Anabolic Steroids: What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger
Anabolic steroids are killing pro athletes, such as pro wrestler Chris Benoit. Benoit, his wife, and son were found dead in their home in Fayetteville, Ga. The deaths are suspected to be a murder-suicide that began over the weekend when Benoit allegedly killed his wife and son and ended on Monday when Benoit took his own life. Authorities found anabolic steroids in Benoit’s home, spurring speculation that so-called ‘’roid rage’’ may have been a factor (Facts and Myths about Roid Rage). If you do not know what roid rage is, it is when someone loses loss of impulse control. Roid rage is one of the many side effects of steroid use. If you also do not know what anabolic steroids are,
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Steroids were a deadly cocktail that had clearly derailed his life. Matthew Dear was another victim of steroids, the teenager died in April, 2009. It was attributed by his parents, among others to an overdose of anabolic steroids. Mike and Ray Mentzer, bodybuilding brothers of Redondo Beach, California died from steroid use. Ray died of kidney failure, and Mike’s death was heart-related. Steroids played in the premature failure of their organs (Celebrity Bodybuilders Who Died from Steroid Use). Men in their late 20s and early 30s who abuse steroids are dying from serious heart disease (Carrol). Nearly all men- most employed as personal trainers, bodybuilders and security guards- showed obvious signs of chronic steroid abuse, including overdevelopment muscles and shrunken, scarred testicles (Carroll). Steroids have caused death, destruction, and despair. Why would someone want to take the risk of dying just to get an edge over someone …show more content…
Steroids can make a person stronger, but the long and short term effects are not worth the risk. Steroids are becoming more of a problem in the United States. There are over 100 varieties of steroids in the U. S. and black market. The oral steroids are Anadrol, Oxandrin, Dianabol, and Winstrol. Injectable steroids are Deca- Durabolin, Durabolin, Depo- Testosterone, and Equipoise (Steroid Abuse in Today’s Society). Steroids can be helpful if people use them the right way, such as in the medical field. The people that abuse them have given steroids the bad background. People look at steroids as if it has caused so many deaths, but it’s actually the people who take big doses of the drug. If people would not abuse steroids, they would be a big help in a medical field. Steroids can change a nice caring person into a roid raging monster that can cause harm to you and your family. For the people abusing steroids, is that what you want to possibly harm yourself or your family? People need to realize that steroids are becoming an uprising drug to not just bodybuilders and pro athletes; it’s become more and more used by teens in high
Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) can change the person’s social behaviors, such as their sexual satiety when they are adolescence and could also make them have aggressive behaviors. This is more likely to happen in an adolescent brain because it is more susceptible than adult brains. (Montalto, Salas-Ramirez, Sisk, 2010). Aggression is also the most reported side effects of the use of steroids in adults and teenagers. Those that used AAS were most likely to be aggressive and act in violent ways when those who were not. This is what the name “roid rage” comes from. (Lumia, McGinnis, 2010). The use in steroid use has increased dramatically in recent years with males. It is mostly used among adolescent males aging from as young as 11 to gain body mass and strength for completive sports. Using of this drug can serve life-long consequences and be permanent. (Lumia,
Since the use of steroids has become a trend among athletes, the number of deaths among them has risen. A lot of these deaths are due to suicides and violent behavior as a result of the effect of these anabolic androgenic steroids on mood. A number of recent, well-publicized deaths of American football players have drawn attention to the potential dangers of sports supplements and the raised important public health concerns about the unrestricted availability of these products that are exempt from U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation (Haller, 2002). Performance enhancing drugs are not only dangerous and damaging; they are potentially deadly. Between 1985 and 1995, at least 121 US athletes collapsed and died during or directly after a training session or game; most often because they had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or heart malformations (Maron, 1996). Most of the athletes that have collapsed and died during or directly after training session or game tested positive for some type of performance enhancing drug. From case reports, the incidence of life-threatening effects appears to be low, but serious adverse effects may be under-recognized or under-reported. Data from animal studies seem to support this possibility. One study found that exposing male
When you were a kid, didn’t you want to play a professional sport? What would you give to be one of the best athletes in the world? Would you risk your reputation? Your health? Would you be willing to die? Although many studies have come out saying that steroids diminish one’s health, people still take them hoping to be the best. Imagine if you were a 28 year old who left college early because a pro team “guaranteed” you that you would play in the big leagues. Yet you just got stuck in the minors, and the only way you could get to the big’s was to take a pill that made you super-strong and super-fast. It would make sense to just take it. But what if that pill shrunk your testicles, hurt your heart and vascular system, and made
One of the most-treasured items a person can have is their health. Consequently, a great deal of money is spent on healthcare on account of people want to be healthy to do the things they enjoy in life. In the article “Steroid Abuse in Today’s Society,” states “There is increasing concern regarding possible serious health problems that are associated with the abuse of steroids, including both short-term and long-term side effects.” ("Steroid Abuse in Today's Society" 3). Unfortunately, there are side effects that will accompany someone who takes steroids. For women and men, steroids can cause masculinizing effects. These symptoms can cause fertility problems in both genders. Fortunately, by stopping the use of drugs can cause a shift in changing men’s health for the better, but for women the symptoms may never go away. Studies have not concluded the long-term effects of steroids, but in the worst cases, death can occur. Performance enhancement drugs are dangerous to an athlete’s
Anabolic Steroids are commonly viewed as a miracle drug in order to increase muscle growth and definition, but what most users of the drug don’t know are the life altering effects that prolonged use can cause. When the drug was released in the late 50’s by scientists working for the Soviet Union, they had no idea what the lasting effects were going to be. At first the drug seemed to be almost a miracle, it helped the Soviet weightlifting team beat the American team by a long shot, but then the lifters began to experience certain bodily changes that were actually the onsets of horrendous life changing side effects that could have been prevented with further studies. Since that time, most states in North America and around have banned the distribution and use of the drug completely due to its adverse effects on the body, if caught using such drugs in professional sporting communities, it could land the athlete thousands of dollars’ worth of fines and they can even face up to five years in jail if they are found with the drug in their possession. On top of this, the risks involved can potentially alter the normal way of life for that athlete for the rest of his life, such risks include hormonal changes, cardiovascular problems, behavioral issues, and even problems with the reproductive system.
These so called dangerous drugs help people with their health in many ways. Steroids are a miracle drug for burn victims, cancer patients, and those infected with HIV. For example, Jeff Taylor, who has been diagnosed with HIV as he was near death with having only two “T” cells and decided to test an old bodybuilding drug. As a result, he gain over 300 “T” cells which helped him keep living life. With this in mind, seeing how much good steroids can do; though, the media makes the drug look evil. When people die the public always question what was the real cause of it and when the media realizes they took a certain drug they blame that. Like when an athlete takes steroids and then is diagnosed with cancer; however, there is no link found by taking steroids and cancer, so the society just wants to make this drug look terrible. Also in all honesty, there are more problems than the propaganda of steroids such as alcohol, tobacco, and texting while driving, but as people are blinded to see the other problems in society. Furthermore, look what it has done to the sports world. Steroids impacted baseball the most around the late 80’s and 90’s when America’s pastime was popular again as it almost died in the 80’s. Then, once the players would be hitting one towering home runs after another people would go back to the games, buying more merchandise, and flying to cities to see these athletes. This helped the economy in America as not everyone has realized. Taking steroids does not mean you will perform better at first try. These people still have to work hard to lift 700 lbs. or hit a 90 mile an hour fastball. Nothing is given in competition as athletes still put their blood, sweat, and tears everyday to be the best one can
When overused, steroids can cause both desirable and undesirable changes to the body, from developing increased muscle mass and characteristics of the opposite sex in addition to having a dangerous impact on your mental and physical health (Effects, 1). Anabolic steroids have led to hundreds of suspensions and health issues for many athletes, past and present. In 1983 alone, 10 athletes were disqualified from the 1984 Summer Olympics (Steroids, 1). Steroids are a danger to love ones and sports around the world. In 1967, Tommy Simpson, a British Cyclist who was known for his excessive steroid use died while riding in the thirteenth stage of The Tour de France (Steroids, 2). The use of anabolic steroids by athletes is endangering sports and the
The Negative Impact of Anabolic Steroids on Humans In the YouTube video “The Man Whose Arms Exploded”, a man by the name of Greggory Valentino goes through a traumatic experience of his bicep practically exploding. Gregg went through a thirty-year body building journey and after twenty-three years of training naturally, he turned to steroids. Gregg believed that “performance enhancers”, also known as steroids, were the only way to become first. He was in the Guinness Records for world’s biggest biceps, therefore he was considered a minor celebrity in the United States.
Are you aware of 52 German athletes given anabolic steroids during the 1970's and 1980's who were examined in a 2007 study, one quarter got some form of cancer, one third reported thoughts or attempts of suicide, and the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth was 32 times higher than in the normal German population. Drug use in sports should not be allowed such as it already isn’t. Drugs use in sports such as steroids, can be good for the moment of the game, but after it could affect your body. But like all hormones, which regulate the body's most basic functions, throwing one's testosterone out of balance can have wide-ranging consequences. It is true that steroids build up your muscle although they are powerful hormones and affect the whole body. Side effects may include abnormally high levels of testosterone in the body and may include high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels, liver damage, heart failure, acne, baldness, as well as aggressive and violent behavior. The use of drugs such as steroids, should not come into play when it comes to athletes, to play a sport you must have natural talent and not use steroids to make you even better, you gain an unfair advantage.
side effects and health consequences can be really bad. Not only do steroids and performance enhancing drugs hurt the health, but behavior is also changed. Liver damage and heart failure can occur, infection of vital organs and even death if these drugs are used to much (Munigangaiah 5). Once an athlete has used some type of steroid or performance enhancing drugs, the chances are high for that athlete to continue using hypertrophic drugs. In psychological terms, the side effects can lead to depression, violence and criminal behavior, and also increased aggressiveness which is known as “Roid
In many states and surrounding countries athletes are using what are labeled as Anabolic Steroids. Anabolic steroids are a synthetic derivative of a naturally produced hormone testosterone, it promotes the growth of muscle (NIDA 2004). This kind of steroid is usually prescribed by doctors to treat patients for conditions such as ones who have delayed puberty or people who have medical problems that causes low amounts of testosterone. Anabolic steroids are prepared in the arrangement of a capsule, shot, ointment, or salve. Though this kind of steroid makes muscles bigger and bones stronger anabolic steroids can cause serious if not fatal effects in the body. Men as well as women using this steroid can have various problems and complications if not monitored. The majority of people who use this steroid are athletes. Athletes want a bigger and better body to improve how well they play a certain sport or how they look, therefore many use and abuse this drug illegally and having life changing consequences later.
Although most sports outlaw steroids, the WWE has had many people die from steroid related problems. Over 100 wrestlers in the past 80 years have died from causes that can be linked to steroids, mostly retired wrestlers. ( “Wrestling Book”) People often die from steroid overdoses. Overdoses can cause high blood pressure, and serious liver damage. When you overdose on steroids you are at an enormous risk for a heart attack. If steroids were to become legal, suicides numbers would go through the roof. Steroids don’t just mess with your physical opinion, it messes with the chemicals in your brain. People who use steroids will feel withdrawl, and often be depressed with many mood swings. That is where the steroid stereotype comes from. If you use steroids long enough, it will become hard to function in your everyday
Generally speaking, many people and athletes do not know the full definition of what an anabolic steroid is and what they are used for all around, other than muscle growth. Second, Steroids are taken several different ways ranging from injections to rubbing creams and follows a very strict cycle that must be followed. Third, pro sports has banned all the uses of drugs and illegal muscle enhancements. Fourth, steroids have proved that they can increase serious health risk among the athletes who decided they are going to turn to steroids during their sports careers. Furthermore, athletes do not understand how serious steroids are and how much they can ruin their sports careers, self-images, and lead them to hitting rock bottom. Lastly, life after steroids is not an easy path with the pain of withdrawals, depression, and the serious mental and physical addictions they acquired while on the drug. Today steroids have become a thoughtful topic among the sports world, and without understand all the consequences it can lead to athletes ruining their careers and having serious health problems.
sometimes be unable to control their emotions of mostly anger. This is called "roid rage". After use of steroids some users may have to go through behavioral therapy to keep their anger under control.
In the past three decades, steroids has been becoming a serious problem more than ever in the athletic field. Steroids are anabolic drug "to build" growth hormones that include the androgens (male sex hormones) principally testosterone and estrogen and progestogens (female sex hormones). Steroids were first developed for medical purposes. They're used in controlling inflammation, strengthening weakened hearts, preventing conception, and alleviating symptoms of arthritis and asthma. Unfortunately research has shown that steroids have been abused in almost every kind of sport. Although steroids contribute to a muscular body, usage should remain illegal because they physically deteriorate and mentally destroy the body.