The Effects of Steroids - Research Paper Example

 Steroids In the past three decades or so, steroids have been posing a serious problem to society and it is more so in the athletic field. Steroids in the beginning were developed for medical purposes. They were mainly used to control inflammation, strengthen weakened hearts, and prevent conception or to give relief to people suffering from arthritis and asthma. Unfortunately today, steroids are being used for purposes other than medical and are causing a great deal of damage to the individual in particular and the society as a whole. This damage is more evident in the field of sports. The first athletes to use steroids were Olympians and not baseball or football players as commonly believed. States sponsored steroid regimen during the Cold War, in the East and the West. East Germany's state-managed doping system was revealed after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was then discovered that more than 10,000 athletes were treated with steroids. Some of the athletes were as young as twelve years and many did not know that they were being given steroids. This made them get Olympic medals but also gave them long-term health problems. A steroid is a synthetically produced male sex hormone, testosterone which helps the growth of muscle mass and strength. Anabolic steroids as they are known, were isolated, and synthesized in the 1930s, and are now used for therapeutic purposes in medicine to stimulate growth, help treat diseases such as cancer and AIDS. It has been acknowledged that steroids along with an adequate diet increases body weight. According to Ron Woods (2006), “Anabolic steroids are faster and more effective than any physical training program for increasing size, strength and speed”. Sports coaches and trainers immediately saw the possibilities of using steroids. People use steroids for many reasons. They take them because a doctor has advised them for treating an ailment, or because they want to improve their physique and increase strength and endurance as in the case of athletes. There are many who use steroids as drugs as they are cheaper then marijuana or cocaine. The central issue about steroids is the abuse of steroids. Like any other medicine, steroids when taken without the guidance of a doctor can create health problems. The problems may be in the form of damage to the heart, lungs or liver. Steroids have noticeable side effects including acne and scars, an increased sex drive, increased hair growth in Androgen-Sensitive areas, deepened voice along with an increased vocal cord size, more or bigger muscles, a larger appetite, bone remodeling, increased production of Red Blood Cells, liver damage, headaches, irritability, trouble sleeping, and jaundice( Santella, 2005). Among other harmful effects of steroids on the body is the physical deterioration of the whole body system. There is the risk of developing hematoma or contracting AIDS. In women use of steroids may result in the growth of facial hair, sterility, deepening of voice, etc. These changes often cause embarrassment in society. This dangerous drug shortens the life span up to twenty years and increases the chance of getting diseases like diabetes, hypertension or cardiovascular diseases. The side effects of steroids are endless. Along with the physical problems steroids also result in problems relating to mental health which in turn may lead to serious repercussions in society. Repeated use of steroids may lead to a person getting addicted to them and harm the mind. Steroids can make a person violent, wild and aggressive. According to Lombardo and Sickles (1992), “after taking anabolic steroids for a longer time, there is a loss of inhibition and a lack of judgment, with mood swings or grandiose ideas. Prolonged users become suspicious, quarrelsome, impulsive and more aggressive”. Intake of steroids also leads to depressions and delusions. This may lead to the persons indulging in acts that may be harmful to society. Steroids sometimes affect the serotonin levels in the brain and this leads to mood swings or “roid rage” as it is often called. This in turn has resulted in several cases of suicide. The recent trend of school students resorting to steroids is a dangerous trend as steroids can cause irreparable damage to bodies that are still growing. The physiological and psychological problems associated with steroid abusers cause problems for the family, friends as well as the society. Once a youngster sees the change in his physical appearance with the help of steroids, he does not want to stop and go back to being a puny person who was made fun of or teased in school. When athletes get to see a change in their performance and the advantages of steroids, there is no stopping them. These addictions may make them lose interest in their family or friends as they are concentrating only on their physique or their athletic performance. As mentioned before steroid abuse may cause "roid rages." This in turn may lead to violence and outbursts because of the need to release the tension. If the user is not a sportsman the situation can be worse. A sportsman can release the tensions in the playing field. For others this may lead to psychological problems such as violence and sexual perversion. When sportsmen take steroids to enhance their performance they not only cause harm to their health but cause harm to others raising many social concerns. They put tremendous pressures on other sportsmen to perform and compete. When a sportsman is a role model for youngsters he may send out the wrong signals if he is on steroids making the youngster believe that taking steroids is the only way one can achieve success. As Steve Olivier says, “If an impressionable young athlete perceives that success is only attainable through a particular practice, such as performance-enhancing substances, then the practice, which may be may result in harmful to the role model, becomes potentially harmful to others.” Researchers have also found that users may suffer feelings of jealousy, irritability and delusions. The feeling of invincibility that comes from performance enhancing drugs may impair judgment. All this may lead to improper behavior causing harm to society. However steroids administered under a doctor’s care, helps people to build muscle mass and strength, heal faster, and helps athletes to train longer. It can also prove to be a lifesaver particularly for people suffering from HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis and asthma. As a medicine used for treating illnesses it has many advantages. What makes a person take steroids for purposes other than medicinal? People may show scorn or contempt for the culture of body building adopted by many, but there is in them somewhere deep inside an appreciation of people who are muscular and a desire to gain muscles and strength. Physical appearance is important to many people and if they are not naturally endowed with a good physique they try to obtain it through other means such as steroids. Attraction to strength and a muscular body is natural. It is not a primitive trait as many think it is. Conventional belief is that the desire to have strength and muscle is a primitive trait and that a good muscular physique is irrelevant in a civilized society. It is not so and this desire is a part of our social transactions. In a study by Salusso-Deonier CJ; Markee NL; Pedersen EL., about men's and women's ideals of attractive male somatotypes, it was found that women emphasized lean/broad-shouldered and average/balanced male types, while men showed more appreciation for the muscular bulk male type. Sometimes psychological reasons make people use steroids for muscle building. Some studies have shown that 25 per cent of people who as children have been physically or sexually abused or suffered physical attacks as an adult want to develop strength and power to resist future attacks. Sportsperson take steroids mainly because as Dr. Michael Miletic, a leading sports psychologist says “They're taking it because team-mates, opponents, strength coach; a gym owner is telling them it will make them better. And often it will.” Again professional sports heroes today have contracts and are paid astronomical amounts. When they are paid such huge amounts it is expected that they win and continue to perform and win. Sportsmen often resort to the use of steroids to help them rise to expectations. Sometimes the attention of the whole nation is directed towards them and they are expected to win not only for the sake of themselves and their team but also on behalf of the country they represent. This puts additional pressure on them. Again excellence is not expected from professional athletes alone. School and college athletes too are under pressure to perform. Sports scholarships mean a lot to these athletes and this has resulted in an increase in the use of steroids among school and college athletes. There is not enough evidence to prove that steroids can kill people. But that it can damage and cause harm is evident. The fact that more and more retired athletes are confessing that they have used steroid in their career, and admitting that they had medical problems because of steroid abuse is enough proof. This is enough to make people aware of the consequences of steroid abuse. References 1. Lombardo JA, Sickles RT. Medical and performance-enhancing effects of anabolic steroids. Psychiatr Ann 1992; 22: 19-23 2. Miletic Michael, Quote retrieved from http://www.isreview.org/issues/50/steroids.shtml on 17/12/09 3. Olivier Steve, Quote retrieved from http://socialissues.wiseto.com/Articles/FO3020630175/ on 17/12/09 4. Salusso-Deonier CJ; Markee NL; Pedersen EL. Gender differences in the evaluation of physical attractiveness ideals for male and female body builds. Percept Mot Skills. 1993 Jun;76(3 Pt 2):1155-67. 5. Santella, Thomas. Drugs: The Straight Facts. New York: 2005 6. Woods Ron, Social Issues in Sport, Human Kinetics; 1 edition (November 9, 2006) Read More