Steroids: Are They a Good Thing?
There are many controversies involving the use of steroids in the world. From medicine to sports, there are proper and improper uses of steroids. When used improperly, they can be dangerous and even deadly but, regardless of their effects, many people, athletes especially, abuse them to gain an edge over their competitors. With this threat constantly plaguing the athletic community, it is impertinent that parents and athletes are properly informed of what steroids are, what their effects are, and what their proper uses need to be. This will be to ensure that all athletes and parents know how to protect themselves and their athlete children.
The first and most important item to discuss to help parents and athletes understand steroids is first, knowing what they are. The perfect way to explain this is a definition from the Center for Substance Abuse Research, ""Anabolic Steroids" are any drug(s) (other than estrogens, progestins, and corticosteroids) or hormonal substance(s), chemically related to testosterone, a male hormone that promotes muscle growth". ("Anabolic Steroids" par.1). Other than promoting muscle growth, testosterone causes masculinity traits to form in young men, hair growth, deepening voice and so on. Another way to recognize and know what steroids are is to know them by all forms of "street lingo" that is used to call them. Phrases such as, Gear, Juice, Roids, and Stackers."(National Institute on Drug Abuse, "What are Anabolic Steroids" par.1). These are common terms used by bodybuilders and athletes who abuse the drug, in an attempt to avoid people knowing that they are asking for illegal drugs.
Knowing what steroids are allow all to better understand what the proper uses for these drugs should be. In today's society the most common use for steroids is led by the way of abuse by athletes and bodybuilders. However, to understand steroids, we must first know why they were originally made and how these athletes are abusing them. According to an article by Valencia community college, "Steroids were originally developed in the 1930s to help maintain strength in aging men and to help those men whose bodies did not produce adequate amounts of natural testosterone." ("Steroids" par. 2). Since we know that steroids are a synthesized version of the male testosterone hormone, we can see that it would be an effective use for boosting low testosterone levels. Sadly, there is always a way that a drug can be abused, to this effect Valencia Community college goes on to say, "Athletes began using anabolic steroids more than 30 years ago after East Europeans and Russians dominated an international sporting event. It was later discovered that these athletes had used testosterone to strengthen themselves." ("Steroids" par.2).
The event of the European and Russian athletes using testosterone to boost their performance, started and chain reaction that led to what we now know as steroid abuse. Steroids are one of the most commonly abused drugs in the athletic community now regardless of the continued effort to subdue them. According to the Center for Substance Abuse Research, "For the most part, illicit steroid use is linked to athletic competitions and/or an athlete trying to gain a competitive edge.."("Anabolic Steroids" par. 1). This fact brings immediate danger to our athletes regardless of age or sex because the more athletes try to use steroids to receive a competitive edge, the more that younger and younger athletes will be introduced to it. Knowing the risk of young encounters with the drug allow one to understand the different levels of abuse. Steroid abuse can range from minor to severe, "People who abuse anabolic steroids usually take them orally or inject them into the muscles. These doses may be 10 to 100 times higher than doses prescribed to treat medical conditions"(National Institute on Drug Abuse, "What are Anabolic Steroids" par.3).
Henceforth, understanding how one can abuse steroids leads many to wonder why abusing them can be so dangerous. Out of all abused drugs, steroids have one of the longest lists of side effects. Some of the most dangerous long term effects of steroids is what it can do to the cardiovascular (heart and blood) system, the U.S National Library of Medicine addresses this by saying, "elevations in blood pressure and an increased risk of thrombosis are additional cardiovascular changes often associated with anabolic steroid use. The magnitude of these effects may differ depending upon the type, duration, and volume of anabolic steroids used." ("Medical Issues Associated with Anabolic Steroid Use: Are They Exaggerated?" par. 8). Here we see that the level of abuse has direct consequences depending on the dosage and the allotted time of using the drug.
However, this is not the only long term consequence of using steroids, The National Institute on Drug Abuse also gives some voice in this area stating that steroids long term effects can include, "enlarged heart, high blood pressure, and changes in blood cholesterol, all of which increase the risk of stroke and heart attack, even in young people." ("National Institute on Drug Abuse, "What are Anabolic Steroids" par. 9). Even short term side effects can be dangerous, "Reduced sperm count, damage to the heart, impotence, and difficulty or pain with urinating." (Center for Substance Abuse Research, "Anabolic Steroids", par. 5). These are simply a handful of the immediate and long term effects associated with steroids and they all conclude one thing, that steroids are dangerous when used improperly.
Many wonder if taking steroids would be worth it if they took it for a small time and then went off of them indefinitely. Sadly enough, those who have chosen to take steroids but stop taking them after a period of using, still have consequences for their actions. Many of these long term effects of post-use can be severe and lethal, according to professionals at AddictionCenter, "the withdrawal symptoms of steroids are essentially the opposite of the drug's effects." Those symptoms are, Depression, headaches, anxiety, trouble concentrating, insomnia, lack of appetite, decreased sex drive, fatigue, joint pain, muscle aches, nausea, and vomiting. ("What is Steroid Withdrawal" par. 5). Through this we see that even though some of the side effects of using the drug go away, there are still negative results for even taking the drug once. MedicineNet adds onto these symptoms by stating, "Depression and suicidal thoughts may occur when the steroids are stopped, and this potential must be monitored closely." ("Anabolic Steroid Abuse" par. 4). These thoughts are dangerous and can lead to physical harm or even death to the user.
Unlike the long term side effects of steroid abuse, the withdrawal symptoms can be relieved of or at least diluted. According to Addiction Center, "Not all steroids are created equally--some stay in the user's system longer. Steroids that stay in the body longer take longer to leave the body." They go onto to state that these symptoms can last from a couple of hours to a couple of weeks. ("What is Steroid Withdrawal" par. 8). This means that once the drug has been released out of your body, these withdrawal symptoms can start to fade and recovery can begin. Sometimes, withdrawal turns into addiction which requires even greater effort to overcome. Addiction Center goes onto state, "People who have experienced steroid withdrawal should seek treatment to prevent any negative outcomes. There are inpatient and outpatient rehabs that can guide users safely through withdrawal.( "What is Steroid Withdrawal" par. 12). Steroid abuse is a serious matter and can lead to addiction just like any other drug, the best thing anyone can do to is to seek the help of a doctor to overcome mental and physical symptoms.
With all of the facts weighing in on the subject, even knowing that steroids can be addictive, it is hard to see why anyone would even want to take steroids. What would greatly change a person from wanting to take steroids would be to know that they do not even work. In fact, a. Valencia community college helps us to come to better understand this by stating, "In 1980, Dr. Alan J. Ryan, editor of Physician and Sportsmedicine, reviewed 25 cases in which steroids were administered to increase strength. He found many inconsistencies among the studies and concluded that there was not substantial evidence that the use of anabolic steroids in conjunction with weight training would increase muscular size and strength." ("Steroids" par. 5). After all the news reports, articles, and doctors stating that steroids can boost performance when taken, this fact throws it all away. the Valencia Community College article goes on to say, "Athletes who do use steroids and actually increase their muscle size and strength do so as a result of two factors: a) they have probably been training harder, and b) the belief that the drug will produce the desired effect; thus the "placebo" effect takes place." ("Steroids" par.7). the "Placebo effect" is the effect that something is giving the desired results when it actually is not. Steroids play this same trick on the mind by all the information that has come through media and medicine.
So, in essence, a person who takes steroids simply believes that the drug is helping them to gain more muscle. The fact of the matter is that the person is just working harder and thus, gaining more muscle. The article by the Valencia Community College continues in this regard by reminding the reader that steroid use causes water retention which makes a person bloat up. And that even when combined with a high calorie and high protein diet, you gain muscle, yes but you still keep that same puffy look. ("Steroids" par. 5 and 6). To greater see the look of steroids, compare a natural, non-steroid using, bodybuilder and compare them to a normal bodybuilder like Rich Piana. In comparison, the natural body builder has full, toned muscle which sculpts out the body perfectly and has adapted to the muscle growth. In the steroid using body builder there are abnormal growths in muscle that leaves the body disproportionate to the rest of the body. These "puffy" muscles can lead to weak tendons and ligaments because muscle is growing faster than the tendons can cope with which greatly increases the susceptibility of injury.
To better understand steroids, it is important to know and understand what they truly do to the body. However, despite the many negatives that can be said about steroids, it is important to also understand that there are many beneficial uses for them. As stated in the beginning, steroids were invented primarily to help those who have testosterone deficiency. According to an article posted by Rhonda Orr, steroids have been, "beneficial in patients requiring anabolic support and to promote beneficial clinical outcomes in catabolic conditions, including HIV-related muscle wasting, severe burn injury, trauma following major surgery, neuromuscular disorders, alcoholic hepatitis, and chronic illness or muscle wasting of unclear etiology." ( Academia., " The Anabolic Adrogenic Steroid Oxandrolone in the Treatment of Wasting and Catabolic Disorders" p. 728). Steroids are so useful in helping those with muscle wasting diseases especially. For example, other uses for steroids can be found in an article from Anabolic.org, "The most widely used medical application for anabolic/androgenic steroids in the world is that of androgen replacement therapy... this therapy involves the supplementation of the primary male hormone testosterone to alleviate symptoms of low hormone levels (clinically referred to as hypogonadism)" ("Clinical Steroid Uses" p. 2). So, in essence, those men who have trouble producing the proper levels of testosterone in their body can receive that help from steroids.
Steroids can be a bad thing or it can be a life saver, all that it depends on is the user. With the knowledge from people who have seen the effect of these appealing drugs, the athlete and the parent can defend themselves against the abuse. Abuse of steroids is not something to play around with and should not be taken lightly. In summary of everything that has been stated steroids should not be used without proper medical supervision. Lack of compliance to this notion can lead to abuse, addiction, and even death. Athletes must see themselves as they want to become and steroids will not help in accomplishing any of that. If we look at Olympians and other world class athletes, they have received their skill from hard work and dedication to what they love. Steroids are a simple way of cheating to the top and, as spoken of earlier, will only cause severe regret and unhealthiness. Parents must see what they want their child to accomplish throughout their life. The abuse of steroids can lead to all sorts of mental disabilities that can impede those dreams and wishes that the child and the parent has. In all, athletes and parents will both be richly rewarded, mentally and physically, as they fight against common society and fight against steroid abuse. No one in the history of sports has ever loved a cheater, and now is the time to eliminate the cause of the worst kind of cheating.
Work Cited
"Anabolic Steroids". Center For Substance Abuse Research.
"Anabolic Steroid Withdraw and Detox". Addiction Center.
Hoffman, Jay R., Nicholas A. Ratamess. "Medical Issues Associated with Anabolic Steroid Use: Are They Exaggerated?". US National Library of Medicine.
Kicman, Andrew T, "Pharmacology of anabolic steroids". US National Library of Medicine.
Llewellyn, William. "Clinical Steroid Uses".
Orr, Rhonda. "The Anabolic Androgenic Steroid Oxandrolone in the Treatment of Wasting and Catabolic Disorders". Academia.
Valencia Community College. "Steroids"
Wedro, Benjamin. "Anabolic Steroid Abuse". Medicine Net.
"What are Anabolic Steroids?". National Institute on Drug Abuse.