Athletes and Steroids Historical Issue in Sports

Athletes and Steroids

Historical issue in sports

The use of steroids by athletes is unfair and can be very dangerous to both the body and mind

Athletes today are quite competitive, and every athlete desire is to be the winner. The audience has extremely high expectation for the athletes, and most athletes do not wish to disappoint the expectations of the spectators. The coaches put too much pressure to the athlete, which sometimes is far much beyond expectation. The athlete requires working tremendously hard to achieve the expected results. This requires the athlete to put so much time on training, diet and discipline. The use of steroids provides the athlete with a quicker and easier way of achieving the expected results without too much strain. The circumstances surrounding the athlete put him into the temptation of using steroid. In most cases, the athletes do not have enough information about the use of steroids. Majority of them get to know only the positive side of steroids use and remain in the dark about their side effects. This factor makes most athletes bow to the temptation of steroids usage. Today, use of steroids among athletes is significantly high.

Steroids are synthetic derivatives, which occur naturally, in the male anabolic hormone. The natural androgenic hormone helps in the development and the maturity of the male reproductive organs. The same hormone helps in the deepening of voice. The hormone stimulates the growth of body hair. Muscle development in crucial in the body system and it is the role of the anabolic hormone to promote muscle development. Athletes normally receive unrealistic demands for them to win the race from their peers and parent. For this reason, they use steroid to promote body performance. People in competitive bodybuilding activities prefer to use steroids to help them increase muscle mass. Some teenagers nowadays admire bodybuilding, which lures them to the use of steroids. Steroids aids in lessening fatigue levels (Schunk, 2008). With the use of steroids, an individual can work tirelessly for so many hours without putting too much effort. During physical exertion, the body produces lactic acid. Use of steroids during physical activities inhibits the production of lactic acid.

The perpetual objective of the athletes is to become stronger and faster. The idea that makes them combines more than one type of steroids commonly known as stacking. With stacking of steroids, more than one type of steroids is combined to give astonishing effects. Stacking enables, the individual perform excellently without the person appearing unreal. Steroids have become popular over the years due to their untraceable nature (Hill, 2007). They are water-soluble, a feature that enable them pass through the body. It is due to this factor that it is impossible to trace steroids in the body after a few days. Recent surveys in United States of America indicate that 80% of teenagers use anabolic steroids. Majority of the teenagers interviewed are either completed college or are in high schools. Some studies show that some of the school athletes are already in the habit of steroids use. Thirteen percent of those interviewed confessed dangerous administration of steroids through unsafe needles. Others professed to share dosage vials in steroids administration.

The first type of steroid to be invented was around 1930 and over the years steroids have been drastically modified. Today, steroids play a highly significant role in medicine. Steroids help in treatment of bones due to their ability to accelerate growth of bones (Donna, 2009). Today, cancer is one of the considerable challenges that face the medical fraternity. The ability of steroids in stimulation of cell development plays an extremely crucial role in cancer treatment. Steroids help in treatment of appetite related conditions. The treatments of these conditions require proper diagnosis, followed by right treatment from a qualified doctor who gives the right prescription (Magdalinski, 2008). Those need to use steroids for non-medical cases use dubious means to acquire them. Some countries banned the use of steroids, and therefore the black market helps to penetrate them to individuals. Their peers and friends introduce teens to steroids usage. Unscrupulous businesspersons promote steroids trade by recruiting agents who help to promote their use. Some athlete coaches entice their trainee in to steroids use and help them acquire the drugs. Steroids business involves an extraordinarily wide network that offers powerful mechanisms in the promotion of their use.

Steroids have extremely adverse effects to the body system, which somehow outweighs its usage. They aid in the production of ultra high levels of unhealthy cholesterol. Cholesterol normal remains along the inner lining of the blood vessels. The high concentration of harmful cholesterol constricts the blood vessel, which leads to high blood pressure (Nevid, Rathus & Greene, 2010). In most cases, those who use steroid get high blood pressure. Studies confirm that use of steroids damage the liver. The role of the liver is to excrete toxic substances such as lactic acid from the body system. Steroids buffer production of lactic acid during physical activities, which leads to liver damage. Sharing of needles in steroids, administration among teenagers and athletes encourage elevation of HIV / AIDS. Long-term use of steroids can lead to abnormal building of the body, and the affected person looks unreal. In several cases, steroids use lead to the development of breasts in men. Prolonged use of steroids can profoundly affect the male productive system, which leads to low sperm production (Doweiko, 2009). Use of steroid in female interferes with the menstrual cycle, and can lead to facial hair growth. Majority of people who use steroids is likely experience fluid retention in the body making the entire body swell or some parts.