have made myths or assumptions about the effects about steroids. "When they were first isolated, steroids were thought to delay the effects of old age. While we now know this to be untrue, anabolic steroids can be very effective in certain medical treatments. Anabolic steroids are legally prescribed by doctors and used for people who have hormone deficiencies that prevent them from experiencing normal puberty. These drugs are also prescribed to burn victims to generate skin growth, to people recovering from surgeries, and to some cancer patients. Still, the number of people who use anabolic steroids illegally in order to gain a competitive edge is much greater than the number who are prescribes them for the treatment of health problems. Doctors never prescribe anabolic steroids for building muscles."(Knight 8). Some reasons why people may think that steroids slow down aging is because of what steroids do to your body after a while.
Some of the effects of steroids can be more harmful and last longer than other effects.
Another thing that will affect how the steroids affect people also just depends on the person and how their body reacts to medication. "Androgens and anabolic steroids include the endogenous male sex hormone testosterone and dihydrotestosterone, and other agents that behave like these sex hormones. Androgens stimulate the development of male sexual characteristics (such as deepening of the voice and beard growth) and development of male sex organs. Anabolic steroids stimulate growth in many other types of tissue, especially bone and muscle. Anabolic effects also include increased production of red blood cells"(Leigh Anderson, PharmD 1). Some side effects of steroids can also include something such as addiction, some addiction may vary in different ways. "Steroid use may lead to dependency. Dependency on the drug is illustrated in the feeling that the person cannot function normally without the steroids in their system. Overuse leads to an increase of the hormones in the body, and it can cause more severe side effects than lower doses"(Eric Patterson 1). People who start to take steroids, after awhile they start to face side effects that aren't life fulfilled. Some effects may include, acne, mood swings, fatigue, restlessness/ agitation, decreased appetite, trouble sleeping, decreased sperm count, and impotence. Some people that use liquid steroids they might begin to see swelling or a
certain smell(Eric Patterson 1). People who take steroids may often begin to see shrinking of the testicles, excessive hair growth in women, deepening of the voice in wemon, growth of breast tissue in men, fertility issues, heart problems, elevated blood pressure, rapid mood swings, mania, stroke, and menstrual irregularities for women (Eric Patterson 1). Long time users of steroids may come to find themselves having more severe side effects than short time users. "Many of the side effects of steroids can be seen from someone's outward appearance changes or through their behaviors. Some long-term effects of steroid abuse cannot be observed. Although steroid use does not trigger the same intense, immediate response in the brain as another substance like cocaine, it can create changes to the brain over time. These changes can impact the production and supply of certain chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters. These changes in the brain can lead to changes in mood and behavior in the person, In long-term, anabolic steroid abuse can cause, Anger and aggression, paranoia, delusions, heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, tumors in the liver, and blood-borne diseases from injection use" (Eric Patterson 1). Along with addiction for long time users of steroids, when one decides to stop using, they might start to see effects of withdrawal. Some withdrawal symptoms consists of, difficulty concentrating, insomnia, a decreased sex drive, headaches, joint and muscle pain, anxiety, anorexia, and fatigue. Withdrawal from steroids can also cause depression(Eric Patterson 1). The withdrawal symptoms may vary between people , and in some cases people might not even experience withdrawal. In some studies people don’t stop taking the drug because they are afraid of the withdrawal effects.
Over the past few years people have started to realize that more and more athletes from the high school level all the way up to the highest professional level have been using steroids have been getting higher and higher.
"The olympics organization has a tough, no-tolerance drug code for its athletes. Oversen in the united states by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and globally by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the policy provides a list of banned substances, including steroids, stimulants, and hormones."(Parks 15-16). Letting athletes get away with using steroids is hurting the athlete by a significant amount. If the athlete is talented enough that they can compete at the highest level of competition, and they are using steroids for something besides a medical reason, they could get kicked out of all sports competition. If an athlete has used steroids through their athletic career and get to the olympic level they would not be able to compete. This is why even in high school sports athletes should be drug tested, to put a stop to all drug use in sports. "College and professional athletics are commercial ventures. Consumers pay to view the games and advertisers underwrite them to attract viewers. No one would justify allowing athletes to break rules in an obvious way; for example, by allowing illegal hits on the football field. The use of steroids may not be as noticeable, but this blatant disregard for rules should not be justified any more than other illegal behavior. Drug
testing is the only way to enforce such rules and should therefore be mandatory to protect the integrity of sports, which are essentially contests conducted under a set of rules. Thus, the fundamental issue is not one of Constitutional rights, but rather one of avoiding consumer fraud"(Lee,Griswold 1).