Steroids (specifically anabolic steroids) are generally used
for their muscle gaining properties and increase in testosterone levels.
Anabolic steroids are used for their beneficial properties of increasing the
athlete’s strength, speed, and endurance. Sports such as Baseball,
Bodybuilding, and Track and Field have records of athletes using steroids
illegally. Steroids are far to abused in our sports industry. Athletes are
pushed to their absolute level in competition and will do anything in order to
gain the edge on their particular sport, including using illegal performance
enhancing drugs such as anabolic steroids. Steroids should continue to be
banned from sports and athletes, including bodybuilders, should be penalized
when tested positive for the drug. The best action we can take is to educate
parents, primary care physicians, coaches, and kids of the drastic, long term
side effects of steroid use. This paper will be underlining the serious issues
with steroids abuse in athletes, bodybuilders, and young adults.
Steroids have drastic effects on both
genders, male and female, but the effects of the drug vary; my research show's that females suffer far greater repercussions than males when using anabolic
steroids. A
possible reason for this is that the physical side effects such as increase of
facial hair, acne, deepening voice and muscle mass are all masculine qualities
that would be difficult for females to hide. Steroids cause
increase of testosterone and other derivatives that give women these secondary
sex characteristics. Female users only have to take a tenth as much
testosterone as males simply because males naturally have more testosterone than
women and their bodies can accommodate a larger amount. According to Fred Hartgens article,
"Effects of Androgenic-Anabolic Steroids in Athletes."
from Sports Medicine, In females using steroids, adverse effects include a
deepened voice, acne, male pattern hair loss, clitoral enlargement, and
increased facial and body hair. Other long-term (irreversible) risks include liver cancer,
depression, and birth defects in children of mothers who once used steroids.
Fred Hartgens explains that steroids have a drastic toll on the female
reproductive system, causing an increased number of miscarriages along with
growth retardation of the fetus. These side effects are considered permanent,
even after steroid use stops. Majority of females who use anabolic steroids
explain that they had little or no knowledge of the drug beforehand. An anonymous female bodybuilder, from
Anabolic Steroids.com, confessed her use of steroids explaining that she had no
knowledge of the drug beforehand, “During and after 2 cycles of these drugs I
experienced mood changes, dramatic fat loss, increased lean body mass, and
indescribable pumps in the gym. I didn't notice any negative side effects
until....” long term side effects take a while to kick in, but when activated
are beyond repair. “I noticed my voice started cracking during conversation. The
sound of my voice was inconsistent and unpredictable.” Deepening of voice is
one of the permanent side effects of anabolic steroids, “the decision I made
two years ago haunts me every day of my life.” Unfortunately for this anonymous
bodybuilder she was not informed of the drastic side effects of anabolic
steroids. Her, along with countless others have stories of the effects of
steroids overtaking their body and mind. Candice Armstrong
a female bodybuilder from Walthamstow London steroid abuse went so far
as to effectively turn her into a fully functioning man. Like many other female
bodybuilders, she began taking the drug without the intention of becoming
masculine but explains that she’s too far in to stop. "You could argue that
when I wanted big arms and broad shoulders, a bigger back and small hips, that
that was a masculine look but I didn't consciously decide I want to change from
a woman into a man." The side effects that Candice is currently suffering includes, excess body
hair, acne, and the growth of a 1-inch ‘male part’. Candice has no intention of
stopping her steroid use, "I think it would do more harm than good," she explains. "I’d lose all the muscles but I wouldn't lose all the masculine qualities like
the facial hair and the deep voice... It doesn't really go back. If I was to
try and reverse that, I'd need the same sort of procedures as a male becoming a
woman." Once the long term side effect kick in there is no reversal of these
conditions. Candice, along with majority of steroid users, has to learn to deal
with these side effects and make the best of what they have. "It's opened doors
and enabled me to develop myself the way I want to," she says.
When the thought of steroids
comes into mind people create this image of hulking male bodybuilders such as
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and Ronnie Coleman. Rarely does the
image of a 'hulking' female come into mind. This is because men, on average, take four to
five times more steroids than women according to major league test results. A
possible reason for this is that the physical side effects such as increase of
facial hair, acne, deepening voice and muscle mass are all masculine qualities
that would be difficult for females to hide. This is because steroids cause
increase of testosterone and other derivatives that give women these secondary
sex characteristics. Female users only have to take a tenth as much
testosterone as males; this is because males naturally have more testosterone than
women and their bodies can accommodate a larger amount. (elaborate further)
Anabolic steroids are not only abused by older athletic adults but by
young teen individuals. According to Anne E. Stein’s article “Girls Using
Steroids” from Lifestyles Magazine
Researchers have found that up to 5 percent of high school girls and 7 percent
of middle-school girls have acknowledged using anabolic steroids at least once.
Some use steroids in the hope of becoming thin; others use steroids to push
themselves beyond their athletic limits in sports. Adverse effects of young teen girls using
steroids mirror the effects of adults using the drug, but also include
disruption of menstrual periods and the closing off of growth plates, causing
stunted growth. Though steroids do have medicinal purposes on young growing
teens, such as a ‘jump start’ to
puberty, but when administered without the consent and guidance of a doctor the
side effects greatly outweigh the benefits. (elaborate further)
Steroids
are a very controversial subject when it comes to sports, especially the sport
of body building. When the subject of steroids comes into mind body building judges
seem to turn a blind eye. Should anabolic steroids be legal
in the sport of bodybuilding? An anonymous interview between a pro IFBB body
builder and a representative of Bodybuilding.com, Steve Holeman brought a lot
of controversial subject out of the dark. When asked how much he spent on drugs
per year, the nameless bodybuilder responder with; “Well, growth
hormone alone costs you $30,000 a year” when asked about his total drug
bill, the response was ridiculous, “About $60,000, but it's going to be higher
next year. Just this last year I had to add [blank]. Right now it's the
number-one bodybuilding "supplement" in the competition ring. All
these guys you see getting bigger, it's that.” So, it’s not just steroids
that give bodybuilders the competitive edge, new supplements are constantly
being implemented into the sport, and every one of them has drastic effect on
health. At the end of the interview, the anonymous bodybuilder was asked if he
had anything else he wanted to get off of his chest, he told the interviewer to
brace himself, and responded with one last comment, “They don't talk about how much drug [abuse]
there is. And it's not just the steroids. We've got to use speed and stuff like
that. We have to use a lot of diuretics, things that aren't too healthy, and
they don't feel good. Lots of guys are using cocaine-not just because they like
it, but it helps you get cut up, it helps you not eat. With drugs there's use
and abuse. But at our level I feel we're getting exploited, you know? They pump
us full of drugs...” Besides the steroids, bodybuilders are abusing
countless drugs. It’s astonishing what risks they’ll take in order to gain the
competitive edge. Because of steroids, bodybuilder have resorted to using
larger amounts of equally dangerous drugs, you could call it a gateway drug.
100% of pro bodybuilders use steroids simply because they have to in order keep up with other competing athletes. Without steroids or the Human Growth Hormone IFBB pro bodybuilder wouldn’t
be nearly the size they are today. (elaborate further?)
Steroids could possibly make our sports
industry much more exciting, but at what cost? Daniel Gordon’s documentary “Ben
Johnson – The Race That Shocked the World” underlines the key points of
numerous steroid abuses in the 1988 Olympic Games. In the film, Angella
Issajenko, a former Canadian 100 meter record holder explained, “I remember Charley
(Angella’s coach) saying ‘you know they’re all on performance enhancing drugs’ and
I’m thinking oh my god, if this is what my competitors are doing then I have to
do this to.” Similar to bodybuilding, steroids play a large role in our Olympic
sports, especially those that require a large amount of muscle mass. When your competitor’s
are using a performance enhancing drug that gives them a drastic edge on the
sport, it is difficult to keep yourself from abusing the same substance.
Charlie Francis, Ben Johnson’s coach explains the reason behind turning to anabolic
steroids, “Sooner or later your ability to succeed on natural talent runs out
when you run against the chemical barrier. The question became, you know, do
you take drugs and try to win or do you content yourself with losing forever by
staying away from them.” To an Olympic athlete, the sport is the most
important thing in your life, so it’s difficult to accept the fact that without the
use of illegal drugs there’s no possible way of winning, or getting close to
winning. Robson Da Silva, a 100 meter sprinter in the 1988 Olympic games was
one of the few athletes who wasn’t tested positive for anabolic steroids, “I
decided to not take it and lose, but those guys, during the 80’s, they must
have taken something! I just had to think about how hard it was for me to be at
practice every day and to run ten flat and those guys run it easily. That’s the
question that I need the answer for.” For players like Robson, who prefer to
compete clean and work harder for their results, it’s unfair to compete with
athletes who chose to use the drug. In the Olympic games of 1988, nearly every single
one hundred meter sprinter was tested positive for steroid abuse. With this in
mind, should steroids be illegal? The primary
reason why performance enhancing drugs are outlawed in professional sports is
that they give users an unfair advantage over the rest of the field, but if each individual athlete is administered the drug, with
the same dosage and same frequency, is any particular athlete gaining the edge?
It’s a hard debate to take into mind and a very controversial topic at the
moment. Julian Savulescu, an Australian philosopher and Bioethicists
and Professor of Uehiro Practical Ethics
at the University
of Oxford, when asked in a recent debate regarding
the legalization of steroids in sports responded with “To say that we should reduce drugs in sport or eliminate them
because they increase performance, is simply like saying that we should eliminate
alcohol from parties because it increases sociability.” In Julian’s view,
he believes that since steroids have been a part of our sport industry for so
long they might as well be legalized. Arguing against Julian was Dale Murphy, a former Major League Baseball outfielder who started the iWon't Cheat Foundation to help rid sports of drugs, says: "We
need better testing; harsher punishments and people will decide not to get
involved with performance-enhancing drugs, if you gamble on the game in
any way, shape, or form your career will be over." There are many
different outlooks on the use of anabolic steroids in sports. This is a difficult topic that is
still being debated in our sports industry.
It is obvious that steroids are a
dangerous drug with a large amount of diverse side effects. Hopefully our health industry, educational facilities, and sports industries begin educating the public on the serious, long term side effects of the drug.
How do male athletes
differ from female athletes when using steroids? Do steroids negatively affect
the health of individuals under the age of 18? If steroids where legalized to
an extent, who would be the most likely to receive the drugs? Steroids could
possibly make out sports industry that much more exciting, but at what cost?
http://www.npr.org/2008/01/23/18299098/should-we-accept-steroid-use-in-sports
http://www.trulyhuge.com/pro_bodybuilding.htm
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