Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports

Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports

Performance Enhancing Drugs are a big temptation in any athlete’s life. Are performance enhancers as bad as they are made out to be? Melissa Winkller, and author of the Vegetarian Times in New York states, “Sport supplements are at best a waste of time.” Agree or not, the history and facts of performance enhancers will tell you what these drugs can do to your body; the good, the bad and the ugly. Ant decision a person makes that warrants putting a substance into their bodies can destroy not only your reputation, but your life as well.

Performance enhancers have been a major part of any athlete’s life since the early Greek times. According to Wikipedia.com, the first recorded attempt for athletes to increase their performance was during the 8th century BC Greek Olympics. During that time, it was documented that Greek Olympians ate sheep testicles. This act gave athletes a boost in energy to compete. Later, scientists have said that this strange feast was a good source for a testosterone boost in early Olympic games.

In 1904 Thomas Hicks won the marathon at the St. Louis Olympics and collapsed at the finish of the race. It was later found that the had mixed brandy with Strychnine to get his gold medal.

The first recorded fatality of enhancers was in 1967. Tom Simpson died during the Tour de France. During the doctor’s examination of the athlete, 2 tubes of amphetamines were found in the rear pocket of his racing jersey.

The 1988 Olympics marked the first time an athlete was stripped of his gold medal. This occurred when sprinter Ben Johnson tested positive for anabolic steroids.

His gold medal was given to silver medal winner Carl Lewis who, ironically, was later found to also using enhancers during his Olympic career.

Perhaps the most significant downfall of American athletes occurred in July of 2005 when the California’s Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative pleaded guilty to steroid distribution and money laundering. The list of athletes on the Co-Operative was even more damning than the guilty plea. These athletes included Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, and several members of the Oakland Raiders.

There are many different performance enhancers that are taken for various reasons by athletes. According to an article by Craig Freudenrich, PHD called “How Performance Enhancing Drugs Work” ( from www.entertainment.howstuffworks.com); here are just a few examples:

1) Stimulants (such as caffeine, amphetamines, and cocaine)

2) Building muscle and bone (Anabolic steroids, Beta-2 Agonists, and Insulin)

3) Relaxants ( Alcohol, Beta Blockers, and Cannabinoids)

4) Reduce weight (Diuretics)

5) Increase oxygen delivery (Epo, Blood Doping, and artificial oxygen carriers)

6) To mask pain (Narcotics, ACTH, Cortisone, and local anesthetics)

7) To mask drug use (Diuretics, Epitestosterone, Plasma Expanders, and Secretion Inhibitors)

With everything that these different substances can do for an athlete, the overall objective is to increase one’s physical performance. Along the same lines, the overall result is deadly.

Performance enhancers give you wonderful looking ads, lean legs, and tough muscles. Your outward appearance may impress you in the mirror; but the internal battle isn’t seen or felt until it is to late.

Women who choose to take steroids/performance enhancers are in for a big change when it comes to their appearance. Immediate results may be rewarding, but later most women will begin to grow facial hair. The voice begins to deepen. Other symptoms include breast reduction and a significant change in the menstrual cycle.

Men will become visibly stronger; but really become less of a man when his sperm count isgreatly reduced. They will also develop breasts, testicles will shrink, and impotence may occur along with pain while urinating. Trying so hard to look tough takes away a significant amount of dignity of being a man.

There are some common symptoms between both sexes. Those that choose to take steroids orally or injected also suffer with symptoms that affect your appearance such as acne, bloated appearance, rapid weight gain, and clotting disorders. Generally, such a rapid change to the body causes strokes and heart attacks. Another serious concern for intravenious drug abuse is the possibility of getting HIV/AIDS.

These are very unfortunate results that people will risk having in order to get the ultimate body. However, beauty is only skin deep, in which the users are destroying