There is a plethora of evidence to reinforce the claim that ultimately, steroid usage leads to noxious and potentially dangerous effects to its users. This statement becomes all the more true when one analyzes the fact that steroid users are becoming increasingly younger in age--and are even more susceptible to its negative side effects. An examination of various literature significantly demonstrates this fact.
¶ … Anabolic Steroids in the sporting world
Anabolic Steroids
Steroid usage has become increasingly common in today's society, as "the number of professional athletes who have come to rely on performance-enhancing drugs including anabolic steroids and human growth hormone has grown" (Becker & Scheufele 445). Not only is the use of performance enhancing substances fairly routine in the world of professional and Olympic-caliber sporting competition, but usage is also increasing in rank amateur levels, such as those involving athletes in both high schools and colleges. There are a variety of reasons why people opt to take steroids, and most of them are related to a perceived benefit that will aid them in competitive situations. However, a thorough analysis of existing literature unequivocally indicates that although steroid use may generate some positive effect, it is ultimately harmful to the human body and mind.
Although steroid usage originated in the early part of the 20th century, it did not gain its widespread, pervasive presence until the middle to the late part of this century (Haff 42). Today, there is a large body of evidence that indicates that anabolic androgenic steroids produce a plethora of negative side effects -- the most salient of which is an increased hostility and aggression that manifests itself in different ways with users. Research indicates that steroid users have "increased hostility, aggression, depression, paranoid thoughts…and personality disturbances when using AAS" (International Society of Sports Psychology 3).
It is because of this propensity towards aggression and hostility for steroid users, which is merely and indicator of a disturbance in the innate harmony between the mind and the body, that steroid use ultimately brings negative effects upon its users. This proclivity to disturb the internal balance of the mind and the body is even more dangerous to younger users, particularly adolescents in high school and college. It is a well confirmed fact that the brain processes of adolescents does not fully form and function as that of a healthy adult until people are in their mid-20's. Therefore, the disruption of the natural harmony and balance between the body and the mind that the aggressive tendencies of anabolic steroid use engenders can lead younger users into harmful consequences such as becoming addicted to other drugs.
For example, "Among males not participating in school sports, 37% of the variation in anabolic steroid use was accounted for by frequency of cocaine use, injected drug use, and engaging in strength training" (Durant et al. 150). The combination of all of these mind-altering substances within adolescents whose brains are not full developed can prove highly detrimental to the growth and maturity of such an individual. This is particularly true since "Children seem to be the most susceptible to anabolic steroid use" (Cheatham et al. 1017). Not only will the usage of steroids and strength training have the tendency to produce aggression and hostility that can lead to a number of complications, but the usage of other drugs such as cocaine has the potential to make such a teenager addicted to that substance. The combination can lead to impair judgment rash decisions, and a host of negative consequences.
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