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Andre Saucedo

Ms. Saravia

English 11

09 December 2016

The Dangers of Steroids

Even though one might escape the deadly grasp of steroids, will they be willing to live

with the consequences? Athletes and bodybuilders around the world train their hardest to become

the best.They always want to be the best in not only their sport, but in their performance overall.

But sometimes there are easier ways to get what you want to achieve. Steroids are used both by

athletes and bodybuilders. Steroids are very beneficial in increasing performance and muscle at a

fast and easy rate, but not only do these drugs help the athlete or bodybuilder, they can also cause

extreme harm.Steroids can lead to many long term effects or something even worse,

death.Performance enhancing drugs should be illegal because not only are they dangerous to the

person taking them but also unjust when it comes to their use in sports.

Even though performance enhancing drugs can be very helpful for the person taking

them, they can still cause severe problems to the person taking them. Problems arise such as

dependency on this drug and also in severe cases, death. This is why performance enhancing

drugs are more harmful than helpful.

Performance enhancing drugs have been used for quite a long time. They have been used

since around 1886. They have been used to increase the performance of athletes and

bodybuilders. For example, in 1886 a cyclist by the name of Arthur died during a race from

Bordeaux to Paris. Welsh cyclist Arthur Linton died during race from Bordeaux to Paris(Sports

Illustrated). Performance drugs didnt start as a pill like what athletes take today, steroids went
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through a journey to be where it is right now. In 1889 German scientists used a dogs testicle

fluid to inject into himself, he said it made him feel younger with more energy. Physician

Charles Edourad Brown Sequards extracts testicular fluid from dogs and injects into himself,

announces finding to scientific meeting in Paris proclaiming to feel young and renewed energy

(Sports Illustrated) Not only did scientists use them, they were also used in war time. These

drugs were used by Hitler to make his soldiers more aggressive and stronger; however, these

drugs in the recent generations are mostly used to increase the ability of athletes.

During the 1950s these drugs were mainly used for athletes. Sports companies were

now investigating athletes that used these drugs because they were going to become a big deal in

sports and thereby ruin the fun of sports. In 1975, The International Olympic Committee put up a

list of enhancing drugs that were banned. Coaches were now giving the athletes these

performance enhancing drugs to help players win. In 1990 the Anabolic Steroids Control Act was

introduced. This act put steroids under the schedule III controlled substance. This act made

trafficking these drugs illegal. A NFL athlete, Lyle Alzado, died because of brain cancer. He

stated that he believes his sickness was caused by taking steroids for about two decades.

Athletes that weren't very good started taking these drugs and rose very fast. This became

suspicious and therefore resulted in athletes getting drug tested.1999 The World Anti Doping

Agency start. The media has had a large effects on steroids use. News stories and interviews

have been a part of showing the dangers of steroid use. Many athletes talk about how steroids

had a negative effect on their lives. Yes, the media has helped show how bad steroids are but it

has also ruined athletes lives that take these steroids. Athletes have also decided to confess that

theyve been using these drugs through social media platforms. For example, Mark McGwire

came clean, admitting he used steroids when he broke baseball's home run record in 1998 The
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media has smashed may athletes careers by releasing stories about athletes and their steroid use.

The media attacks athletes that use steroids and end up ruining their lives . Yes interviews of

athletes help people know how mad these drugs are. But steroids are also shown positively in the

media by bodybuilders and athletes.

Steroids use is still large but it is harder to get away with it. Athletes are now drug tested

and can be fired from their jobs if they are caught using them. Urine test are now being used to

detect use of steroids. Agencies like The World Anti Doping have stated to help reduce use of

these drugs. From drugs being used for wars to being used for athlete's performance, enhancing

drug are still being used.

While some people think performance enhancing drugs are bad, people still think theyre

good. Some people think theyre good because they help the athlete reach a higher performance

than they normally can. In particular, if athletes prefer the gains in performance allegedly

provided by the use of steroids, along with the increased risk of harm to the alternative of less

risk and worse performance, what gives anyone the right to interfere with their choice? (Simon.)

Its the choice of athletes and bodybuilders to take steroids to better their performance at a easier

and faster way. As stated above, bodybuilders and athletes should be able to take steroids if they

want to, it should be their choice to want to increase their performance and muscle build. They

themselves know steroids come with side effects but if they want a bigger build they have to deal

with the side effects. Steroids are beneficial to the athlete or bodybuilder taking them because it

helps them achieve a better body build at a faster pace and it increases their ability in the sport

being played. For example research has shown that steroids can kick in about three weeks after

taking them. Previous research had shown such effect typically obtained in six to twelve weeks

of treatment yet researchers demonstrated significant effects in three weeks (Linnaeus). This
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shows that steroids can be beneficial to the person taking them because it allows them to get a

bigger build faster and easier.

The effects of taking steroids are known and yet many bodybuilders still take them.

Testosterone significantly increases body weight, bicep girth and quadricep circumference. This

study also revealed a increase in abdomen tightness (Linnaeus). Evidence shows that taking

testosterone will help you have better biceps and a better abdomen. 54% of competitive

bodybuilders take steroids and 90% of professional bodybuilders. Teens also use there steroids

and they know how bad they are 96 percent of teens who use supplements know they're

risky(Arenofsky). Bodybuilders and athletes also take steroids to help increase their

performance at a faster rate. But even though these drugs help out by speeding the process of

muscle building, they still have many side effects. Side effects arise, like depression or even

worse, death. By taking these steroids they're beneficial to the athlete; it will help them go

beyond what they can normally accomplish through just exercise but it harms them in the long

run. Other side effects could be lowered sperm count, shrinking of testicles, and baldness and

breast development. The choice is of the athlete or bodybuilder. It is between wanting a bigger

build that will last for a short period of time or not having to live with these long term effects.

Like any other drug, steroids are addictive and can lead to death. Steroid addiction is

similar to other addictions. The consumer will do anything to get the drug, like stealing the drug

or stealing money to purchase it. For athletes it might make them want to win at any cost. Most

high school, college, amateur and professional athletes participate in sports for the opportunity to

pit their abilities against those of their peers, and to experience the satisfaction that comes from

playing to their potential (Department of Health). Some athletes want to be as good as their

teammates or better, so they take steroids to increase their performance. The users want to be the
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best and they want to win.Some athletes just want to be the best, win, and have fame so they will

take steroids to accomplish these goals.Others do so to satisfy a desire for recognition and fame.

Unfortunately, that creates some athletes who are determined to win at any cost (Department

of Health). Not only does taking them increase muscle and performance but they can cause

depression, and addiction to them that won't always be able to stop. But every time he tried to

come off the durgs, his body would deflateaned so would hios self-esteem (Kristi Lew). The

body becomes so accustomed to taking these steroids that it is difficult to stop using them. If

addicted to them they will cause depression and will make the user feel dependent on them that if

stopped being taken they will feel useless without them.

While being addicted to the drug, they accomplished their dreams of becoming better,

getting better performance, and a bigger build, but the athlete taking it knows that they didn't do

it themselves. So even if steroid users escape the other perlis, they will still live with the

knowledge that they couldn't accomplish their goals by themselves(Kristi Lew). The athlete

taking steroid might get benefits with the steroids but those benefits result in self esteem

problems and addiction. The athlete will now think they can't do activity anymore without

steroids and will feel dependent on them. His body would be deflated so would his self esteem

(Kristi Lew). Death can be escaped but your conscious will still know you didn't accomplish

what you did alone.

Steroids are addictive like any other drug, they will damage your mind and body from the

inside and out , both mentally and physically. Even if you escape them, the consequence and

harm will still follow you.

Even though steroids are beneficial at the moment, their long term effects won't be worth

the few accomplishments theyve helped achieved. Many drugs are beneficial, for example
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painkillers help relieve pain, but with every benefit there is damage too,just at a slow pace.

Steroids give benefits to athletes and bodybuilder taking them because they increase performance

faster and easier, but while the steroid gives you the benefit it destroys you from the inside.These

benefits only last for a small amount of time, but will lead to many long term effects.

Steroids have many long term effects that affect the athlete and bodybuilder taking them

from mental to physical damage. Mentally, steroids will affect your temper. When taking steroids

ones anger will grow. Experienced users will have bursts of anger, aggression, and violence.

Steroid abusers often experience roid rage, which is characterized by uncontrollable burst of

anger or lead to aggression and violence (Lew). These bursts of anger and aggression will affect

the personal life of the consumer and instead of helping them in the sport these anger bursts will

ruin their career. Steroids also don't only change muscle and performance they change your brain

too. Steroids will affect the brain by changing the brain's chemistry. Periods of cycling on and

off steroids can cause dramatic changes in brain chemistry and leave steroid users prone to

hurting other or themselves (Lew). By changing the chemistry of your brain steroids can cause

the consumer to take their lives when they try to stop using the drug. I've had friends commit

suicide coming off the drugs (Lew). Steroids come with many more bad effects. A list of

negative effects are lowered sperm count, shrinking testicles ,baldness ,breast development, and

increased chance of cancer. All these long term effects were never acknowledged while the

steroid was being taken, because all that mattered to them was the increase of muscle and

performance.

Steroids will give the consumer a short time of glory, but with all good things cannot last

forever. Steroids come with more negatives effects than positives ones, these negatives don't

seem visible. But with time, all these long term effects catch up to the consumer while the
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positive ones have drifted away. When taking steroids if death doesn't catch the consumer the

consumer is stuck with a list of long term effects.

Even though steroids have benefits, the negatives overcome them and therefore steroids

should be illegal. Steroids aren't really on the list of big dangerous drugs, but they are. People

need to be informed that they are really dangerous and not worth the small benefit they're

getting. Steroids are dangerous not only for adults but also for teens in sports. Some teens use

them to look buffer, fitter, and more attractive.(Lew) People have to be better informed to

inform younger people of their dangers. Now's the time to take action and make steroids illegal

and spread how dangerous steroids really are.

Works Cited
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Lew, Kristi. JUICED. Current Health 2. 01 Apr. 2007: 16, eLibrary. Web 10. 2016.

Fraser, Stephen. Destroyed by Roids. Current Health 2. 01 Jan. 2005: 8. Elibrary Web.

10 Nov. 2016.

Scary Steroids. Listen. 01 Jan 2008: 6. elibrary. Web. 10 Nov. 2016.

Arenofsky, Janice. "Sports doping." Current Health 1. 01 Feb. 2003: 6.

eLibrary. Web. 19 Dec. 2016.