Untitled Essay, Research Paper

STEROIDS

“I just wanted to boost my performance.” These are the

words spoken by numerous athletes who have been captured using steroids.

The continuous stress and pressure on athletes to perform well has caused

some to breakdown and take steroids as an easy way to bulk up. Steroids amongst

athletes is not the only problem. Other reasons for taking steroids may be

to heal injury, improve appearance, or for various social factors. High School

is definitely tough on self-esteem for teenagers who look to fit in. Many

simply desire to improve their physical appearance, but they are too lazy,

or do not have enough time to work out. What do they do? They resort to the

use of anabolic steroids.

Everyone has heard of steroids, but many people do not

know exactly what they are. Natural steroids play a key role in the body

processes of living things. They are naturally produced by plants and animals,

and are used for various reasons. Steroids include sterols, such as cholesterol,

bile acids from the liver, adrenal hormones, sex hormones, and poisons in

certain toads. Sex steroids in humans give men and women the characteristics

that make up the sex, such as the type of voice, and the physical build.

Adrenal steroids, produced in the cortex of the adrenal gland in humans,

regulate protein and carbohydrate metabolism. Aldosterone, another steroid

produced in the adrenal cortex, plays a role in the mineral and water balance

of the body.

Anabolic steroids are commercially produced by chemical

methods from the male hormone testosterone. Artificial steroids were first

developed for medical purposes during World War II (1939-1945) by the German

army. The Germans gave it to their soldiers to make them more aggressive

in combat. After the war, doctors in Europe and the U.S. used steroids to

treat anemia, malnutrition, and to help patients recover faster from surgery.

Then, in the 1940s, artificial steroids began to enter the athletic world.

Body builders in Eastern Europe were taking testosterone in various forms.

In the 1950s, athletes used the anabolic steroids to improve their performance

in international competition. With the government’s approval, coaches

in the Soviet Union gave the lab-produced steroids to their athletes, mainly

of whom were weight-lifters and shot-putters. When other athletes around

the world noticed the Soviets’ winning records (Soviet weight-lifters

won seven medals at the 1952 Olympics), athletes in many countries began

to experiment with steroid use.

In 1956, American doctor John B. Ziegler worked with a

drug company to produce anabolic steroids in the United States. Soon after,

American athletes, particularly football players, began using steroids as

early as the 1960s. The health dangers of steroids were not yet recognized,

and athletes obtained steroids legally from their team doctors. When state

laws against steroid use were passed in the 1960s, a black market for the

artificial testosterone quickly developed. Steroids eventually found their

way into school athletics, at both the college and high school levels. During

the 1980s, steroid use spread outside the athletic world. Recently the use

of steroids has been increasing amongst non-athletes for various reasons.

(See Chart)

Due to the harmful effects of anabolic steroids, the Federal

and State governments have established laws and regulations against the use

of them. In 1988, Congress passed what is known as the Anti-Drug Abuse Act.

This act made the distribution or possession of anabolic steroid for non-medical

reasons a Federal offense. The penalty for distribution to minors is a prison

offense. In 1990, Congress made the laws even stricter, and classified anabolic

steroids as a controlled substance. The law also increased penalties for

steroids use and shipping. To stop the selling of steroids on the black market,

the law requires pharmaceutical firms to be strict with their production

and record-keeping.

So far, over 25 states have passed laws and regulations

to control steroid abuse, and many other sates are considering similar

legislation.

Steroids are beneficial in many ways, but along with the

good there is always a negative side. Some side effects in males include

shrinking of the testicles, reduced sperm count, impotence, baldness, breast

development, difficulty or pain urinating, and an enlarged prostate. In females

some complications are growth of facial hair, deepened voice, breast reduction,

male patterned baldness, enlargement of the clitoris, and irregular or cessation

of the menstrual cycle. Growth can also be prematurely halted in adolescents,

which may prove to be disastrous to their social development in later years.

For more serious side effects, and how often they occur, see the graph

above.

$$$ PRICES OF VARIOUS TYPES OF STEROIDS $$$STEROID QUANTITY PRICE

Clomid 10 * 50 mg. $10

Cytadren 56 * 250 mg. $80

Deca Durabolin 3 * 200 mg. $50

Dianabol 100 * 5 mg. $30

Durabolin 10 ml. Multidose 100 mg. Per ml.

$65

Nolvadex 30 * 20 mg. $10

Primobolan Depot per 100 mg. vial $10

PromoTeston Depot 3 * 1 ml. $30

Sustanon 250 per vial $10

Testosterone Cypionate 200 mg. $10

Winstrol (Stanozolol) 100 5 mg. tabs

$30Many people do not think about it, but steroids also have a negative effect

on an addict’s financial standing. Because steroids are sold on the

streets and across the internet, there is a large price to pay. (See the

chart above). However, people who are badly addicted are willing to pay whatever

price they must to obtain the steroid.

Steroids also have psychological and physiological effects

on the user. Bigger muscles can help increase a persons self-esteem, but

the steroids that build those muscles can lead to lowered self-esteem,

depression, inability to think clearly, and a lack of energy. Scientists

are just beginning to investigate the impact of anabolic steroids on the

mind and behavior. Many athletes report “feeling good” about themselves while

on a steroids regimen. The downside, according to Harvard researchers, is

wide mood swings ranging from periods of violent, even homicidal episodes

known as “roid rages,” to bouts of depression when the drugs are stopped.

The Harvard study also noted that anabolic steroid users may suffer from

paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions, and impaired judgment

from feelings of invincibility. After reading the facts, one must wonder,

“Why would a person want to do this to themselves, especially when the negatives

clearly outweigh the positives?”