Steroids Essays (2380 words) - Anabolic Steroids,

Steroids Steroids Win, win, win that's what its all about. Being the best and wining at all cost, no matter what it takes. In recent years, athletic competition has intensified to the point that increasing numbers of athletes are striving to upgrade their performances with the desire to be recognized as the best. Because players want to play, coaches want to win, and spectators demand to be entertained, the game is no longer about dreams, discipline, and competing, it is about illusions, deception, and winning. And no price is too great to pay to win. Although many athletes reach their goals through traditional methods, significant numbers are including pharmacologic shortcuts in their training programs. Increasing numbers of athletes are now relying on anabolic steroids to enhance their strength, endurance, and performance, despite the knowledge of the potentially serious adverse consequences these agents can have. Through this paper one will find a decisive background and history of anabolic steroids, from when they were first used in the sporting arena, to what they do, and who uses anabolic steroids and why. Second how anabolic steroids are harmful mentally through perceptions of feeling and looking good, to societies demand of winning at all cost. Third how this drug is extremely harmful physically and the negative effects in both men and women along with the overall negative effects of steroid abuse. Last the reader will see how the use of anabolic steroids are an unfair advantage to those who use them for how it heightens athletic prowess and gave them an extra competitive edge. Therefor misused anabolic steroids are very harmful to athletes, mentally, physically, and are an unfair advantage to the athletes who use them. In order to have a clear understanding of anabolic steroid abuse a brief history is in order. The first reported use of anabolic steroids in sports was in the 1940's and 1950's. When the Russian weightlifting team thanks, in part, to synthetic testosterone-walked off with a pile of medals at the 1952 Olympics, an American physician determined that U.S. competitors should have the same advantage. By the 1958 a U.S. pharmaceutical firm had developed anabolic steroids. Although the physician soon realized the drug had unwanted side effects, it was too late to halt its spread into the sports world. The first users of anabolic steroids were mainly bodybuilders, weightlifters, football players, and track and field athletes who relied heavily on bulk and strength. In the 1970's and 80's other sports sought the competitive edge that these steroid we re thought to have and later the black market flourished for the illegal production of this harmful and even deadly drug. The assumptions of these users were that they heard it would make them more aggressive and also give them that extra power they need to win or exceed. Anabolic steroids enable athletes in certain sports to build up muscle tissue during training more quickly than in training without drugs. (Tschirgi 1992). Clinical records have shown that the use of anabolic steroids and rigorous physical training along with a high protein diet will enhance muscle growth. So in short anabolic steroids speeds up this process which in turn will help enhances muscle growth. Today's society hear the messages from all sides: Get in shape; be muscular. In ads and TV commercials, muscular people sell perfume, cars, weight and muscle gainers-even beer. The beautiful body is the accepted way of life. This is true for all areas ranging from junior high student to the professional arena. Adolescents are pressured by peers, cliques, and school groups to take steroids due to the attitude; now, fast food, fast cars, fast everything this attitude is now invading the health and fitness arena. Teens are trying to reach the goal quickly, but at what cost. And it is not just teens, this same mentality has been going on for years, all the way back to the first suspected high school use in 1950.( JAMA 1993). It was assumed that athletes playing football took these steroids to make them the invincible player, and today those same athletes are collage and professionals who are still using these very deadly drugs to stay on top, no matter what. Professionals, more than collage and high school