Athletes and Drugs - Research Paper Example

on drug abuse because current trends indicate that college athletes are also inreasingly abusing drugs not only for recreational purposes but to enhance their athletic ability. According to Sturmey, the use of recreational drugs and performance enhancing drugs among athletes has increased exponentially since the 1980s leading to the deaths of several athletes and banning of others from competitions (859). Drugs are substances that alter physiological processes in the body and their usage can result to significant tisssue damage and even death.

In sports, drugs usage abuse the integrity of the competition by providing the drug users with unfair advantage. The irony in the whole scenario is that athletes are expected to be conscious of their health and aviod habits that can jeorpadize their chances in competitions. However, the need to be more stringer has driven athletes to use strength enhancing drugs. The pressure and stress associated with athletics also drive some athletes to take recreational drugs. Evidence of Drug Abuse by College Athletes.

A study conducted by The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug use and Violence Prevention, realized that drug abuse among college athletes was on the increase and had actually surpassed drug abuse among non-athletes. The observed trend was a total turn around to previous findings that had realized that athletes were unlikely to use drugs because they needed to maintain physical fitness. A study conducted by Meldrum & Judy established that already 1% of college athletes were using anabolic steroids and a further 12% revealed that they were considering to use strength enhancing anabolic steroids.

A related study documented in Family Practice Notebook outlines that in the current situation in America 80%-88% of college students consume alcohol, 20%-36% use marijuana, 17% use Cocaine, 8% use amphetamine and 2%-6% use anabolic steroids. The findings of these studies are shocking and indicate college athletes are