Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports - Report Example

Performance Enhancing drugs in Sports The abuse of performance-enhancing drugs among adolescents is a growing cause for concern. The use of these drugs in sport is not new. Olympic athletes in ancient Greece were believed to have used herbs and mushrooms in an attempt to improve their athletic performance. Drug abuse has been reported since the Greeks started the Olympics in 776 BC. It was then reported that certain substances were ingested by competitors in attempts to gain some ground against fellow competitors. However, it was not until the early 19th century that the problem of drug abuse became a great menace to the sport. Sport has been promoted as an alternative to drug abuse, especially among the young. Reports say that performance-enhancing drugs have penetrated college, high school and junior high/middle school athletics around the world (Kidsource OnLine, 1996). Ironically, instead, drug abuse has been perversely associated with success and glory in sport. Today the patriotic slogan "what counts is not the winning but taking part" seems to have lost its vitality. The glory of winning at any cost attracts most of the athletes in the present day. The monitory benefit that follows winners acts as a strong driving force behind drug abuse in sports. Drug-taking has tarnished the ideal of sports. The pressure of winning will make athletes do almost anything to find the extra bit that could make the difference. Many techniques are introduced and employed by athletes in order to gain that extra mileage in their respective fields. These methods are used to increase the effects of drugs and to avoid detection during drug tests. The number and variety of drugs use by athletes are rather alarming. Substances used as ergogenic aids are meant to primarily increase size, endurance and strength of the athletes. Drugs are illegally taken by athletes in an attempt to improve their performance. These drugs include beta-adrenoceptor blockers and beta-adrenoceptor agonists, calcium-channel blockers, diuretics, growth hormone and growth hormone stimulants, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, iron, theophylline and in some situations, vitamins. Another form of ergogenic aid appears in the form of "blood doping." Whether or not his procedure actually works is still a matter of debate (Lajis, N.D.). These substances used to boost athletic performance, increase strength and improve appearance present a serious health risk. Currently, anabolic steroids are the major substances that are increasing in use among teens, while other drugs have either leveled off or declined in use. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System also reports that lifetime use of illegal steroids increased between 1991 and 2003 among students in grades 9 through 12. About 6.1% of students had taken steroid pills or injections without a doctors prescription one or more times during their lifetime. This has increased from 3.1% in 1999 and 5% in 2001. Although males are more likely to have used illegal steroids without a prescription than females, 9th grade female use is the highest reported user group (7.3%). Although anabolic-androgenic steroids are forbidden substances, they are illegally imported or manufactured in secret labs. Many are available on the Internet. Veterinary steroids are another source – often cheaper and easier to obtain. A variety of other widely available substances, sold as dietary supplements, are used to enhance athletic performance. Anabolic steroid precursors, notably androstenedione, have gained increasing popularity as athletic enhancing supplements in recent years. These precursors, which include 4-androstenediol, norandrostenedione and norandrostenediol, currently are available without prescription and have powerful hormonal effects in men and women. Evidence exists that the effects are not unlike using anabolic androgenic steroids. Anabolic steroid precursors are being marketed as anabolic-equivalent “dietary supplements” that promise to increase muscle mass. According to FDA reports, ephedra’s use has been associated with at least 100 deaths, and multiple adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. The effects of ephedra can be exacerbated by exercise and use of other stimulants such as caffeine. There are several side effects of these drugs. The use of anabolic steroids by adolescents is especially worrying. Young, developing bodies are likely more sensitive to the adverse health effects of steroids, some of which may be irreversible. Effects include acute acne, balding, and undesirable body changes such as the development of breasts (gynecomastia) and shrinking testicles in men, and masculinization in women (e.g., more body hair, a deeper voice, smaller breasts and fewer menstrual cycles). Use may increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes by elevating blood pressure and cholesterol levels. In adolescents, whose bones are still growing, use may result in stunted growth. Oral steroids have been linked to liver disease, and evidence exists for increased risk of prostate, liver and kidney cancer. Steroids are often injected and these increase the risk of contracting serious infections such as hepatitis and HIV among those who share needles. Although long-term studies are scarce, it is thought that some harmful effects may not appear until many years after these substances have been abused. Evidence suggests that the abuse of steroids can increase aggressive behavior in males, cause mood swings and impair judgment. Studies have reported an association between steroid use and use of other substances, including heroin (The Hormone Foundation, 2005). 1950s Olympic saw competitors using steroids. Anabolic steroids have been used by athletes for more than two decades in the belief that they can increase body mass, muscle tissue, strength and aggressiveness. This agent, together with amphetamines, has probably been the subject of media attention. They have probably caused more death than any other drugs used in sports. In the 60s, a number of cyclists died following the ingestion of amphetamines during competition. The most serious adverse effects that can occur with this sort of drugs are often associated with heart failure. All these ergogenic aids, when taken in excessive amounts, are not without some serious implications to health. Some may even prove fatal especially when used in moderately high doses by the athletes. Sport seems to have lost count of the number of cases related to drug abuse. Reports of positive drug tests are almost part and parcel of any major sports event. Without proper regulation and commitment, athletes seeking a competitive edge may resort to drug-taking to achieve fame and glory. The public should bear responsibility of making sure that young athletes continue to participate in sports without fearing any prematurely physical damage or even death form substance abuse in sport (Lajis, N.D.). While sports play a significant role in our society and culture, the heart of the problem may be our overemphasis on winning. Winners become heroes as society creates a culture that worships them. And, while some believe that all athletes are winners just from competing, the fact is that an athletic competition produces only one first-place finisher—the winner. Not every athlete who competes wins, and for those lacking sufficient talent, performance-enhancing drugs offer the means by which they may become "winners." Too much fame and fortune can be gained by being a winner in sports to ever think that the use of performance-enhancing drugs will ever be completely eliminated (Bahrke and Yesalis, 2002). Social commitment and sports excellence must go hand in hand and not undermine one another. The emphasis should be on educating and motivating athletes, not to abuse drugs. We all enjoy sports and encourage more and more participation of the younger lot in these activities. However, the charm of good sport is lost if any incidence of drug abuse comes in to picture. It is the responsibility of each individual both the athletes and the spectators to encourage good sports. Sport organizations around the world need to encourage true sports, or else sports will be reduced to a contest between drugs, money and politics. References Bahrke, M. S. and Yesalis, C.E. (2002) The Future of Performance-Enhancing Substances in Sport. The Physician And Sportsmedicine - Vol 30 - No. 11 - November 2002 Retrieved February 4, 2006, from http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/2002/11_02/guested.htm Kidsource OnLine, (1996) "Silent Epidemic of Abuse" Pervades Sports In America. Retrieved February 4, 2006, from http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content/news/drugs7_9_96.html Lajis, R.H. (N.D.) The History Of Drug Abuse In Sports. Retrieved February 3, 2006, from http://www.prn2.usm.my/mainsite/bulletin/sun/1996/sun27.html The Hormone Foundation (2005) Program on Adolescent Hormone Abuse and Performance-Enhancing Drugs Retrieved February 3, 2006, from http://www.hormone.org/pdf/Horm_Abuse_Fact_Sheet.pdf Read More