steroid abuse

Essay by cdemania27College, UndergraduateA+, October 2014

download word file, 6 pages 0.0

Super Human with Super Side Effects: Anabolic Steroids

A major problem in today's society is the use and abuse of anabolic steroids. Anabolic steroids are becoming more available and more abused each year. Athletes ranging from professional football and baseball players to high school athletes are now abusing these drugs. The appeal of steroid use stems from the belief that their effects will give athletes an edge on the competition. These drugs allow users to gain muscle faster and at a much larger scale than the average human; allowing them to become bigger, faster and stronger than the rest of their opponents but at what cost to their health? As the user continues to take the steroids, it becomes detrimental to their health. The side effects start small but increase rapidly and many stay for life. Steroids affect the body in three main ways: mentally, physically and emotionally. Using steroids can cause any number of problems to each of those.

They affect both females and males in different ways. They turn men more aggressive and also cause them to lose their hair. In females steroids deepen their voice and cause facial hair to be grown. Steroids also cause emotional distress because it distorts hormone balances in the body (NIDA). Anabolic steroids can be tracked all the way back to the early 1930s. Scientists found a way to create the hormone testosterone synthetically. It was originally used for men who didn't produce enough testosterone for normal growth. The next major use of the steroids was by the German soldiers in World War Two. They used them to help soldiers gain weight and improve battle performance. After the war, many Olympic athletes started using the steroids and they grew in popularity throughout the world. These drugs were banned by the International Olympic...