Essay on The Epidemic of Steroid Abuse in America

Another effect from steroid use is health problems. They are high blood pressure and heart disease, liver damage and cancer, kidney and prostate problems and increased risk of ruptured tendons… acne and hair loss, as well as gender-specific problems: atrophy of the testicles, reduced sperm count and the growth of breasts in men; the growth of body hair, deeper voice and menstrual problems in women… altered moods, depression and "roid rage", hallucinations, paranoia and anxiety. In adolescents, they can stunt growth by signaling the body

Specifically, steroids have many bad side effects. Steroids increase the level of low-density lipoprotein and decrease the level of high-density lipoprotein, which could lead to a condition where there could be a disruption of blood flow, further leading to a heart attack (National Institute on Drug Abuse). By allowing PED use by athletes, the use of steroids would go up. If steroid use goes up, there’s a greater risk of athletes having heart attacks or strokes. Another possible side effect that comes with the use of steroids is liver tumors and peliosis hepatis. Both of these have been known to cause internal bleeding which is very dangerous (National Institute on Drug

Whether it be from a world news headline or a small excerpt in a sports magazine, most everyone has heard of a steroid abuse scandal involving a big name athlete. However, it isn’t just the heavy hitters who are doping up. Ordinary people in search for the upper hand in athletic performance are following similar steroid cycles as the pros. As it stands, anabolic steroids are illegal for any person to buy without a valid prescription. Regardless of this law the steroid epidemic of the common person hasn’t died down, in fact, it’s been growing since steroids invention during World War 2. The attempt to curtail the steroid epidemic has failed because of the rise in steroid use. Instead of stiff legal punishment, there needs to be more preventative action against steroids such as early education.

The video presented opened my eyes to the effects steroids has on the body and the effect society has on steroids. Before watching this video, I had assumed steroids were a “bad” synthetic drug. Though in reality, it’s a synthetic testosterone and if administered properly it can be used in a healthy manner. Physicians prescribe it for male patients who cannot produce testosterone, or to treat muscle loss, anemia, stunted growth and delayed puberty (CITE). However, most people using steroids do not have an issue producing testosterone, nor any other clinical reason. These people have recognized that steroids are able to enhance their physical performance –strength, speed and enlarged muscles. Unfortunately, those using this substance are putting

Legalizing steroids is dangerous because they are not controllable. Steroids are becoming popular, but no one is stopping to take a look at all the facts about the use of them. Remy an avid steroid user who regrets using steroids suggests, “There is no controlled way to use steroids” (Campbell 3). Everyone’s bodies react different to what steroids can do. Some more dangerous than others. Controlling steroid use is impossible because everyone uses different amounts and even a little can be dangerous. Harrison Pope a professor of psychiatry at Harvard’s McLean Hospital says, “The preliminary data on steroids suggest that long-term use damages the muscle of the heart, significantly increasing the risk of an attack” (Butterworth 2). A continued use of steroids would do damage not only on the heart but the whole body as well. Heart damage is very likely while using steroids. Views of the opposition suggest that they are not worried about the un-controlling factors. Tim Cowlishaw a sports writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette states, “I think if we made everything legal, we would learn eventually which drugs and creams, and heaven forbid, antler sprays actually have benefits and what their risks are” (Cowlishaw 1). If society made steroids legal, controlling amounts would not be imaginable. Anyone could get their hands on it, which could lead to over-use and endangerment of human health.

The debate about steroid use is important so that the uses of steroids can be more clearly articulated, such as health, competition, sports and personal fitness. Steroids should be legal for people to take if they choose to do so because if used not habitually they can be very beneficial to the average weight lifter. Steroids have always had a bad wrap. From the constant jokes about juice head bodybuilders, to sports coaches talking to their student athletes about why steroids are bad and not a good choice for them. Steroids are seen as cheating. Steroids took on the national media’s attention in the late 1990’s

The reason athletes take steroids is to obtain the short term effects gained by the substance, such as increased muscle mass, higher stamina, and a “manlier” appearance. However, these “gains” are soon hindered and replaced with many health declines that are fatal, will shorten your lifespan, or make it complete misery. Some of these negatives are: mood swings, aggressive behavior, early balding, severe acne, and hypertension. These are the least to be worried about. The more severe consequences include liver damage, irregular heartbeats, increased cholesterol levels, tumor growth, and the risk of hepatitis (if injected with a needle) (Healthresearchfunding.org). In 1992, former NFL defensive lineman Lyle Alzado passed away from brain cancer caused from his strong drug abuse when in competition. He was only 43 years old and admitted to spending $30,000 a year to support his addiction (Puma, ESPN). The strength of the addiction many athletes develop to these PED’s is incredible. The drugs become their only focus and they lose sight of other things, such as what's best for their family because the drug is taking over their lives. According to Puma, Alzado's ex wife said she called the police at least five times during the course of their marriage because her husband often physically abused her due to his mood swings. There is strong

Doctors warn that steroids elevate blood pressure among other things. They also say that they increase LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) and lower HDL cholesterol (the good kind). If these do not eventually ruin a steroid user’s life, something else will. They have been known to take a toll on some of the most important parts of the body through various ways including enlargement of the heart, liver damage, and kidney failure. With men, large doses of steroids can even cause the body to shut off its own production of testosterone, leaving the steroids as the only supply. Eventually, the lack of this hormone leads to a reduction in the amount of sperm a man can produce which eventually can put him at risk of infertility. Synthetic steroids sometimes cause enlargement of the prostate gland, which causes pain when urinating and some studies have shown links of steroids to prostate cancer, among other types. These are just a few of the countless medical risks that come with. (Bjornlund

According to bodybuilding.com, “Steroids influence bodily metabolism and help form certain vitamins and other important substances and are completely safe to inject" (Murphy, 2014). These sources are half true, steroids actually help form certain vitamins, but they are not safe to inject at all. Of, when people argue about this subject they say that since it forms vitamins and helps build an amazing body like that easily then it’s safe. But, according to an article written and published by ESPN, “Steroids may cause liver damage (cancer), premature heart attacks and strokes, elevated cholesterol levels, and other diseases” (ESPN). The abuse that consumers have on steroids is unbelievable and that’s one of the main reasons it’s extremely dangerous to take steroids. When people are addicted to them and they cannot stop, it will start affecting their liver and their hearts, it will also make them more aggressive and exceedingly difficult to deal with. It makes absolutely no sense how something can be safe and still cause all these troubles and diseases. It also doesn’t take a genius to realize that if taking something that will have a faulty effect on their livers and hearts, and that could potentially end their lives in a catastrophic way then they should not take it. If cancer isn’t an enough reason to stop something, then nothing will

The use of performance-enhancing steroids in sports is forming a problem. The sports that they play end up being cheated by these frauds. This is a disgusting epidemic. For example, “The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) recently estimated that over half of a million 8th through 10th grade students are abusing AAS, and that many high school seniors do not believe their use constitutes a health risk” (steroidabuse.com). The problem exists in professional sports and below. Steroid use in sports is becoming more common and is dangerous to the games that it cheats.

Steroids can also be an addiction. If you have been taking them for the past 8 weeks, assuming good diet and training, chances are that you became very big, strong and quick. You feel unstoppable after the 8 weeks of use. Suddenly you taper them off, up until you completely stop their use. After a few weeks you will feel depressed due to low testosterone levels and may have suicidal thoughts. According to Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse if left, untreated some depressive symptoms associated with anabolic steroid withdrawal have been known to persist for a year or more after the person stops taking the drugs. So it’s no wonder that there are people out there that never stop using them.

More steroid consumption causes harsh side effects and permanent damage to the human body, resulting in lifetime problems like liver cancer, heart attack, heart disease, kidney failure and sadly death.

(The use of performance-enhancing drugs is becoming relatively mainstream. Approximately 3 million people in the United States have used anabolic steroids (Silver 2001), with usage rates as high as 12% among young men and 2% among young women (Bahrke, Yesalis & Brower 1998). Not only are newscasts filled with reports of steroid use by both Olympic and professional athletes, but studies indicate that even teen athletes are using these performance enhancing

On the other hand, steroids helps one heal much faster which is a good thing for someone who needs to get back quickly. Both men and women might experience severe acne, increased risk of tendinitis or tendon rupture, liver abnormalities and tumors, low cholesterol and high blood pressure. These are the main reasons for trying to ban steroids and other forms of doping from professional sports. PEDs may cause one to lose hair and can cause females to grow facial hair. In males, it can cause breast tissue development, reduction in sperm, and impotence. In females, it may cause deepening of the voice, and growth of hair on the face, stomach, and upper

The other element lies on the education availability about steroids. There has not been good information regarding steroids in the public domain and therefore, the practice still remains as a secret for many people. Due to inadequate information, the steroid users tend to develop a laxity in what they consider about safe steroid use. They