WHAT’S IN A NAME?

When one mentions steroids the first thing that might come to mind is some body builder

or maybe even the most recent sports scandals involving the illegal use by professional athletes.

With all of the negative news about steroids, it makes one wonder why we even have steroids.

However, steroids were designed with a definite health benefit to treat patients with various

ailments such as arthritis. But just like mood alternating drugs that are designed with a positive

health benefit such as oxycontin for pain, steroids have become a drug that are among the most

abused drugs in America. Steroids, once viewed as a problem for professional athletes, fitness

bluffs, and body builders have now spread to being an even bigger problem to high school

athletes, teenagers, business professionals and other major occupational people. Many say that

there is little being done to enforce the law of illegal use of steroids and the impact it has on the

society and an individual. Though there are negative sides to the use of steroids, there are also

beneficial effects of using steroids. In order to understand steroids one needs to understand

exactly what is a steroid and the benefits in using steroids, how it has become one of the most

abused drugs in America, the impact of that abuse on society, and finally what can be done to

prevent the abuse.

There is known to be two major kinds of steroids, anabolic and corticosteroids.

Steroids are synthetic drugs that closely resemble cortisol, in which the human body

produces naturally. The website Web MD for Men explains anabolic steroids and the

benefits. Anabolic steroids are drugs that include testosterone and other substances work like

testosterone. Doctors use this type of steroids to treat problems such as delayed puberty or

other medical conditions that cause the body to produce low levels of testosterone. They also

cause puberty to start and can help some boys with a genetic disorder to grow more normally.
 Most people that use Anabolic steroids are using them illegally, to produce an excessive

amount of muscle. They make bones stronger and muscles bigger. People use them to make

their muscles bigger and more pronounced (webMD.com 1-3). Anabolic steroids are a benefit

to most body builders who make their living attending weight lifting competitions. Without

the illegal use of these steroids, they wouldn’t have a paycheck. The Anabolic Steroids Guide

explains that Boldenone, Androstenedione, Testostorone, Dromostanolone,

Dihydrotestosterone, and Methenolone are a few types of anabolic steroids that have been

banned because of the prevalence of usage of these steroids illegally in athletes

(anabolicsteroidguide.com 6).

Corticosteroids are different from anabolic steroids; they are used for treatment of

medical conditions. According to WebMD they work by decreasing inflammation and

reducing the activity of the immune system (WebMD.com 1). Cleveland Clinic states that

Corticosteroids are man-made drugs that closely resemble cortisol, a hormone that your

adrenal glands produce naturally. Corticosteroids help with the treatment of arthritis. They

are are often referred to by the shortened term “steroids.” Corticosteroids are different from

the male hormone-related steroid compounds that some athletes abuse. The most common

steroids that are prescribed to patients that are in need of a medical prescription include

cortisone, prednisone and methylprednisolone. Prednisone is the most commonly used type

of steroid to treat certain rheumatologic diseases (my.clevelandclinic.org 1&2).

Abuse in steroids is one of the most talked about subjects. Abuse of anabolic steroids

may result in harmful side-effects as well as serious injury and death. Greater Dallas Council on

Alcohol and Drug Abuse states that anabolic steroids are primarily used by bodybuilders,
athletes, and fitness “buffs” who claim steroids give them a competitive advantage and to

improve their physical performance. Individuals in occupations requiring enhanced physical

strength (body guards, construction workers, and law enforcement officers) are known to take

these drugs. They are believed to reduce recovery time between workouts, being able to train

harder and longer, which improves strength and endurance. Other non-athletes also take steroids

to increase endurance, muscle size, strength, and reduce body fat, in which they believe improves

physical appearance making them more attractive (gdcada.org 10&11). They are addicting

because people taking them can see and feel their result. Whether it’s on the basketball court,

football field, or business office anyone can see the effects it has on a person. According to the

section in this article on the long term affects on the abuse of steroids, they can cause some very

nasty side effects. The major effects are liver tumors, jaundice, fluid retention, and high blood

pressure. Men can also experience shrinkage of the testicles, reduced sperm count, development

of breasts, baldness, and infertility. While women can experience growth of facial hair, a

deepened voice, changes in or cessation of the menstrual cycle. All users can and most likely will

suffer from paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions, and impaired judgment stemming

from feelings of invincibility (gdcada.org 36, 37, 38, &39).

The impact that steroids have on society is unbelievable. As said by the Greater Dallas

Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, people are willing to take a great risk in order to excel in

sports and perform their jobs better in today’s society. We also live in a society where image is

paramount to some people. Therefore, the popularity of performance enhancing drugs such as

anabolic steroids and anabolic steroid substitute products are the choice of some people to

achieve these goals (gdcada.org 27). The effect they have on an individual can be both positive

and negative. Steroids can help treat such medical conditions that cause inflammation in the
body. According to Medicine Net, steroids are used for the main treatment for certain

inflammatory conditions. Low doses of steroids may provide significant relief from pain and

stiffness for people with rheumatoid arthritis. Temporary use of higher doses of steroids may

help a person recover from a severe flare-up of arthritis (medicinenet.com 8&9). Steroids can

also play a negative role. They can greatly impact an individual psychologically. Steroids: Just

the Facts explains that steroids can have a profound affect on the users mind, causing some

personality changes. They may exhibit uncontrolled aggression and violent behavior, know as

“roid rage”. Along with severe mood swings, manic episodes, and depression (dwb.unl.edu 11).

All of this can result in suicide and high levels of depression. Some say that the use of anabolic

steroids has a positive result. Jeff Everson stated that when he took steroids he felt “fantastic”

and thinks that “roid rage is completely boloney. I was never mad or aggressive on steroids.

Instead I was energetic and happy. I was finally growing fast!”(Everson 10). Steroids are sending

the wrong message to high school students. CBS reports that many kids are now taking a cue

from their sports heroes and using steroids to try and gain a competitive advantage. They are

small town kids with big league dreams. They want to be strong and have that feeling of

satisfaction (cbs11tv.com 1). Craig Costa was addicted to steroids when he was a teenager. He

stated that “If you want it bad enough, and the needles bad enough and you want stuff like that,

you will get it. Kids will get it. They aren't stupid." Costa also said that he did the drugs to

become big and intense, but admitted they had a devastating effect on his personality (Costa

9,10,&11).

Since the illegal use of steroids has become to some an “epidemic” what can we do to

help eliminate this problem. Steroids.ro concludes that there action steps in realizing the problem

and doing something about it. They include, realizing the problem, encouraging campaigns in the
community to educate young people about steroids, getting familiar with the signs of steroid use

and the legal consequences for self-possession and distribution, encouraging a sports

environment that removes the pressure of winning, and lastly train early athletes in your

community on the importance of ethical codes and morality in sports. These steps will help

decrease the numbers of high school students consuming or wanting to consume steroids

(steroids.ro 3&4). However there are people taking action to stop the illegal use. According to

the San Francisco Chronicle, in the state of California, every high school athlete must sign a

pledge that he or she will not use anabolic steroids. Every coach and volunteer must complete the

American Sport Education Program course on steroids. And finally, parents are required to attend

a meeting to discuss the use and abuse of steroids (sfgate.com 2&3). Chris Ziesat reporting for

Diamondback Online states that drug testing is unfortunately expensive, but it is also effective.

Leagues and organizations are mandatory frequently drug testing so athletes know that they

could and will be tested at any point during the season or year that they wish to play or compete

in their organization or federation. Furthermore, the U.S. Government is putting pressure on

various organizations to conduct such drug tests. There will probably always be some people

who will be able to get away with steroid use even with drug tests, but steroid use would

certainly decrease with increased random and mandatory drug testing (diamondbackonline.com

6).

Overall, steroids have become a very popular drug in every type of lifestyle.

Understanding steroid use and its potential for abuse becomes every important when deciding

whether or not to consume the drugs. Parents need to be aware of the temptations their children

face to do whatever necessary to become the next Barry Bonds. Society needs to implement

policies making access to these drugs virtually impossible. Our schools need to educate students
on the dangers on steroid abuse. If these steps are taken we can minimize the long term

consequences of youth.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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<http://www.gdcada.org/statistics/steroids.htm>.

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