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The two words Anabolic steroids are one of the most loved but also hated subject in the bodybuilding industry. Steroids obviously have more cons than pros when it comes to this drug enhancement but how many of the dedicated “Gym Bros” are willing to start injecting or taking pills to increase their size and strength? The numbers are substantial, in my small populated hometown alone the 25-35 dedicated males that worked out in the gym about 8-12 of them were using some sort of performance-enhancing drug. Being able to witness what they looked like before they started the drug into them being halfway through the cycle and then the crash and burn once they come off the cycle. The change in the body is quite intriguing. The definition of Anabolic When I was home on the weekend I decided to ask my friends why they hoped on steroids and I received various answers. But before I bring up the discussion that I had with them there should be some insight about natural bodybuilding before understanding the answers of steroid users. So, for a natural bodybuilder a male can put on about 12-15 pounds of muscle in the first year of working out. Then going through weightlifting in a person’s second, third, and fourth year the muscle weight starts decreasing because your body gets used to the weight being lifted. Also, becoming stronger in the gym wanting your Bench, squats, and deadlifts to increase takes a long time for the natural lifter. So, overall Natural bodybuilding is a long and hard process that takes a good amount of time. The discussion that I had with my friends that are on steroids they talked about how much they love being on it. The first month of injecting steroids they all put on around 10-15 pounds of muscle in the first month alone. Their strength increased by 20 percent in their first month of starting their cycle. They also said how alive they feel and that they are never tired throughout the day. My one friend said and I quote “I feel like superman when I am on it, my muscles are always pumped, my strength has gone through the roof, and I am always ready to take on the day without feeling sleepy.” This is the reason so many average males decide to take steroids rather than do it naturally, it’s very rewarding with the whole quick increase in muscle and strength but they never think about what happens once they come off
The first case of performance enhancing drugs in sports came before the discovery of anabolic steroids and is believed to be that of a British road bicycle racer named Arthur Linton. At the age of twenty four, he died during a race between Bordeaux and Paris in 1886. Controversy then soon arose when he was believed to have taken a stimulant called trimethyl at the time of his death.
history of sports, the Black Sox scandal is the most infamous in all of sports history. The Pete Rose
For Chris Bell and his two brothers, nicknamed Smelly and Mad Dog, who grew up with not so ideal bodies, mega-men like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hulk Hogan, and Sylvester Stallone were heroes. The Bells wanted the enormous, muscular physiques that they saw in these guys and in the muscle and fitness magazines, and would stop at nothing to reach that goal. This dream of having a larger than life strength and muscle mass however, eventually led the brothers to make a decision: whether to use steroids or not (Bell). When it comes to the issue of steroid use in today’s society, most people will initially think about its use in sports, recalling large controversies over the drugs like the cases of major leaguers Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire. Not as well known; however, is the recreational use of steroids, outside of the realm of organized sports. This faction of steroid use is much harder to define. It is much easier to see why a professional athlete would want to use steroids: for the money, glory, and fame, etc, but why people in gyms and health clubs across the country are “juicing up” is not as clear. Recreational steroid users often argue that the benefits outweigh the negative aspects of steroids, and that taking steroids is “just as American as apple pie,” but many doctors, experts, politicians, and other people disagree. So how widespread is the use of steroids in gyms across the country? And what makes people go to such drastic measures to achieve the physique they desire despite the health and legality risks?
Steroids are used daily in America in body building, medicine, and food production. There are three main types of steroids, Corticosteroids, Anabolic steroids, and hormone steroids. Corticosteroids are the kind of steroids doctors prescribe to patients when they are sick or have some kind of medical issue. These steroids reduce overactive immune responses and reduce swelling. Anabolic steroids are used for building muscle. They also contain a lot of testosterone. Testosterone is naturally produced by one's body but too much can cause a vast variety of problems. Hormone steroids are the steroids people put in animals (DeNoon).
In many males that take steroids have had an assumption that their penis has shrunk in size, but in actuality it isn’t the penis that shrinks, its the testicles, this is due to a dramatic decrease in sperm count which can obviously lead to a man being infertile. With all the many cons related to the drug, there are certain ways that can help people get stronger. There are supplements that you can purchase online at fitness websites that are a form of anabolic steroids, the only way they are legal is the amount of dosage that is in each pill. Also, many doctors and pediatricians use steroids for babies that may be undersized at birth to get them back to where they need to be with size, weight, etc. They frown upon the use of this drug cause they say it gives people an edge in sports but if they were in those people 's shoes they would understand that for how much coaches expect them to be all star athletes and put in the time day in and day out that taking those steroids makes it easier. It 's not the same as it was back in the 80s back in the day they took extreme amounts that made them look like greek
The use of steroids in our society today is very common, that is with prescription. But that is not the kind of steroids I am talking about, I am talking about Anabolic Steroids. Anabolic steroids are a very sensitive issue in the world of sports today. Even though the side effects are life threatening, men and woman alike continue to submit their bodies to this illegal drug. Anabolic steroids are taken either through pills or injected directly into the blood stream with a needle. In 1994, 1,084,000 Americans, or 0.5 percent of the adult population, said that they had use anabolic steroids, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. Under Federal Law it is illegal to possess or distribute anabolic steroids for nonmedical uses. However, heavy demand has generated a black market with estimated sales of up to $400 million a year, according to a NIDA Research Report, Anabolic Steroids: A Threat to Body and Mind (NIDA July/August1997).
"Anabolic steroids is the familiar name for synthetic substances related to the male sex hormones (e.g., testosterone). They promote the growth of skeletal muscle (anabolic effects) and the development of male sexual characteristics (androgenic effects) in both males and females”(National Institute on Drug Base).First, the benefits of steroids are very obvious to see. The user gains strength, mass, and speed in a short amount of time. Also, the user has a more aggressive attitude, which is good for football players. However, there are more bad side effects than good. The side effects include hair loss, acne, liver damage, kidney damage, increased breast tissue and becoming very aggressive. These are just some of the horrible bad side effects by using steroids.
One of the biggest misconceptions about steroids is that it is a magic pill. A magic pill that will transform a 130 pound weakling into the hulk in a month. Steroids alone do not make muscles grow. They only aid in muscle growth. Steroids basically speed up muscle repair and slow down the body's natural tendency to break down muscle. Popular media has insinuated to the public about horror stories and the dangers. If they are so dangerous then why do doctors prescribe them? Why do pharmacies all over the planet still make them and sell them?
You’ve all seen them, the enormously large muscle-heads at the gym, the participates of the World’s Strongest Man Competition, the amazing offensive tackles, and the lightning fast runners. They were all unnaturally strong, and looked like gods. You tend to obsess over how beautiful their bodies are, how strong they are, or how fast they can run. All you can think about is reaching that level of athletic excellence, and nothing will hold you back. At times like these some people tend to take the quick fit to get closer to their idols, in the form of steroids. But what individuals tend not see is the horrible side effects that accompany the use of these anabolic steroids. These powerful drugs have both positive and negative results from their use. Along with increased strength and size, users of steroids suffer from a wide range of sicknesses such as cancer, shrinkage of testicles, bad acne, hair loss, damage organs, intense mood swings, and impotence.
...s of steroids is enhanced arousal and sexual performance. This clearly has a lot of appeal for those with a decreased sex drive or the elderly population. Though it can be distracting to be feeling aroused at inappropriate times it is still a huge positive for a great deal of people. So after learning all the positive effects of steroids, is it worth taking them? Who wouldn't want to take something that makes them run, jump, have sex and even stronger. Well in order to answer that we need to look at the negative effects of steroids.
While the effects of steroids can seem desirable at first, there are serious side effects. Excessive use can cause a harmful imbalance in the body's normal hormonal balance and body chemistry. Heart attacks, water retention leading to high blood pressure and stroke, and liver and kidney tumors all are possible. Young people may develop and a halting of bone growth. Males may experience shrinking testicles, falling sperm counts, and enlarged prostates. Women frequently show signs of masculinity and may be at higher risk for certain types of and the possibility of birth defects in their children. The psychological effects of steroid use are also alarming: drastic mood swings, inability to sleep, and feelings of hostility. Steroids may also be psychologically addictive. Once started, users, particularly athletes, enjoy the physical "benefits" of increased size, strength, and endurance so much that they are reluctant to stop even when told about the risks. Major athletic competitions, including the Olympics, routinely screen athletes to prevent steroid use.
Some of the ill effects of the drugs are damage to the kidneys and liver. A person can also alter the balance of the natural hormones. This can cause detrimental affects to the body. The effects of you natural hormones being out of balance can last several years after being off the drugs. Some male user form breasts due to the use of steroids. Because of the increase in testosterone, steroids can cause serious acne problems. When used by teens is can cause stunted growth. Other side effects include genital changes, water retention, yellow eyes, coronary artery disease, ligament injuries, high blood pressure, changes in cholesterol levels, sterility and liver disease. The list goes on and on. Women that use steroids run the risk of male pattern baldness. Some effects of steroids are even worse. Some people fall into comas after injecting the drugs, some may even die from the injections (Kalawalski 13-15).
Every year high school, college, and professional athletes try to get just ?a little bigger,??a little stronger,? and to increase the amount of weights they lift by, ?just a few pounds.? To achieve these goals athletes often turn to anabolic steroids to aid them in achieving their goals. Anabolic steroids are a quick, but dangerous way to increase muscle mass, and they can carry many risks including some life threatening side affects. Years after taking steroids athletes can live to have serious heart problems, sterility, or possibly not even live, all because of foolish decisions they made in the past. These potentially fatal drugs are not widely known by young athletes at all, because they don?t know about the risks that can go along with them. In school, every student is taught about marijuana, cocaine,heroin, sex, liquor, and all those other health risks, but they?re never taught about ?roids? or ?juice.? (slang words for steroids) That should be changed, because it is known that student athletes often use steroids, not knowing the risks. Many times they take the risk because they hear about professional athletes taking steroids. But, despite their widespread use in sports, steroids can have more negative than positive effects on athletes of all types. Steroids are chemical substances that can be made naturally by the body or produced synthetically. There are many different types of steroids that are used for different things other than just athletes enhancing muscles. For example, there are types of steroids that can be used by women as birth control pills, and other types that are used for menopause treatment. The abuse of steroids is almost always found to be in the case of athletes, and that is the focus of this paper. ?All anabolic steroids are synthetic compounds whose molecular structure is similar to that of the natural male sex hormone testosterone. Testosterone affects development of the male body in two important ways: it has an anabolic effect - increases growth, especially of muscular and skeletal tissue - And an androgenic effect - increased development of male sexual characteristics. Anabolic steroids are constructed stythetically in such a way that they maximize the anabolic effect of testosterone while minimizing the androgenic effect.? The way that steroids work can easily be interpreted by a foo...
My issue over the concern of athletes have been struggling with the usage of steroids has widely spread among athletes and others; not only do steroids give an athlete a hard times but it’s also an unfair advantage to the other athletes and what they’ve accomplish. “Besides making muscles bigger, anabolic steroids may help athletes recover from a hard workout more quickly by reducing the amount of muscle damage during the session” (“Steroids in Sports”,2005). Now a days steroids are everywhere as an athlete. Many males and female young athletes preferably take it because they want to look and feel good when it comes to impressing someone and trying to become someone they look forward too. Young teens and adults try to cheat themselves in the career of their dreams. When it comes to a sport, teen athletes are not aware of what type of consequences may happen to them at the time. It may come to the time where it’s too late to take care of. In other cases, some athletes may like feeling the aggressive they get when they take drugs such as steroids. Athletes shouldn’t take steroids as the harmful health effects of the anabolic steroid in population wise. Many people have had their lives ruined by the use of illegal steroids and yet the desired effects are overwhelming that people tend to forget about the results and consequences that may effect. Athletes on steroids believe taking steroids will enhance their performance, strength, and size without having to put necessary work. These benefits, however, are associated with much short-term and long term risk.
Most people believe that steroids are a false measurement of an athletes ability, and others believe that steroids are good because athletes can become stronger and make their sports more exciting to watch. This is a very important issue today because athletes today are using steroids to gain an unfair advantage over the other athletes. Steroids can have many health effects on your body. Many doctors say not to use steroids because of the possible long-term effects. A source from a reputable website says, “It is speculated that possible long-term effects may include adverse cardiovascular effects such as heart damage and stroke” (“Steroid Abuse in Today’s Society”).