Performance Enhancing Drugs: Steroids

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Steroids: No Pain No Gain? The problems with performance enhancing drugs are that they give the user unfair advantages over other athletes and come with many health risks such as baldness. Steroid use can result in very substantial legal consequences and can ruin the user’s reputation. There are many alternatives to steroids but not all of them are safe. Different organizations have different rules on steroids, but in most cases, the user can get suspended, fined, or even both. Various types of steroids can have various short-term or long-term side effects. There are several types of steroids, the most popular ones being anabolic steroids. Historically, steroids have been around for many years, but the debate surrounding them started recently, more specifically a few decades ago. An important term to know is anabolic steroids which are made to work with the user’s muscle mass. Another term to know is clarified by Ida Walker, author of the book, Steroids: Pumped Up and Dangerous, published by Mason Crest Publishers in 2008, defines, peliosis hepatis is a rare condition in which cysts filled with blood form in the liver, if the cysts were to pop then internal bleeding would occur. A positive argument about steroids is stated by Adrianne Blue, author of the essay, “Performance Enhancing Drugs Should Be Legal,” published in the book Athletes and Drug Use, published in 2009, disputes, “Blue concludes that legalizing performance- enhancing drugs can protect athletes from dangerously abusing them.” The utilization of performance enhancing drugs has left a giant scar on sports and has compromised the achievements of many athletes; therefore, they are transforming the sports world into a drug filled world. Steroid use can result in very su... ... middle of paper ... ...g Drugs. Ed. James Haley. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2003. At Issue. Rpt. from "Drugs and Darwin Fuel Athletes." New Statesman (25 Sept. 1998). Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 31 Jan. 2014. Blue, Adrianne. “Performance Enhancing Drugs Should Be Legal.” Farmington Hills: New Statesma, Ltd., 2006. Print. Jost, Kenneth. "Performance-Enhancing Drugs: An Overview." Performance Enhancing Drugs. Ed. Louise Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. At Issue. Rpt. from "Sports and Drugs." CQ Researcher 14 (23 July 2004): 616-622. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 31 Jan. 2014. Marcovitz, Hal. How Serious a Problem Is Drug Use in Sports? San Diego: Reference Point Press, 2013. Print. Porterfield, Jason. Doping: Athletes and Drugs. New York: Rosen, 2008. Print. Walker, Ida. Steroids: Pumped Up and Dangerous. Philadelphia: Mason Crest Publishers, 2008. Print.

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