Steroids: Who's to Blame? Essay

Steroids have been considered a miracle drug, and whenever people have had issues or needed a speedy recovery, they got a prescription that contained a steroid of some kind. In the past four years, steroids have become a big topic of discussion and have been under much scrutiny by the media and the public. Recently many athletes and public figures have turned to use of these types of drugs to maintain their "peak performance." Many people are willing to condemn athletes for their use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs also known as peds.

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The use of these drugs, commonly known as doping refers to the voluntary or involuntary use of restricted substances or methods in sports. The members of the sporting authority formulated strategies tailored towards stopping the use of peds by athletes and the elites. It was at that time, 2012, they formed The World Anti-Doping Code which comprises of the rules that were set to harmonize the efforts and campaigns against the use of these drugs. Sporting organizations such asInternational Olympics SportsFederations, Olympic and Paralympic committees have embraced the it.

The code has a close connection to the five main international principles responsible for setting up guidelines(Gregory et al. p. 798-780, 2007). Placing a substance on the list depends on its potential to enhance sports performance, its capability of causing harm to the athlete or if it goes against the spirit of sporting. Therefore, it is against the principles of athletes to use any drug or substance unregistered for human therapeutic use or any agents whose clinical evaluation and analysisare still under trial.

Much of my research can be found on the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. Also, I have used the website of the world Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). I also got valuable information from documentaries like Icarus, Bigger Faster Stronger, and Science of Steroids.

The main website that I have been using is the World Anti-Doping Agency website because they are the most effective organization on earth when it comes to detecting and catching athletes who are using peds. The site provided a comprehensive list of what kinds of substances are illegal and banned in all types of different sports. They provide the resources like education and prevention to assess and prevent others from using and abusing these drugs. It is the job of WADA to "bring consistency to anti-doping policies and regulations within sports organizations and governments across the world" (WADA).

The DEA's site has incredibly detailed information when it comes to any type of drug that is available to the public and even an in-depth look at drugs that aren't available to the public. In the past few years, the section on steroids and performance-enhancing drugs has grown tremendously. With more and more cases popping up of people using these different drugs they have been able to obtain a greater understanding of the nuances of these drugs. Being a government-run site, they also have the details of what the different penalties are when using these types of drugs. "Once seen as a problem strictly in bodybuilding and fitness "buffs", steroid abuse is now a prevalent problem in today's society" (US.DEA).

The National Geographic documentary Science of Steroids was an incredible documentary that I accidentally stumbled upon. This is a documentary about how steroids were introduced into sports and the science behind what these drugs can do when you take them correctly. This was a mind-blowing documentary because it is the first time they have included all aspects of the drugs, everything from professional athletes who have used drugs, those who have lost loved ones to steroids, doctors who study this, and in addition they even include the sports psychologist point of view of why people would use these drugs and some outside factors that can play a role. Towards the end of the documentary, a sports psychologist named Dan Sandler purposed the thought of "is it true that athletes are the only ones putting pressure on themselves or are we as a society pushing these athletes to take these?" (National Geographic: Science of Steroids).

All of these sources focus on the details about the different ins and outs of steroids and their functions. A cardinal similarity of these sources talks about how the drugs work throughout the human body and facts about the side effects. The WADA website talks about the different drugs can get you into major trouble when it comes to the law. The US DEA website gives a brief overview of the use of steroids and the basics of what they do. The documentary gives a fantastic overview with first hand, in-depth look at steroids and their functions.

All of these sources give a good look at all of the bad in the about the steroids. WADA states show that these drugs can get the users banned, stripped of all titles or pay the reciprocities. The DEA has rich information about the penalties of what users can face when it comes to the law. The documentary offers a fantastic view of what these drugs can do, and what people have to say about all of these different drugs and how no one can agree on the actual negatives.

The documentary that National Geographic did when it came to steroids did a fantastic job in shedding light on what the world of steroids is actually like. There are always ups and downs when it comes to using highly effective and successful drugs, and above all, they are highly potent. In the documentary, they briefly talk about how steroids are one of the deepest secrets in US society and how many of these users are your average day Americans who are trying to look better for longer. The argument is also brought up about the fact that though these we, the consumers always want to see bigger, stronger, and faster, we act like it's a surprise that these athletes use these drugs to achieve these goals. "Why be Clark Kent, when you can be Superman?..."

However, in this quest to be the "Superman", the PED users find themselves at crossroads when the drugs turn against their health. The superman mentality pushes the sportsmen to do more than their bodies can achieve under normal circumstances, exposing these bodies to serious physical and mental deteriorations. This raises the question as to whether PEDs enhance sports performance or rather make it difficult for the sportsmen to cope with both the sporting and the normal lives.

Performance enhancing drugs possess the capability of seriously changing the human body and mind. It also alters the biological functioning inclusive of the power to significantly enhance the conduct of athletes in various aspects of their competition. Research shows that these drugs have a favorable impact on strength when a person intakes them and combines them with muscular training activities (Press, et al, 11). Most people in the sporting industry face stiff competitions hence the need for ultimate performance under very strenuous conditions (Wiefferink et al, 70). They want to remain relevant in athletics and create a name and history for themselves. This can only be achieved by recording stellar results in their performances. Moreover, the salary they earn is directly proportional to the record they put and maintain in sports (Pope, Harrison, web). The athletes, therefore, become overzealous with success, making it easy for them to incorporate drugs in their training.

Some of the athletes also embrace the usage of PEDs with the sole purpose of safeguarding a position in a professional team. Therefore, they employ any method that would boost their chances of becoming part of such a highly regarded community. A sportsman, especially an athlete, feels much pride and a sense of accomplishment is he/she wins a medal for his/her country. However, the natural physical strength of a competitor may not allow him/her to bring any medal home. Hence, the competitor enhances his/her competitive strength through the use of steroids.

Teammates who see their counterparts using steroids and say nothing about it do more harm than good. Condoning such actions rather than condemning them has adverse effects in the long run, which would impact the individual as well as the entire team which could be banned from the competitions if one of the members tests positive for drugs. The situation becomes worse if there is an eminent conspiracy between the sports managers and the competitors. According to Houlihan, Barrie, & Mike (149), the leaders focus on the financial benefits accrued to their groups when they record excellent results rather than the health risks associated with doping. The media and the sporting fans also fail to make demands on changes in these acts. Both are viewed as the consumers of the entertainment that arises from sports. Therefore, they could take chance and advocate for the change as they are the main customers of sporting activities.

There is an inadequate number of conclusive studies that have been conducted to show the benefits and risks of using PEDs. For this reason, most people in the sporting world use these drugs due to lack of knowledge on their side effects. They take the drugs blindly and enjoy the positive impacts they have on their bodies without minding the long run negatives. Researchers need to examine this subject and come up with results showing the damage the PEDs cause to human bodies. Lack of well-documented material providing such information has encouraged the use of these drugs amongst athletes and public figures.

However, the researchers have faced difficulties in researching these drugs. Therefore, the study on the effects of taking large doses of anabolic-androgen steroids is yet to articulate them. It is attributable to the fact that it is unethical to administer large doses of the drugs on humans in an attempt to understand their side effects. For this reason, designing a research framework is a challenge. Observing those who use PEDs in doses that are more than the prescription given by a physician for medical purposes gave the readily available information about the impact of PEDs on users.

Moreover, some of these drugs dissolve completely in the bloodstream such that testing their traces in the body of an individual gives negative results. For instance, Erythropoietin (EPO), has proved difficult to detect in an individual who has consumed it. This results from the fact that it is a natural peptide found in the linings of kidneys. Further, it is believed to have a very short half-life which makes tracing it more challenging. Initially, EPO was used as a treatment to individuals suffering from anemia and yet had extreme kidney illness. It functions by producing red blood cells and hemoglobin that facilitate effective circulation of oxygen to the muscles.

Anabolic-androgen steroids are the commonly used PEDs to strengthen body muscles in order to boost performance in sporting activities. They are effective in fastening the recovery of athletes from a hard workout because they lessen muscle distortions that could arise from such sessions. For this reason, hard workouts become easy to the athletes as they acquire the propensity and strength to train without overdoing it. Extensive sports training are essential because it makes an individual perfect their performance. Consequently, they end up getting excellent achievements in the pitch which satisfies their personal and national needs. Moreover, the anabolic-androgen steroids have the ability to make an individual develop aggressive feelings, a state that most of them like (Wiefferink et al, 75).

Conclusion

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