Steroid Use by Athletes

As society merges from day to day and norms get more in percentage >there >are many things that are
corrupting the American society. Of those many >things, there is the word that many people are familiar
with and that is the >word "drugs". Many drugs come into the United States and flood each state >and
town from North to South. In 1995 Newsweek came out with an estimate >that over 85% of teenagers
have used or are usingdrugs at this present >time. >I am going to discuss one of the most dangerous
types of drugs that is used >as a medical advancement as well as a lethal drug to young teens. This drug
>is known as "steroids". Steroids is the up and coming drug of the >future[MM2K.1993] At the rate of
2.5% >increase in teenagers using these drugs on a day to day basis. This rate >is going to lead to very
high percentage of deaths in the future and as well as in the >present now. There are many things that
need to be discussed on the use of >steroids. Many people do not know who are using them, but there
are a variety of people such a laywers and business people that use them. This topic >will all be clarified
in the upcoming passages. Most of the use of steriods in the young years is related to peer pressure..
This is where the young teenagers lead themselves to death, and do not know it. >They do not know what
they are getting themselves into. They only look at >what others are doing and what good things happen
to their appereance. Of all >these topics >the real question here is: Is it worth taking steroids and why are
so many >people taking them?? >
> Steroids first came into the United States from importation from Europe. Steroids in the past were >used
for cattle in the process to make the cattle stronger and heavier. >The heavier >the cattle was the more
money the farmer would get per head. As steroids >emerged >into the United States many people were
taking the opportunity to get these >drugs very easy to promote dog racing and horse racing. With the use
of >steroids these animals can run faster and go farther than any other type of >animal that was not using
them. This drug is simply used to out better the >opponent. When steriods got into the hands of humans
people >started using them as a way to get stronger, like the animals and obtain >that perfect body.
Steroids is a hormone stimulate[Bodywise med.] that >increases the insulin level in your body which
initially makes you get >bigger and stronger. By taking steroids you start developing muscles that >you
would not on a regular basis. People started taking steroids in the >mid-1900's with >a common
testosterone from the vet store. Most of the steroids that are >being used to this day are from Vet stores
that are used in animal medicine. >
> When one person started taking it and others started seeing >results in strength, then it started a chain
reaction in the youth >community. The first known use of steroids was in the Olympics where they >tested
users in the running and jumping fields The first time steriods were heard of was in the Olypics in China. .
Many people thought that >the use of steroids was not true and only made you think that you were
>getting bigger and stronger, but the real reason was that you were training >harder and working out more
than you were before you were on steroids. >this is also known as the "Placebo effect" in which you think
that >something is happening to you and it really isn't. Testing in the Olympic games is becoming more

frequent every year. >

> When the youth community started coming out with steroids that we >not illegal then everyone started
to take advantage of this in many different sports. It was used in body building in which a person created
>there body to be the biggest universal man ever. Steroids became more >popular in this sport than in
any others. Of the most popular sports in >the steroids field. body building is the most known for the use
of >steroids. Many body builders on the >professional circuit today uses steroids[Arnold Encyclopedia]
Most only >use steroids for the better look in the end as well as they use them >because they want
equality of all the others. If you did not use them >then someone somewhere else would and he would get
away with it. He would possibly win a competition. This is not a fair way to compete! So now everyone is
using them in the body >building world to make everything on an equal margin. There are many ways
>that steroids can be covered up so that they can be used in competition, >therefore there is never going
to be a clean atmosphere in the sports >world. [ Flex Mag. 1988] >
> Why are people using steroids if they know what the harms are? Well >in today's society people do not
know what they are getting themselves into >at all. They look at what everyone else is doing. Many young
teens have >ventured into the use of steroids to be able to play better in high school >football or track or
soccer. They do not look at the side effects and long >term effects that are down the road. Believe it or not
many college >athletes are using steroids in the football field[Sports I.] many of them are pressured into
situations to use steriods because of the pressure to >succeed by the parents and coaches. How is the
>person going to be able to compete with someone that is on them, because >steroids enhances your
athletic performance. It boils down to the fact >that it is not fair, and if one person is using them then
others are going >to, just to get a fair chance. >
> When you read about steroids or here about it there is something's >that you dont hear, and that is the
side effects. This is a clear example >why teens are abusing these drugs, because they are not intact with
>everything that goes a long with them. A steroid is a hormone stimulate. >A hormone stimulate
enhances the production of testosterone on your body. >When you have a lot of testosterone in your body
then you start getting >bigger. Steroids double receptor cells and stunts growth[Body Wise MD] Your body
produces 3.5 mg per day of testosterone in >the body when you are between the ages of 18 and 25. If
you were to start >taking steroids you would not see any major side effects that you are going >to
encounter down the road. The typical John Doe would see minimal side >effects like aggression, acne,
cramps, and weight gain. Most people that >take steroids are in it for the weight gain. These are the
typical side >effects, but other ones are gynoclemestia and liver disease. Gynoclymestia >is a disease in
the pectoral muscle that comes from the over load of >testosterone in the pectoral muscle. As the
testosterone sits in there it >cannot be burned of therefore it turns into female estrogen. This is >where
your pectoral muscle turns into the structure of a woman's breast. >Gynoclymestia has a 1% chance of
happening to you, but it does happen. >
> Lets say that you that you are thinking about taking steroids. What >are people doing these days? A

commom steroid that is on the black market >is the common TESTOSTERONE 200. [ Sport ILLUS.
March 1992 ] When taking >this drug many athletes cycle it by taking ten shots in ten weeks. That
>comes out to a shot a week. Of the first cycle you do not see many side >effects on the outer body, but
inside it is destroying your liver and >killing sperm cells. Initially this makes you sterile. Steroids its self >is
not an adicting drug. The reason that people get addicted to this drug >is because once they take a cycle
they are not satisfied with the results. >They want to be even bigger and better, so they take another one
and >another one until they are seeing bad side effects like testicle Shrinkage. >If only people could see
the side effect of the liver that it produces. >That would change people from shooting the needle to
playing it clean. >
> Testicle shrinkage is one of the many side effects that you encounter >when you taking steroids. 45% of
steroids users encounter these effects >when taking them. That means that on the first cycle you will see
these >results. Not all people will see them, but most of the users out there >these days do. Other side
effects according to [Flex 1996] are: >1. testicle shrinkage > 2. Stunt of growth > 3. Impotence > 4. sterile
> 5. weight gains > 6. liver cancer > 7. gynoclamestia > 8. balding > 9. aggression > 10. DEATH >By
looking at this long list of side effects don't think that everyone >experiences these. 10% of users will
experience these, unless they are >using steroids on a everyday basis. >
> We have been discussing all the bad effects and the fact that the >use of anabolic androgen steroids in
sports is increasing. Many sports >players hook up with people that will tell them that they will set them up
>for the future if the start using steroids. One of the reason that people >in the Olympics still use steroids
is because testing is random and spotty. >The federal officials stated that they spend thousands of hours
prosecuting >steroids cases and that they are trying to keep the banning of steroids in >sports. >
> Steroids are very bad for you and by looking over the passages so >far you realize what you are getting
into when you start taking hormone >stimulates. Of all the bad things that we have gone over there still is
>another topic. The pros of using steroids. Steroids are used in medical >research on animals for science
experimentation. Most common diseases that >you see today are cured or altered by the use of steroids. [
Dan Duchane] >stated that 87% of HIV carriers are using anabolic steroids to help cease >there illness.
These people are still seeing the side effects that it >produces but they are not over doing the medication
like other users would >do. Endocrinologists give patients different types of steroids to help >them grow
and obtain proper growth spurts at the age that they should. In >medical research doctors are giving
patients other types of steroids to >help them recover nice and effectively. It promotes hormones in the
body >that will fight diseases and keep you strong. Steroid medical research >is a positive for Americans
also for the use of male birth control that is >going to come out in the near future. Steroids is only a
positive when its >used right and in a responsible manner given by a doctor. >
> Through the pros and cons you have seen you are probably debating >on whether your friends are
using steroids. Steroids are everywhere and >are being shipped into the united states on a regular basis.
Mexico >has the highest rate of importation on the Back Market. Many people get >these drugs from

Pharmacies with out a prescription. The people that sell >these steriods are in for a big profit, but a long
jail time if they were >to get caught. I small bottle of steriods goes anywhere form 5 dollars to >60 dollars.
When taken into the United States it is jumped up another >hundred dollars. That is a really good profit.
On the other hand it is >comsidered a class D felony and a minimum of 5 years to life in jail. It >is not
worth it. >
Doctors are trying to come up with a way that it can be legalized >in the Untied States. Their only fear is
that people are going to over >doss themsleves with this drug. Testosterone is going to be used as a male
>birth control once the doctors come up with a way that they can write a >prescription for these users. I
think that this is a good thing thing that >steriods can do for us. Many people pay high dollar for football
tickets >and other sports. Most of the reason that they go is to watch the big >players rumble and what
not. Steriods is taking over the Sports world, but >it is ironic because people are not going to pay high
dollars for a ticket >to see someone that it small or out of shape. Many people do not look at >these
things and that is why most assume that they are bad. >
In conclusion, there have been many reasons to let people know that >steriods are bad for you and the
publics use of steriods is only going to >get worse. The side effects of steriods surely show the reader that
the >use of steriods will hurt you in the long run. I think that the public >should start taking action in the
lives of teenageers and their actions >upon using steriods in highschool. ></BODY> KEVIN BARR
CBE01</html>
Works Cited:
1.

S.R. Kupfer, Al "Enhancement of Anabolic Steriods in Youths " clinic Inc. Invest 91.2 (1993):391-

396
2.

Lieberman, Sam " Anobolic effects " JCEM 78.2 (1994) :404-410

3.

Froesch, Robert. " Metabolic and Theraputic Effects " Hormone Ess. 24(1994) : 121-130

4.

C.J. Hobbs " Testosterone Administration" JCEM 77.3 (1993) : 773-779

5.

R.A. Gelfand. " Effect Of Steriods " JCEM 80.1 (1987) : 1-6

6.

D.R. Clemmons, " Use of Growth Hormone " Endocrinology 120 (1987) : 166-169

7.

P.D. Zenobi, et al, " Effects of Insulin in the blood Level" Clin Invest 89 (1992) : 1908-1913

8.

Dr. Wolff, " Growth Hormone In Teenagers " ACTA Endocrinology 121 (1995) : 753-758

9.

J.L. Thompson " Whole Body Steriods " Surgery 112.2 (1992) 284-292 Kevin Barr

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MLA Citation:
"Drugs and Sports - Steroids Use by Athletes." 123HelpMe.com. 13 Apr 2015
<http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=10809>.