The Steroids Epidemic

What is the first thing that comes to mind when steroids are discussed? Is it positive? Negative? What comes to mind for me is the vision of an extremely large man with bulging muscles like we see in bodybuilding competitions. These types of images are becoming extremely commonplace in society today, and also increasingly disturbing considering just a few short years ago the ‘bodybuilder’s body’ was just a niche in the sports world. But what drove this movement? There is no way to possibly limit this phenomenon into one single cause, but rather I can hazard a guess as to what I believe may be at the root of this ideal change. America, since the time it was founded, has grown increasingly confident in itself. This mindset has been amplified over the years, and continues to this day.

While this change has helped the US in nearly all aspects of society, some would argue that it has gone too far. That is to say that the attitude of our country has gone from somewhat cocky or arrogant, to full-blown narcissistic. This is the main cause of this ideal change; where we have an over-inflated view of ourselves with disregard for others. Steroids affect Wellness and Social Responsibility in several ways: from the very direct to the more indirect. Directly would be things such as the health issues surrounding them, while more indirect ways would include things such as the increased aggression that steroid users exhibit while taking them. Steroids should be illegal in all forms, including personal use and professional use, save for legitimate medical purposes.

Steroids are, without a doubt, one of the most abused substances in the United States today, and they are also one of the most misunderstood. Many people are ignorant...

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...ses it can cause. Another of his claims is that steroids do not undermine the integrity of records (the MLB in particular). He tries to say that “by one estimate, Babe Ruth playing today’s ballparks would have hit 1,000 home runs, far beyond those hit by Barry Bonds” (Fost, 2009). To compare Barry Bonds and Babe Ruth is almost like trying to compare modern computers with the first supercomputer. They may be alike in many ways, but are fundamentally different.

Works Cited

NIDA InfoFacts: Steroids (Anabolic-Androgenic). (2009). Retrieved March 28, 2010 from National Institute on Drug Abuse: http://www.drugabuse.gov/infofacts/steroids.html.

Fost, N. (2009). SOLUTIONS/FOST: Handling pro athletes who use steroids. Retrieved March 28, 2010 from The Washington Times: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/18/ solutions-fost-professional-athletes-steroids/.