Athletes, Performance-Enhancing Drugs and Anabolic...

There are many types of steroids abused by athletes in order to increase their muscle mass and strength. Though steroids have a negative reputation, there are some that can be beneficial to athletes and certain patients. There are types of steroids called corticosteroids that have more medical uses to them and another type called anabolic-androgenic steroids that have a more limited medical use. The anabolic-androgenic are usually the steroids that are being abused by athletes (Bigelow, par.10). The use of steroids goes back to the end of World War II around the 1940’s. Doctors were giving the freed prisoners from the Nazi concentration camps that were at risk of death anabolic-androgenic steroids to help gain back their muscle mass and†¦show more content†¦Besides the long list of negative side effects that steroids bring, they also ruin the integrity of sports. Sports are all about working hard and striving through adversity in order to reach a goal. Steroids only g ive athletes a shortcut that is an easy way out to reaching that goal. Before performance enhancing drugs became a world wide phenomenon athletes were forced to use their only option of working out naturally and pushing themselves beyond their limits in order to be the best that they can be. Now a day’s, many athletes do not have the same dedication and work ethic to earn their results the old fashion and natural way. Whether or not the use of performance enhancing drugs should be allowed in sports should depend on the purpose and intentions of their use. When disagreeing with the use of PEDs the typical argument would be that they are harmful to ones health Personally, I am against the use of PEDs, but there is one exception, and that is when they are prescribed by a doctor for medical use. One main class of steroids that have a wide medical use is Corticosteroids. They are often used to treat medical conditions such as internal swelling and inflammation, asthma, other lung and breathing disorders, bronchitis, allergic reactions and more (Bigelow, par.2).Show MoreRelatedAnabolic Steroid Use in Sports Summary1493 Words   |  6 PagesAnabolic Steroid use in Sports The competitive drive to win at all cost is fierce among athletes. Winning at all cost often includes using one of many performance enhancing drugs such as anabolic steroids. Many athletes use performance enhancing drugs, like steroids, to achieve higher goals and set higher records than other drug-free successful athletes. Although athletes are performing at higher levels when using such drugs, what is the cost? Finally anabolic steroids should remain bannedRead MoreAnabolic Steroids : Use And Performance Enhancing Drugs1516 Words   |  7 Pages The Debate over Anabolic Steroids The use of performance enhancing drugs like anabolic steroids has been a debatable topic in the United States as early as the 1950’s. Former U. S. Representative Howard Berman expresses that â€Å"Steroids can seem necessary to compete at the highest level, and the quick rewards may seem to outweigh the long term consequences to users.† The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) states that countless athletes, both young and old, face life threatening illnesses dueRead MoreThe Effects of Performance Enhancing Drugs on Athletes996 Words   |  4 PagesEffects of Performance Enhancing Drugs on Athletes The risks of taking performance -enhancing drugs to improve an athletes’ performance outweighs the benefits. 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