Steroid`s Prohibition Essay, Research Paper

It?s amazing what athletes will do to achieve higher levels of performance and to get an edge on the rivaled competition. Often people do not realize the

long-term effects that result from the decisions they make early in life. This

resembles the obvious phenomenon with steroids. Steroids became a spreading

exposure to athletes in the Olympics and other major sporting events during the

1950?s. This use of steroids among athletes became apparent when Canadian

sprint runner Ben Johnson tested positive for steroid use after winning the gold

medal for the 100-meter dash during the 1988 Olympics. Today, a thin

fifteen-year-old can just walk down to the local gym and find sellers to obtain

the drug that will make him the idol of all his classmates. Being such an

attractive drug, as shown in the analogy above, and seeming harmless to the

unaware user, steroids can have a potentially jeopardous effect. Consistently,

users, new and experienced, have no knowledge as to the dangerous consequences

that steroids can have on their minds and bodies. Although steroids have low

death tolls in our society, banning it is purely justified because of the

extremely perilous side effects it inflicts on the unsuspecting user. Though

steroids are known as a somewhat dangerous substance, they are legal to possess

and consume. There has not yet been a true clinical study that proves such

possible side effects are linked to the use of steroids. Sure, there has been

several cases in which someone has died and an autopsy has shown that the person

was using steroids, but this does not mean they are a lethal drug as some

medical professionals have stated. Some advocates believe that because steroids

are legal, and since it?s the decision of the user to take the drug, steroids

are not causing a problem in society. Millions, causing deteriorating effects on

their bodies, consume alcohol and cigarettes every day, but there has never been

a protest to put a ban on these items because of their harmful nature. So how

are steroids any different? Some people may state that the wide spread use of

steroids among professional athletes is forcing young upcoming athletes to use

steroids, even though it?s against their morals. This is because they know

they can not compete adequately against their opponents who are using steroids

to achieve higher levels of performance. One might say this is how competition

works though. Race car drivers and gymnasts are out there every day, pushing

themselves harder and harder, going just a little faster, or doing a new, more

difficult trick. Many believe they are forced by their own desire to win, and

the hazardous risks they take, be it taking a corner a little faster or pulling

an extra flip in a routine, are no different than the risks a football player,

wrestler, or weight lifter takes when they choose to use steroids to increase

their skills. Many believe these reasons make steroid abuse morally justified,

and say their use in sports and other activities are just an added element in

boosting performance. It is true that there has not yet been any defined medical

research to prove steroid abuse is linked to severe medical implications. But

many chronic users dealing with massive medical difficulties believe they were a

result of steroid abuse. Alcohol and cigarettes are major contributors to the

deaths of thousands each year. Frequently we see a family member, or friend,

suffering from diseases and health conditions caused by smoking and drinking.

These conditions can often lead to an early, horrible death for the individual.

Many find these experiences an obstantial reason to not drink and smoke. In a

similar situation, young athletes see their former athletic idols suffering from

medical problems caused by steroids. These professionals will even admit to

their former steroid abuse in hopes to persuade the thousands of young athletes

participating in steroid abuse each day to make the right choice in not using

steroids. I find it hard to believe how young athletes can simply ignore the

warnings of these suffering abusers. This can partly be blamed on the lack of

education about steroids that young athletes will receive. Nevertheless, when

they see the effects steroids have in the long run on such professional athletes

as Lyle Alzado, they should realize the need to give up their abuse, even if

they must sacrifice the chance to win that gold medal, or give up that buff body

they always dreamed of. If a user was to listen to what a former addict has gone

through, and possibly died from, he may be persuaded to give up his addiction,

and in the end, he will find himself at an advantage because he will live a

longer, healthier life. In addition, the severe physiological and psychological

dependencies caused by steroids are consistent among the underground of ripping

steroid users, causing personal problems with the user as well as family and

friends of the user. Once a young user achieves the chiseled physique he always

dreamed of, there is no turning back. It would only be his worst nightmare to

give up steroids and relapse to the scrawny little body he had before his

steroid use. An athlete that learns the performance advantages he gains from

steroids will, in a short time, become use to the edge he has obtained, and will

soon be craving more. For him to simply drop his addiction cold turkey, and go

back to being second best, is not even an option anymore. These addictions, as

with most addictions, will cause the user to lose interest in friends and

family, concentrating only on enhancements to his physique and athletic

performance (Hemme, pg 58). Even worse, the drug can cause will known "roid

rages" (Voy, pg. 223). This involves the spontaneous acts of violence and

abuse towards anyone a user comes intact with. This is usually a worse scenario

with non-athletic steroid abusers because athletes such as football players can

release a good share of their rage on the playing field. Some severe addictions

can include symptoms such as increased libido, sexual perversion, and psychotic

episodes (Voy, pg. 223). Because of the severe results of steroid addiction, it

is an effective measure of the abuser?s family and friends to take necessary

action in order to help an abuser with his addiction. Adolescent steroid abusers

can also experience complex physiological and psychological problems, some of

which result in permanent effects. For some reason, a widespread use of these

so-called "natural drugs" has become apparent among the teenage age

group in the last four to five years. They seem to believe such drugs such as

Marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms do not have damaging effects on their

bodies because they are natural substances. Just because Marijuana comes from a

plant found in nature, or the suddenly popular hallucinogenic mushrooms found in

farm pastures that grow naturally, does not mean they are not going to have

harmful effects on the body. These substances that teenagers use are toxins

produced by the plants to keep animals and humans from eating them. Although

steroids are a form of the natural male hormone, testosterone, they are far

higher in concentration then what our bodies produce naturally. This high

concentration is no doubt toxic to our bodies, and can result in harmful side

effects. At an early age, anything, such as drugs, is going to have an increased

effect. Most teenagers are unaware of these enhanced effects that steroids have

on them, thus making the drug increasingly dangerous. The massive doses, medical

experts say, not only affect the muscles, but also sex organs and nervous system

including the brain (Schrof, pg. 235). Neil Carolan warns us, "Even a brief

period of abuse on a child whose body and brain chemistry are still developing

is extremely harmful and possibly permanent." The deaths related to

steroids of several high school athletes each year is more than adequate cause

to ban steroids. Consequently, if professional athletes are taking steroids,

then a young high school athlete may go under the misconception that steroids

are harmless. Indeed it would serve well for high school physical education

instructors to teach their students about the effects of steroids and the ethics

involved. Often parents discover their child?s steroid abuse and become

shocked, but with the constant push a child receives to excel in sports and not

having the teaching needed to know the effects and dangers of steroids, it is

not the child?s failure, but society is to blame. With competition becoming

more and more aggressive among women?s athletics, it is not uncommon to find

many of the women athletes harming their bodies with the use of steroids. This

is a scary situation because, as we know, steroids are a form of the male

hormone testosterone and are not suited for a woman. Women do have a similar,

but different, hormone called Estrogen released naturally in their bodies. The

massive doses of steroids that women will take when they are "cycling"

on steroids will have many dangerous side effects (Hemme, pg. 158). Some of

these side effects are unknown, and the long-term effects of steroid abuse among

women are also unsure. The short-term effects involve, deepened voice, loss of

scalp hair, growth of facial hair as well as chest and back hair, and genital

problems can also result. It is unreal that a woman will continue using steroids

after noticing some of the immediate effects steroids have on her. Possibly,

some women may not believe that steroids are going to damage their body. Again,

the dangerous effects these drugs can have on women and all individuals are

indeed reasoning for their prohibition. The lack of official research is no

reason to allow the legal existence of steroids in our society. Just because

there is no indubitable evidence proving the dangerous side effects of steroids

does not mean they do not exist. How many individuals must suffer from the

addiction of steroids before we take the necessary action to abolish sanctioned

use of steroids? Each year, more and more famous retired athletes are admitting

to their steroid use during their career, and are certain the medical

difficulties they are enduring are a direct result from their steroid abuse.

People need to listen to what these retired athletes have to say, and use their

experiences with steroid use to teach our young about the dangers involved.

Furthermore, a complete professional research of long and short-term effects

caused by steroids on men, women and adolescents, is far overdue. Certainly the

banning of steroids will not only help the lives of current users, but also

prevent the further spread of addiction to steroids in our communities. Research

Paper Should Steroids Be Banned From Society? It?s amazing what athletes will

do to achieve higher levels of performance and to get an edge on the rivaled

competition. Often people do not realize the long-term effects that result from

the decisions they make early in life. This resembles the obvious phenomenon

with steroids. Steroids became a spreading exposure to athletes in the Olympics

and other major sporting events during the 1950?s. This use of steroids among

athletes became apparent when Canadian sprint runner Ben Johnson tested positive

for steroid use after winning the gold medal for the 100-meter dash during the

1988 Olympics. Today, a thin fifteen-year-old can just walk down to the local

gym and find sellers to obtain the drug that will make him the idol of all his

classmates. Being such an attractive drug, as shown in the analogy above, and

seeming harmless to the unaware user, steroids can have a potentially jeopardous

effect. Consistently, users, new and experienced, have no knowledge as to the

dangerous consequences that steroids can have on their minds and bodies.

Although steroids have low death tolls in our society, banning it is purely

justified because of the extremely perilous side effects it inflicts on the

unsuspecting user. Though steroids are known as a somewhat dangerous substance,

they are legal to possess and consume. There has not yet been a true clinical

study that proves such possible side effects are linked to the use of steroids.

Sure, there has been several cases in which someone has died and an autopsy has

shown that the person was using steroids, but this does not mean they are a

lethal drug as some medical professionals have stated. Some advocates believe

that because steroids are legal, and since it?s the decision of the user to

take the drug, steroids are not causing a problem in society. Millions, causing

deteriorating effects on their bodies, consume alcohol and cigarettes every day,

but there has never been a protest to put a ban on these items because of their

harmful nature. So how are steroids any different? Some people may state that

the wide spread use of steroids among professional athletes is forcing young

upcoming athletes to use steroids, even though it?s against their morals. This

is because they know they can not compete adequately against their opponents who

are using steroids to achieve higher levels of performance. One might say this

is how competition works though. Race car drivers and gymnasts are out there

every day, pushing themselves harder and harder, going just a little faster, or

doing a new, more difficult trick. Many believe they are forced by their own

desire to win, and the hazardous risks they take, be it taking a corner a little

faster or pulling an extra flip in a routine, are no different than the risks a

football player, wrestler, or weight lifter takes when they choose to use

steroids to increase their skills. Many believe these reasons make steroid abuse

morally justified, and say their use in sports and other activities are just an

added element in boosting performance. It is true that there has not yet been

any defined medical research to prove steroid abuse is linked to severe medical

implications. But many chronic users dealing with massive medical difficulties

believe they were a result of steroid abuse. Alcohol and cigarettes are major

contributors to the deaths of thousands each year. Frequently we see a family

member, or friend, suffering from diseases and health conditions caused by

smoking and drinking. These conditions can often lead to an early, horrible

death for the individual. Many find these experiences an obstantial reason to

not drink and smoke. In a similar situation, young athletes see their former

athletic idols suffering from medical problems caused by steroids. These

professionals will even admit to their former steroid abuse in hopes to persuade

the thousands of young athletes participating in steroid abuse each day to make

the right choice in not using steroids. I find it hard to believe how young

athletes can simply ignore the warnings of these suffering abusers. This can

partly be blamed on the lack of education about steroids that young athletes

will receive. Nevertheless, when they see the effects steroids have in the long

run on such professional athletes as Lyle Alzado, they should realize the need

to give up their abuse, even if they must sacrifice the chance to win that gold

medal, or give up that buff body they always dreamed of. If a user was to listen

to what a former addict has gone through, and possibly died from, he may be

persuaded to give up his addiction, and in the end, he will find himself at an

advantage because he will live a longer, healthier life. In addition, the severe

physiological and psychological dependencies caused by steroids are consistent

among the underground of ripping steroid users, causing personal problems with

the user as well as family and friends of the user. Once a young user achieves

the chiseled physique he always dreamed of, there is no turning back. It would

only be his worst nightmare to give up steroids and relapse to the scrawny

little body he had before his steroid use. An athlete that learns the

performance advantages he gains from steroids will, in a short time, become use

to the edge he has obtained, and will soon be craving more. For him to simply

drop his addiction cold turkey, and go back to being second best, is not even an

option anymore. These addictions, as with most addictions, will cause the user

to lose interest in friends and family, concentrating only on enhancements to

his physique and athletic performance (Hemme, pg 58). Even worse, the drug can

cause will known "roid rages" (Voy, pg. 223). This involves the

spontaneous acts of violence and abuse towards anyone a user comes intact with.

This is usually a worse scenario with non-athletic steroid abusers because

athletes such as football players can release a good share of their rage on the

playing field. Some severe addictions can include symptoms such as increased

libido, sexual perversion, and psychotic episodes (Voy, pg. 223). Because of the

severe results of steroid addiction, it is an effective measure of the

abuser?s family and friends to take necessary action in order to help an

abuser with his addiction. Adolescent steroid abusers can also experience

complex physiological and psychological problems, some of which result in

permanent effects. For some reason, a widespread use of these so-called

"natural drugs" has become apparent among the teenage age group in the

last four to five years. They seem to believe such drugs such as Marijuana and

hallucinogenic mushrooms do not have damaging effects on their bodies because

they are natural substances. Just because Marijuana comes from a plant found in

nature, or the suddenly popular hallucinogenic mushrooms found in farm pastures

that grow naturally, does not mean they are not going to have harmful effects on

the body. These substances that teenagers use are toxins produced by the plants

to keep animals and humans from eating them. Although steroids are a form of the

natural male hormone, testosterone, they are far higher in concentration then

what our bodies produce naturally. This high concentration is no doubt toxic to

our bodies, and can result in harmful side effects. At an early age, anything,

such as drugs, is going to have an increased effect. Most teenagers are unaware

of these enhanced effects that steroids have on them, thus making the drug

increasingly dangerous. The massive doses, medical experts say, not only affect

the muscles, but also sex organs and nervous system including the brain (Schrof,

pg. 235). Neil Carolan warns us, "Even a brief period of abuse on a child

whose body and brain chemistry are still developing is extremely harmful and

possibly permanent." The deaths related to steroids of several high school

athletes each year is more than adequate cause to ban steroids. Consequently, if

professional athletes are taking steroids, then a young high school athlete may

go under the misconception that steroids are harmless. Indeed it would serve

well for high school physical education instructors to teach their students

about the effects of steroids and the ethics involved. Often parents discover

their child?s steroid abuse and become shocked, but with the constant push a

child receives to excel in sports and not having the teaching needed to know the

effects and dangers of steroids, it is not the child?s failure, but society is

to blame. With competition becoming more and more aggressive among women?s

athletics, it is not uncommon to find many of the women athletes harming their

bodies with the use of steroids. This is a scary situation because, as we know,

steroids are a form of the male hormone testosterone and are not suited for a

woman. Women do have a similar, but different, hormone called Estrogen released

naturally in their bodies. The massive doses of steroids that women will take

when they are "cycling" on steroids will have many dangerous side

effects (Hemme, pg. 158). Some of these side effects are unknown, and the

long-term effects of steroid abuse among women are also unsure. The short-term

effects involve, deepened voice, loss of scalp hair, growth of facial hair as

well as chest and back hair, and genital problems can also result. It is unreal

that a woman will continue using steroids after noticing some of the immediate

effects steroids have on her. Possibly, some women may not believe that steroids

are going to damage their body. Again, the dangerous effects these drugs can

have on women and all individuals are indeed reasoning for their prohibition.

The lack of official research is no reason to allow the legal existence of

steroids in our society. Just because there is no indubitable evidence proving

the dangerous side effects of steroids does not mean they do not exist. How many

individuals must suffer from the addiction of steroids before we take the

necessary action to abolish sanctioned use of steroids? Each year, more and more

famous retired athletes are admitting to their steroid use during their career,

and are certain the medical difficulties they are enduring are a direct result

from their steroid abuse. People need to listen to what these retired athletes

have to say, and use their experiences with steroid use to teach our young about

the dangers involved. Furthermore, a complete professional research of long and

short-term effects caused by steroids on men, women and adolescents, is far

overdue. Certainly the banning of steroids will not only help the lives of

current users, but also prevent the further spread of addiction to steroids in

our communities.

3f9

Voy, Robert. Drugs, Sport, and Politics. Leisure Press, 1991 Schrof, Joannie

M. Pumped Up. U.S. News & World Report, 1992 Hemme, John. Steroids in the

90?s. Group Press, 1994