Second Major Benefit Of The Steroid Use example essay topic

Many people are using steroids today to significantly enhance their size strength and athletic performance. Many people however don't realize the drawbacks of using steroids. Some users have even had their lives ruined by the irreversible effects of illegal steroids, yet the desired effects are so overwhelming that people tend to overlook the consequences. Steroid users believe taking anabolic steroids will enhance their performance, strength, size and appearance. Steroids are illegal to use without a prescription yet are not hard to get a hold of. They are used by athletes of all kinds and all ages, and are becoming an increasingly large fad that people need to think more carefully about.

The term 'anabolic ' means 'to build tissue,' therefore anabolic steroids tend to increase constructive metabolic pathways within the body. Also, anabolic steroids are synthetic derivatives of the natural male sex hormone, testosterone. Testosterone was the first steroid developed, a natural occurring hormone in many plants and animals. The first clinical use of testosterone occurred in 1958 when physicians injected it into underweight and sick patients to stimulate weight gain.

The first reported use of steroids in a non-medical setting occurred during World War II. Steroids were administered by Nazi doctors into German soldiers to enhance their aggressiveness. The Soviet Union noted the Nazis' use of the drug and recognized that enhanced aggressiveness, increasing in strength, and size could be desirable in athletic competition. The Soviets experimented with steroids in the early 1950's and it is believed that they were used in the 1952 Olympic games. Steroids can be taken two ways, orally or injected. Many athletes prefer oral because it has a less likely chance to show up on drug tests.

Injecting steroids leaves one at a higher risk for serious infections such as HIV and Hepatitis B. Anabolic steroids are all derivatives of the male sex hormone testosterone. With the use of steroids a person will receive two types of effects from the use. The first is the androgenic effects or. These are the unwanted effects such as the enlarging of the prostate, growth of male sex glands, deepening of the voice, and increased facial hair (other steroids were developed in an attempt to separate these effects of testosterone from the anabolic). The other effect is anabolic effects, the wanted effects. There are three major benefits that are wanted from steroid use and they are: First athletes will attain a greater increase in lean muscle mass and strength when it is used with a combination of rigorous training and the drug.

The second major benefit of the steroid use is that the athlete's body suffers less breakdown. This decrease in muscle breakdown and recovery time permits more frequent training sessions at higher intensity and for longer periods of time. The third benefit is the increased aggressiveness they are believed to simulate. This increased aggressiveness may drive athletes to train harder and longer without the usual fatigue. Other positive effects of using steroids is increases in; storage of muscle glycogen, blood volume, a general boasting of the immune system, and the reduction of body fat percentage. The effects are maintained as long as the athlete continues the steroid use.

Anabolic steroids also have a number of potentially harmful side effects. The main parts of the body affected by steroids are the liver, cardiovascular system and reproductive system. Liver tumors and abnormal liver functions have been noted in patients using anabolic steroids. Liver, prostate, and testicular cancer have been linked to steroid use, particularly oral steroids.

Increases in high density cholesterol is noted in people using steroids, hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure, and blood-clotting disorders. Also, athletes using steroids seem to be suffering many more muscle and tendon injuries. This is believed to be because of the heavy weight that is being lifted which the muscles can handle but the tendons can't. Tendon strength does not increase with muscle strength. Some think the increased aggressiveness causes lifters to ignore warning signals from an overworked body and they train harder than they should. In adult women, severe irreversible masculinity effects have been documented including hair growth on the cheeks and the chin, male pattern baldness, irreversible deepening of the voice, shrinkage of the breast size, uterine atrophy, and menstrual irregularities.

In pre-adults, anabolic steroids can cause the premature closure of the bone growth plates resulting in shorter structures. Another major side effect includes what has been popularly called 'road rage'. For training and competition, the increased aggressiveness has been classified as a benefit of steroid use; however, with increasing dosage, the increased aggression will have an adverse effect. Wild aggression and paranoid delusions are common in some steroid users, and they may also suffer from major depressions and of spontaneous violence. Steroids can also be both physically and psychologically addictive. Phys cially many athletes experience severe depressions following periods of not taking the drug, similar to that of any other drug addict.

Psychologically, steroid use can be compulsive and unstoppable. The steroid users have an uncontrollable obsession with being big instead of skinny. This obsession results in the continuing or increased usage of anabolic steroids. The use of steroids in the United States has been estimated as high as one million people, or one in every two hundred-fifty people. In a survey of 8th, 10th and 12th graders, in 1991, steroid use was under 1.5 percent for the past year for 8th, 10th and 12th graders.

That number jumped to 2.5 percent for 12th graders, 2.2 percent for 10th graders, and 1.7 percent for 8th graders. The major reason for this large amount of use age is that sports have evolved from recreational pastime to a lucrative money-making venture at the professional level. Speed and strength have opened the door to financial opportunities and a bond has been formed between sports and steroids. The concept of sports as a fun recreational activity has been changed into a business. For young teens it is a pressure to be bigger stronger and better, and some see steroids as a sure way to get ahead of everyone else. Many athletes will sell their bodies to steroids for an opportunity to win a spot on a professional roster or winning a gold medal in the Olympics.

Many professional baseball players have been suspected of using steroids. Mark Mcguire, Berry Bonds and Sammy Sosa are among the most popular. These men have taken steroids to give them the additional swinging edge over all other hitters. This is the reason for the threes' hitting records.

Mark Mcguire and Sammy Sosa battled it out for the single season home run record in 1999, and Berry bonds holds the current career home run record. Since the introduction of steroids to sports, the reason for their use has remained the same; the pursuit of the winning edge. In my eyes, it is an unfair advantage to use steroids, because what you are accomplishing is not what the human body is really able to do. It is like adding robotic arms to your own. In conclusion, steroids are widely used today by athletes who are looking for the edge. It is a current trend among bodybuilders and sports players.

In my opinion it isn't causing a problem although it very well could cause one. I see more and more people looking interested in them, when I go to the gym everyone talks about new supplements that are anabolic derivatives that are supposed to give you the extra edge.