Steroids: Harmful or Helpful?

Steroids: Harmful or Helpful?

"Are you sure your not on something?" my team mates started to ask me after I hit my eighth homerun. Hitting eight homeruns in high school baseball is something not a lot of guys can do, especially after you have only played ten games. "It's all natural, baby", was my usual response to their doubtful remarks. Although behind it all, I always knew; I was on steroids. My first thoughts about taking steroids began as my admiration towards major league baseball players grew stronger. As my interest in baseball grew deeper, I started to notice that I would constantly hear about players in the major leagues taking steroids to improve their athletic abilities. I became fascinated by the thought of being able to enhance my performance on the field and before I knew it I was hooked. Even though taking steroids helped me tremendously on the baseball field, I suffered horribly off it.

Anabolic Steroids were first developed in the 1930s. Scientists discovered that anabolic steroids could facilitate the growth of skeletal muscles. Thanks to major league baseball, anabolic steroid use and abuse is once again the news. In April, a bill called the Drug Free Sports Act would regulate steroid use in professional sports began wending its way through congress. Kids, especially athletes, are increasingly "on the juice" and law makers, parents, and educators are worried. (Crane)

According to John Zieglar (team physician for the U.S.), steroids were first used in the 1950s when the Soviets made their Olympic debit. In 1952, the Soviets made quite an impact, but nothing compared to the show they put on in 1954. The Soviets easily dominated most of the weight classes. Dr. Zieglar soon found out that the Soviets were receiving testosterone injections. That was the first time anyone had ever used anabolic steroids to enhance their performance in an athletic event. When Dr. Zieglar returned to the United States, he immediately began researching testosterone and trying to develop something better for his athletes. What Dr. Zeiglar developed was called Methandrostenolone. This was the creation of the first anabolic steroid that wasn't simply testosterone. By the time the 1960s came around, Zieglar's weight lifters were dominating American weight lifting. And since then, many different steroids, each with their different sets of characteristics, have been developed.

So, do you ever wonder how those bulky weightlifters and athletes got so big? Some may have gotten their muscles through a strict plan of weight lifting and diet, but others may have gotten their muscles the illegal way. Steroids stimulate the anabolic affect by binding into protein receptors in or on the cells that help create new protein in the cells. The construction of new protein helps increase muscle strength and size. There are several ways to take steroids. Some of these methods include: by pills, muscular injections, patches or gels, and even by pellet implantation under the skin. The term "stacking" is when a steroid user takes more than one steroid at a time. Another term commonly associated with steroids is something known as "cycling", which is the alternating of 6-16 weeks in length of high dose use of steroid with periods of low dose use or no drug at all. (Egendorf 13-14)

There are very severe side effects, with the use of anabolic steroids, for both men and women. Some of the consequences for men who use steroids include