Is it a problem for athletes to use steroids in sports? It’s not the only drug issue that has been facing sports. The other is the performance-enhancing drug (PED) scandal, which started with the United States Anti Doping Agency (USADA), the international anti doping organisation, banning Lance Armstrong from competing in any form of sport in January 2011.
But while some people were shocked by this news, many others, including some athletes, were not at all surprised and expected something like this would happen sooner or later. And the truth is, there have been other scandals involving PEDs before, but they never received as much media attention as this one did.
This was because this time, the culprit was someone who we thought had no place in sports — an athlete. But why do athletes get involved with steroids and what are the safest steroid for women? And what can be done to end this problem once and for all?
What Is Steroid Abuse?
There are two types of steroids – anabolic steroids androgenic steroids, or “anabolics”, and the more common corticosteroids, such as prednisone. Anabolic steroids are steroids that stimulate the production of proteins in the body. They’re used primarily to build muscle mass and increase strength, endurance, and stamina. Corticosteroids, on the other hand, are steroids that suppress inflammation and reduce pain in the body. These drugs are also commonly used to treat arthritis and help control asthma and allergies.
The difference between anabolic and corticosteroid steroids is significant. For example, testosterone is considered an anabolic steroid, whereas hydrocortisone is a corticosteroid. Androstenedione is a type of anabolic steroid.
So, if you think about it, using steroids isn’t really cheating in sports. You’re just taking something to enhance your natural athletic ability. What’s wrong with that? After all, no one wants to play without being able to compete on equal grounds.
And the fact that these drugs are legal doesn’t mean that athletes don’t abuse them. Many athletes use steroids because they believe they will give them an edge over their opponents. Some also use steroids to help them recover faster from injuries, or simply to lose weight. In fact, many professional athletes take steroids to keep their bodies lean, strong, and healthy.
How Athletes Take Steroids
It’s pretty clear that most professional athletes know exactly how to take steroids in order to gain a competitive advantage. They know which steroids to choose, when to take them, and how long to take them for. And it’s probably safe to say that none of them has ever taken steroids without medical supervision.
However, even though there are strict guidelines regarding the use of steroids, many athletes still manage to cheat. According to the US National Institute of Health, up to 40 percent of male collegiate football players admitted to using steroids during their college careers. Even more shocking is the fact that steroid use is so widespread among athletes that the number of users may actually be higher than the 40 percent figure suggests.
If that wasn’t bad enough, it turns out that even non-athletes aren’t immune to steroid abuse. A study published in the journal Clinical Pediatrics found that almost 9 percent of adolescents reported having used prescription medications containing anabolic steroids. While there’s no way of knowing whether or not those kids were athletes, it’s likely that many of them were.
And because steroids are so easy to obtain, and athletes are so desperate to win, it’s no surprise that teenagers are getting into trouble with them. The same goes for people who work out in gyms and fitness centers. If you look around, you’re bound to see at least one person taking steroids.
Some of the signs that you might have a steroid user in your gym include:
- Muscular and/or well built physique.
- Lots of visible veins under the skin.
- Very fast recovery from workouts.
- Irritability and aggression towards other members of the gym
What Can Be Done To Stop Steroid Abuse?
Although many people believe that steroid abuse is inevitable, that’s far from true. There are things that can be done to reduce the number of athletes who abuse steroids, and eventually eliminate steroid abuse altogether. Here are three ways to go about doing that:
- Educate the Public
One thing that needs to be understood about steroids is that they should only be taken by qualified doctors. And since people tend to trust their doctors, it’s important for both doctors and athletes to educate the public about the dangers associated with steroid use.
When it comes to educating the public, the best way to do it is through education programs. By conducting seminars and workshops, doctors and athletes can tell people about the harmful effects of steroids and why they shouldn’t be abused. They can also explain what to look for if suspected of abusing steroids. For instance, if you suspect someone of using steroids, ask him or her to urinate into a cup. If the urine looks suspiciously yellow, then it’s a good idea to call the doctor immediately.
- Create Better Regulations
Another way of reducing steroid abuse is to create better regulations. Currently, it’s very difficult to tell when an athlete is using steroids, which makes it very hard to catch abusers. One solution to this problem is to make it easier for anti-doping agencies to test athletes.
Currently, testing is done randomly, meaning that athletes aren’t tested unless they’ve already made a mistake. However, it could be beneficial for athletes to undergo random testing throughout their careers. This would allow anti-doping organizations to find out when an athlete is using steroids and prevent them from making mistakes.
- Change How Sports Are Played
While it’s not fair to blame everyone for taking steroids, there are certain factors that need to be addressed when it comes to preventing steroid abuse.
For starters, it’s important to understand that if an athlete uses steroids, he or she won’t be able to perform at their peak level. That means that the games will be less interesting, and there will be fewer fans.
Therefore, the first step towards ending steroid abuse is to change how sports are played. Instead of focusing on winning, athletes should focus on playing clean and fair. This way, the public will be more interested in watching the games, and the athletes will have more incentive to compete fairly.
Conclusion
While there’s nothing that can be done to stop steroid abuse completely, it’s a start if the public becomes more aware of this problem. When people become educated about steroid abuse, they’ll demand safer sports, and hopefully, the sports world will follow suit.
