Sports stars are becoming more and more popular. They have now become as sought after as some celebrities. They are on magazine covers, they attend the most exclusive Hollywood parties and compete with one another for the top sponsorship opportunities.
My case in point is Lance Armstrong. He became a household name, a role model to young people everywhere and a legend in sports performance. Sadly, some of these high profile athletes are so hungry for that small taste of fame they are doing anything to get it.
The use of steroids or use of other sports performance drugs is not something that is only rearing its ugly head in today?s age. Use of these drugs date all the way back to the times in Ancient Greece when the early Olympic games were beginning.
These performance inducing drugs were not known as steroids back then. Money was a huge motivator during these times, athletes did not play for prestige or love of the game. Athletes did not even compete for pride or for family.
The drugs were not the typical injection steroids of today. Instead, athletes ingested herbs and foods hoping to enhance their performance. Some athletes even ingested crushed sheep testicles, which are a known source of testosterone, to improve their performance.
Sports and Drugs
Doping, a term coined by Lance Armstrong himself, is referred to as taking sport performance drugs to better the athlete?s ?game?.
These athletes should have taken the time to learn about the potential benefits, the health risks and the many unknowns regarding so-called performance-enhancing drugs. These drugs include:
?> Anabolic steroids
?> Androstenedione
?> Juman growth hormone
?> Erythropoietin
?> Diuretics
?> Creatine
?> Other stimulants
Had they done the research, they may have decided that the benefits weren?t worth the risks. Not only have some of these star performers been stripped of their gold medals, some may have put their health in serious jeopardy and may only see some of the major consequences later on.
Taking anabolic-androgenic steroids to increase their athletic performance, besides being prohibited by most sports organizations, is very much illegal.
In the past 20 plus years, more effective law enforcement in the United States has pushed much of the illegal steroid industry into the black market.
However, make no mistake, athletes do know how to get their hands on them and sadly there are people in their ?circle? that will help them do it. Some of these people include managers and people on their own medical team.
Risks and Solutions
The potential risk is great for both men and women when deciding to take these type of drugs is great, some of the side effects have been identified as the following:
?> Severe acne
?> Increased probability of tendonitis and tendon tears
?> Heart problems
?> Rage
?> Depression
?> High blood pressure
?> Liver abnormalities
?> Increased risk of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) which is known as the ?bad cholesterol?
?> Drug dependence
?> Prostate enlargement
?> HIV
?> Death
Clean athletes that are competing against ?doping? athletes should be outraged and knowledge of these activities should never be kept a secret.
Coming off these type of steroids is no small feat, athletes experience some of the same type of withdrawal symptoms as any other drug dependent person.
Some of the withdrawal symptoms include weakness, fatigue, weight loss, decreased blood pressure, nausea, joint pain and fever. Some of these athletes have needed to seek professional help to discontinue these drugs even long after their athletic careers have ended.
Are sports performance drugs ruining sports? This has definitely got some eye brows raised as we are seeing it happen more and more.
The love of fame and the love for the sport have become somewhat intertwined. We as a society and the athletes themselves may hold these people to impossible expectations. In the end, an athlete may only have a small time slot to actually shine but they have a whole life that can be seriously impacted if they choose to use sports enhancing drugs.
References & Image Credits:
(1) Healthy Palm
(2) Reason
(3) Recovery Options
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Jennifer is a licensed drug and alcohol counselor, and mental health advocate. She's passionate about health care, addiction issues and lack of vital services for people with mental health illness. JenDesjardins has 21 post(s) at Top Secret Writers
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Source: http://www.topsecretwriters.com/2013/07/sports-enhancing-drugs-and-the-truth-behind-them/
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