Friday, October 17, 2008

Steroids in Sports

  • Facts Go Here:

    -The first known use of drugs was when Soviets had made their Olympic debut in Helsinki in 1952 and were found to have used performance-enhancing drugs

    -Steroids are known to enhance performance, reduce and repair injuries, and lengthen careers which causes a want for them

    -Steroids are addictive

    -Steroids build muscle mass

    -Recent estimates suggest more than 3 million Americans are abusing anabolic steroids

    -Examples of anabolic steroids: androstenedione, nandrolone, stanozolol.

    -A study showed that not only football players and weightlifters, but females in the 9-to-11-year-old age group are using them to enhance their build.

    -Steroids are artificially produced

    - The pressure to win is enormous. That pressure extends to all athletes including teens, who are also competing for college scholarships, coaches and administrators.

    -Making steroids legal in competitive sports is something that some are debating about

    -Some side effects of steroids are:
  • *premature hair loss
  • *dizziness
  • *mood swings, including anger, aggression, and depression
  • *believing things that aren't true (delusion)
  • *extreme feelings of mistrust or fear (paranoia)
  • *problems sleeping
  • *nausea and vomiting
  • *trembling
  • *high blood pressure that can damage the heart or blood vessels over time
  • *aching joints
  • *greater chance of injuring muscles and tendons
  • *shortening of final adult height
  • *increased risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancer