Whats In A Name

WHAT’S IN A NAME? When one mentions steroids the first thing that might come to mind is some body builder or maybe even the most recent sports scandals involving the illegal use by professional athletes. With all of the negative news about steroids, it makes one wonder why we even have steroids. However, steroids were designed with a definite health benefit to treat patients with various ailments such as arthritis. But just like mood alternating drugs that are designed with a positive health benefit such as oxycontin for pain, steroids have become a drug that are among the most abused drugs in America. Steroids, once viewed as a problem for professional athletes, fitness bluffs, and body builders have now spread to being an even bigger problem to high school athletes, teenagers, business professionals and other major occupational people. Many say that there is little being done to enforce the law of illegal use of steroids and the impact it has on the society and an individual. Though there are negative sides to the use of steroids, there are also beneficial effects of using steroids. In order to understand steroids one needs to understand exactly what is a steroid and the benefits in using steroids, how it has become one of the most abused drugs in America, the impact of that abuse on society, and finally what can be done to prevent the abuse. There is known to be two major kinds of steroids, anabolic and corticosteroids. Steroids are synthetic drugs that closely resemble cortisol, in which the human body produces naturally.

The website Web MD for Men explains anabolic steroids and the

benefits. Anabolic steroids are drugs that include testosterone and other substances work like testosterone. Doctors use this type of steroids to treat problems such as delayed puberty or other medical conditions that cause the body to produce low levels of testosterone. They also cause puberty to start and can help some boys with a genetic disorder to grow more normally.

Most people that use Anabolic steroids are using them illegally, to produce an excessive amount of muscle. They make bones stronger and muscles bigger. People use them to make their muscles bigger and more pronounced (webMD.com 1-3). Anabolic steroids are a benefit to most body builders who make their living attending weight lifting competitions. Without the illegal use of these steroids, they wouldn’t have a paycheck. The Anabolic Steroids Guide explains

that

Boldenone,

Androstenedione,

Testostorone,

Dromostanolone,

Dihydrotestosterone, and Methenolone are a few types of anabolic steroids that have been banned because of the prevalence of usage of these steroids illegally in athletes (anabolicsteroidguide.com 6). Corticosteroids are different from anabolic steroids; they are used for treatment of medical conditions. According to WebMD they work by decreasing inflammation and reducing the activity of the immune system (WebMD.com 1). Cleveland Clinic states that Corticosteroids are man-made drugs that closely resemble cortisol, a hormone that your adrenal glands produce naturally. Corticosteroids help with the treatment of arthritis. They are are often referred to by the shortened term “steroids.” Corticosteroids are different from the male hormone-related steroid compounds that some athletes abuse. The most common steroids that are prescribed to patients that are in need of a medical prescription include cortisone, prednisone and methylprednisolone. Prednisone is the most commonly used type of steroid to treat certain rheumatologic diseases (my.clevelandclinic.org 1&2). Abuse in steroids is one of the most talked about subjects. Abuse of anabolic steroids may result in harmful side-effects as well as serious injury and death. Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse states that anabolic steroids are primarily used by bodybuilders,

athletes, and fitness “buffs” who claim steroids give them a competitive advantage and to improve their physical performance. Individuals in occupations requiring enhanced physical strength (body guards, construction workers, and law enforcement officers) are known to take these drugs. They are believed to reduce recovery time between workouts, being able to train harder and longer, which improves strength and endurance. Other non-athletes also take steroids to increase endurance, muscle size, strength, and reduce body fat, in which they believe improves physical appearance making them more attractive (gdcada.org 10&11). They are addicting because people taking them can see and feel their result. Whether it’s on the basketball court, football field, or business office anyone can see the effects it has on a person. According to the section in this article on the long term affects on the abuse of steroids, they can cause some very nasty side effects. The major effects are liver tumors, jaundice, fluid retention, and high blood pressure. Men can also experience shrinkage of the testicles, reduced sperm count, development of breasts, baldness, and infertility. While women can experience growth of facial hair, a deepened voice, changes in or cessation of the menstrual cycle. All users can and most likely will suffer from paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions, and impaired judgment stemming from feelings of invincibility (gdcada.org 36, 37, 38, &39). The impact that steroids have on society is unbelievable. As said by the Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, people are willing to take a great risk in order to excel in sports and perform their jobs better in today’s society. We also live in a society where image is paramount to some people. Therefore, the popularity of performance enhancing drugs such as anabolic steroids and anabolic steroid substitute products are the choice of some people to achieve these goals (gdcada.org 27). The effect they have on an individual can be both positive and negative. Steroids can help treat such medical conditions that cause inflammation in the

body. According to Medicine Net, steroids are used for the main treatment for certain inflammatory conditions. Low doses of steroids may provide significant relief from pain and stiffness for people with rheumatoid arthritis. Temporary use of higher doses of steroids may help a person recover from a severe flare-up of arthritis (medicinenet.com 8&9). Steroids can also play a negative role. They can greatly impact an individual psychologically. Steroids: Just the Facts explains that steroids can have a profound affect on the users mind, causing some personality changes. They may exhibit uncontrolled aggression and violent behavior, know as “roid rage”. Along with severe mood swings, manic episodes, and depression (dwb.unl.edu 11). All of this can result in suicide and high levels of depression. Some say that the use of anabolic steroids has a positive result. Jeff Everson stated that when he took steroids he felt “fantastic” and thinks that “roid rage is completely boloney. I was never mad or aggressive on steroids. Instead I was energetic and happy. I was finally growing fast!”(Everson 10). Steroids are sending the wrong message to high school students. CBS reports that many kids are now taking a cue from their sports heroes and using steroids to try and gain a competitive advantage. They are small town kids with big league dreams. They want to be strong and have that feeling of satisfaction (cbs11tv.com 1). Craig Costa was addicted to steroids when he was a teenager. He stated that “If you want it bad enough, and the needles bad enough and you want stuff like that, you will get it. Kids will get it. They aren't stupid." Costa also said that he did the drugs to become big and intense, but admitted they had a devastating effect on his personality (Costa 9,10,&11). Since the illegal use of steroids has become to some an “epidemic” what can we do to help eliminate this problem. Steroids.ro concludes that there action steps in realizing the problem and doing something about it. They include, realizing the problem, encouraging campaigns in the

community to educate young people about steroids, getting familiar with the signs of steroid use and the legal consequences for self-possession and distribution, encouraging a sports environment that removes the pressure of winning, and lastly train early athletes in your community on the importance of ethical codes and morality in sports. These steps will help decrease the numbers of high school students consuming or wanting to consume steroids (steroids.ro 3&4). However there are people taking action to stop the illegal use. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, in the state of California, every high school athlete must sign a pledge that he or she will not use anabolic steroids. Every coach and volunteer must complete the American Sport Education Program course on steroids. And finally, parents are required to attend a meeting to discuss the use and abuse of steroids (sfgate.com 2&3). Chris Ziesat reporting for Diamondback Online states that drug testing is unfortunately expensive, but it is also effective. Leagues and organizations are mandatory frequently drug testing so athletes know that they could and will be tested at any point during the season or year that they wish to play or compete in their organization or federation. Furthermore, the U.S. Government is putting pressure on various organizations to conduct such drug tests. There will probably always be some people who will be able to get away with steroid use even with drug tests, but steroid use would certainly decrease with increased random and mandatory drug testing (diamondbackonline.com 6). Overall, steroids have become a very popular drug in every type of lifestyle. Understanding steroid use and its potential for abuse becomes every important when deciding whether or not to consume the drugs. Parents need to be aware of the temptations their children face to do whatever necessary to become the next Barry Bonds. Society needs to implement policies making access to these drugs virtually impossible. Our schools need to educate students

on the dangers on steroid abuse. If these steps are taken we can minimize the long term consequences of youth. BIBLIOGRAPHY Everson, Jeff. "STEROIDS: HOW WE CREATED OUR OWN WORST ENEMY-WHAT WILL WE MAKE OF OUR DESTINY?" Planet Muscle Magazine. 2005. 20 Apr. 2009 . "What you need to know about Corticosteroids." ClevelandClinic.org. 2009. 21 May 2009 . "Types of Anabolic Steroids." Anabolic Steroid Guide. 21 May 2009 . "Steroids to treat Arthritis." Medicinenet.com. 2009. 21 May 2009 . "STEROIDS: JUST THE FACTS." Dwb.unl.edu. 1997. 21 May 2009 . "Steroid Use Becomes Growing Problem Among Teens." CBS11tv.com. 2008. 21 May 2009 . Nevius, C.W. "Impact of Steroids felt across high school sports." Sfgate.com. 20 Sept. 2006. 21 May 2009 . "Steroids to Treat Arthritis." WebMD.com. 2009. 21 May 2009 .

"STEROIDS." GDCADA.org. 2006. 21 May 2009 . Zeisat, Chris. "How to stop steroids." Diamondbackonline.com. 19 July 2007. 21 May 2009 .