The use, abuse and misuse of performance enhancing drugs including painkillers in sports - Research Paper Example

?The Use, Abuse and Misuse of Performance Enhancing Drugs Including Painkillers in Sports Professional sports have become very competitive in recent times, and many athletes in the world must strive to keep up with their competition. This has led them to use performance enhancing drugs, which may be prescribed to them or they can acquire themselves. In the US, National Football League (NFL) is regarded as the most competitive sport in the country, while worldwide; moreover, football is the most watched sport. Athletes must maintain high levels of vision, and creativity, as well as be physically strong and able to keep of competition from other athletes. This normally involves a series of workouts and hard training programs, which may make some of these athletes to turn to performance enhancing drugs (Barr, n.d). Traditional training methods involved by any sports athletes includes keeping on a strict diet of healthy foods and drinks that trainers prescribes, daily and routing work outs on their skills and training sessions to help keep their bodies fit. Some of these athletes turn to performance enhancing drugs to help them improve their performance in the field, or to get faster results in sports without lots of training. In addition, these drugs may be prescribed for medicinal use to athletes, but contain some chemicals that enhance the performance of the athlete unknowingly. The athlete acquires others for the sole purpose of enhancing their performance in the field (Orchard et al., 2006). The need to use drugs by athletes has been researched by Coleman and in an article by Prince (2007), whereby he states that an athlete’s choice to use drugs is based on some of the following factors. First the athlete may use performance enhancing drugs due to cultural, social policy or attitudes and policing. This implies that the athlete’s cultures and norms may prompt him/her to use the drugs in order to fulfill gain acceptance in their culture. Secondly, environmental factors that includes conditioning, learning and life events, in which the athlete grows in and tries to emulate in sports. Thirdly, athlete’s interpersonal relationship with peers and family members may influence their use of performance enhancing drugs. Therefore, being from a family of athletes or working under the shadow of high performing athletes in the family or society may make them use these drugs to enhance their own performance. Another factor is at an intrapersonal, where the athlete develops cognitively feeling inferior, hence may use performance enhancing drugs to achieve high levels of performance. In addition, with all these factors in place, the choice of use, abuse or misuse of performance enhancing drugs by any athlete comes to a matter of choice. Athletes use performance-enhancing drugs because in many cases they seek an easy way to achieve maximum performance, with minimum effort. Moreover, they feel that if they use these drugs they shall get a winning edge over their competition. As Coleman relates drive in profit, gaining techniques is the main driving force for any athlete to use performance-enhancing drugs. He clarifies that the athlete has a choice to choose between hard training and work or use performance enhancing drugs. Since benefits of using the drugs outweigh the bad, they turn to these drugs for an extra edge. In addition, athletes have the urge to get socially recognized and approved, and are mainly driven by the rational choice and force to succeed and break records in the fields influence their use of these drugs (Prince, 2007). Increase of use and misuse of performance enhancing drugs has led to the formation of the World Anti- Doping Agency (WADA) to combat this in sports world wide. This agency later gave the criteria in which a drug is considered as illegal for use in any sports (Gerrard, 2005). The first criteria is that any drugs that performance enhancing to any athletes or gives them extra help over the other violates this rule. Secondly, it is stated that any drug that is deemed to cause health risk to an athlete, under its dosage is illegal to be used. Some of the health risks observed in athletes include increased cares of heart failures and breathing problems; moreover, the third criterion is if the drug violates the spirit of sportsmanship in sports. The main ideal behind sports is to ensure that each athlete in any sport whatsoever, competes equally and each has an equal chance to win (Orchard et al., 2006). Word football governing body (FIFA), through its legislation and regulations has the highest number of tests being carried out on football players than any other sports in the world (Fifa.com, 2006). Another agency that was formed to combat the use of performance enhancing drugs in the United States is the United States Anti –Doping Agency (USADA), which is formed to combat illegal use of drugs by athletes in Olympics, pan American sports and Paralympics sports in United States. Their main purpose is to check on doping by athletes and collaborate with WADA (Rxethics.org, n.d.). Some of the banned drugs for use by athletes by WADA includes prohormones drugs including and rostenedione dehydropiandrosterone, which when taken by athletes, is converted to testerostone which boosts their energy and stamina while in the field. Another common drug is anabatic androgenic steroids, which also increases the amount of testerostone produced by the body of athletes. This steroid is mainly used by body building or weight lifting athletes to help in increasing muscle building and increased muscular strength. Another drug is glycoprotein, which once taken, enhances protein metabolism in the athlete’s body, increasing oxygen circulation. This drug is common aerobic performers, marathon runners and cyclists who need ample oxygen to avoid fatigue (Gerrard, 2005). Anti doping agencies have set criteria in which a doctor can be allowed to prescribe a drug to an athlete. The doctor should be able to portray knowledge and empathy on the unique nature of demands of their patients especially athletes. The doctor should also portray a clear understanding of anti doping laws governing the use of performance enhancing drugs. In addition, the doctor should have an updated list of prohibited drugs that are available through WADA websites and resources (Orchard et al., 2006). The seriousness of the use of performance enhancement drugs has been enforced when a number of athletes, who after testing exhibited positive results, have been stripped of their Olympic medals and become subject to criticism in society and sports world. For instance Barry Bonds who after recording a world record 756 home runs for the San Francisco Giants, was tested positive for use of anabolic steroids, tarnishing his image and records for all football fans in the united states (Rxethics.org, n.d.). Athletes should refrain from using performance-enhancing drugs as seen; it creates unfair competition and un-sportsmanship in the sporting arena. The laws created and anti doping agencies should increase its enforcement and crackdown on athletes, and doctors who prescribe and give out these drugs. References Barr, J. (n.d). Painkiller Misuse Numbs NFL Pain. Espn.com. Retrieved 11 July 2012. From http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=110128/PainkillersNews Fifa.com. (2006). Fight against doping in football. Fifa.com. Retrieved 11th July 2012 from http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/afdeveloping/medical/dopingbroschure1_e_55958.pdf Gerrard, D.F, MBChb. ( February, 2005). Drug Misuse in Modern Sport: Are cheats still winning? Sports Magazine. Retrieved 11th July 2012 from http://www.rnzcgp.org.nz/assets/documents/Publications/Archive-NZFP/Feb-2005-NZFP-Vol-32-No-1/GerrardFeb05.pdf. Orchard, W.J. et al. (August 2006). The Use and Misuse of Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports. MDA Online: The Medical Journal of Australia. Retrieved 11th July 2012 from https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2006/184/3/4-use-and-misuse-performance-enhancing-substances-sport Prince, R. (February 2007). Athletes and Substance Use and Abuse: A Rational Choice Perspective. Yahoo! Voices. Retrieved 11th July 2012 from http://voices.yahoo.com/athletes-substance-abuse-213659.html?cat=71 Rxethics.org. (n.d). Performance Enhancing Drugs. Xethics.org. retrieved 11th July 2012from http://rxethics.org/Peformance%20Enhancing%20Drugs.pdf Read More