Athletes Drug Use - Doping and Related Issues in Professional Athletes - Essay Example

Athletes Drug Use Athletes’ drug use Doping and Related Issues in Professional Athletes Introduction Use of drugs in sports is not something that started yesterday. In reference to Lowinson (2005), the use of performance enhancing drugs (PED) has a history which dates to as back as 1904. Ancient Greek athletes go down in the books of history for the use of special diets and stimulants to enhance their prowess in the sport. One Thomas Hicks is said to have won a race during the 1904 Olympic Games which were held in St. Louis with the help of a raw egg together with a glass of brandy and strychnine injections. Restrictions pertaining drug use in sports came into considerations in the 1020s. Covered in the subsequent paragraphs are types of drugs abused by athletes, reasons as to why they abuse drugs, associated effects, policies and punishments and finally, possible solutions to the problem. The sole aim of one taking part in a sporting completion, just like is the case with any other kind of completion is to emerge victorious. However, sometimes the prediction of the outcome may leave the competitor feel like he/she has already lost to his/her opponents even before the real competition. This is the main drive behind use of drugs by some athletes, just to ensure that they emerge winners and land their hands on the gold medal for their country while at the same time ensuring personal accomplishment satisfaction. Kinds of Drug use The types of drugs used by these athletes can be put in to two broad categories; performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) and recreational drugs (Safran, McKeag, & Camp, 2008). . The former refers to the kinds of drugs which are usually taken with the aim of one getting the ability to perform better especially in athletics. With respect to Examples of PEDs include stimulants, human growth hormone (HGH), anabolic steroids, erythropoietin and diuretics (Audran et al, 1999). The second type of drugs (recreational drugs) comprise of those drugs, usually narcotic which are taken for the purpose of helping an individual alter his/her mood. In other words, these are drugs which are taken non-medically for the purpose of enjoyment and not because one is sick. Examples of drugs other this category include psychedelic mushrooms, cannabis, barbiturates, opium, amphetamines and heroin. Why it happens An athlete will feel satisfied if at the completion of the game it turns out that he/she emerged the winner. However, as it is obvious, one cannot be said to have won the race if he/she has not yet taken part in a given completion. It is both the victorious feeling associated with winning and the intense feeling of competition that leaves some athletes with no option but to abuse some certain drugs. When an athlete wins a race, he/she is sure of taking home (to his/her home country) a medal, getting a good amount of cash, becoming famous and even going down in the book of record holders. With regard to Waddington and Smith (2008), to enhance their performance, athletes take drugs to ensure sufficient strength, concealing the symptoms/signs that may arise after use of other drugs, masking of pain and improved oxygen delivery to the muscles. Though these drugs may enable and athlete win a given race and enjoy all the benefits associated with winning, there are a number of side effects that come with it. These are as outlined in the paragraph under. Effects of drug use The worst case scenario of drug abuse by an athlete may be seen when he/she dies from the effects of the same. For instance, use of ecstasy which is also referred to as MDMA, when taken by an athlete (sniffed as powder or taken orally), he/she will have a feeling of well-being through resulting low levels of both anxiety and fear. However, an athlete may have bad reactions to the drug which include getting dehydrated and even sick. These may eventually result to death. Another effect that comes with abuse of drugs is the resultant athlete’s bad health. This will eventually impair his ability to compete. Use of amphetamine is usually associated with cardiovascular effects which include loss of appetite, abdominal cramps, nausea, dry mouth and metallic taste. The positive effects of these drugs are usually instant whereas the negatives may be manifested later. It is the instance that comes with the use of the drugs that makes individuals readily rely on them. However, winning a race due to sort of enhancement from this drugs is extremely unfair. It is sweeter to win a race without any form of PEDs and at the same time it is very bad to take the honorary which would have otherwise belonged to someone else. As a continuation of the effects of drug use by athletes, another vital negative that comes with these drugs is the social impact. Some of these drugs once taken, especially the recreational one, make an individual depict not only anti-social behaviors but also some physical attributes which may people shy away from stay close to such individuals. Some anti-social behaviors include fighting, use of vulgar language in public places, rape and even murder. When it comes to an individual’s physical attribute’s one may end up possessing features which are associated with persons of the opposite sex. For instance, use of anabolic steroids cause some men to develop prominent breasts, infertility and baldness. For women, they may develop baldness, increased body hair and deep voice. Policy and punishment As seen from the former sections of the document, there are quite a number of negatives associated with doping. This therefore means there is need to come up with preventive measures. First, there is need to device and improve testing techniques that can help detect any presence of drugs in form of chemical substances in the blood or urine of the athletes. This should be done before every competition so as to both stop the culprits and take stern measures against them. Before February 2010, there was no single reliable rest for human growth hormones (HGH). There is need for more and more tests to be invented. Secondly, there is need to establish organizations that will help in fighting athletes’ drug and substance abuse. For instance, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was established in 1999 for the purpose of implementing the same. Anti-doping regulations formulated by WADA are supported by not merely the International Olympic Committee but also by over 600 sports organizations worldwide. Another way of helping curb the instances of athlete’s drug abuse is to impose heavy fines to the violators. Victims may be asked to return all the medals and cash they had ever one in the various competitions they may have won before while at the same time risking imprisonment for falsehood winning. This to a greater extent will scare them from engaging in this kind of behavior. Solution As Dimeo (2008) puts emphasizes, it ought to be remembered that the decision of whether to or not to take a drug lies with the athlete him/herself. There is therefore need of them being talked to over the same so that they get full information as far as the side effects of drugs and substance abuse is concerned. As part of the resolution, there is a necessity to enlighten the athletes on the side effects of drugs. There is need for them to know that their health and social life is all they have to give priority; it will be useless for them winning and at the end of the day end up spending the money they would have been given on medication or even in a worst case not use the money at all in case one dies. The knowledge of athletes with regard to the side effects of drug abuse will help in reducing cases of occurrence of the same. Another way of resolving the issue is to provide anti-drug programs and in addition to this, provide online training for the same. Political candidates whose manifesto outlines how he/she would deal with drug abuse among athletes should be given priority. References Audran, M., Gareau, R., Matecki, S., Durand, F., Chenard, C., Sicart MT., Marion, B., Bressolle, F. (1999). Effects of Erythropoietin Administration in Training Athletes and Possible Indirect Detection in Doping Control. 31(5), 639 – 645. Dimeo, P. (2008). Drugs and Sport: Beyond Good and Evil. United Kingdom: Routledge Lowinson, J. H. (2005). Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive Textbook. New York: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Marc, R. S., McKeag, D., Camp, P.S. (1998). Manual of Sports Medicine. New York: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Waddington, I., Smith, A. (2009). An Introduction to Drugs in Sport: Addicted to Winning? United Kingdom: Routledge Publishers. Waddington, I., Smith, A. (2008). An Introduction to Drugs in Sport: Addicted to Winning? United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis Read More