How to stop steroids, By: Chris Ziesat

7/19/07

The youth of America have always been easily influenced by the media. Children and teenagers often feel compelled to buy clothing, music or even drugs after watching a new movie or music video. Clothing may be expensive and inappropriate in the eyes of parents, but no article of clothing ever hurt a child or teenager the way drugs have hurt them. Drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy, methamphetamines and heroin have obvious and well documented negative effects on the mind and body, and almost everyone has heard about these effects in some way or another during their youth. Though teenagers know that rock and rap stars who use drugs are not examples of healthy people, athletes present an entirely different set of messages to young people.

Professional athletes make up the most well-conditioned and physically fine-tuned group on the planet. When elite athletes get caught using steroids to enhance their athletic performance, many young people get the impression that steroids are required to build and maintain a well-conditioned and finely-tuned physique. Though most Americans disapprove of steroid use and condemn athletes who have tested positive for steroids, there remain others who argue that steroids can be used safely. Some supporters suggest steroids make sports more spectacular and entertaining to watch for the general public, and that the negative effects of steroids are minimal if the user is properly educated on steroid use. Steroid users often try to argue that there are far fewer steroid-related deaths than alcohol- or cigarette-related deaths each year. Why then, they argue, are cigarettes and alcohol not illegal?

Cigarette- and alcohol-related deaths are a huge problem in the United States, but this in no way justifies steroid use. Steroids are appropriately used in medical situations to repair damaged tissue or to increase muscle mass for profoundly ill people. Most any other use is completely unnecessary and often dangerous. Many athletes are usually fooled into believing that steroids are safe, even though unavoidable longterm effects can lead to heart problems, hormonal abnormalities and even death. Many bodybuilders have had health problems or have died because of their steroid usage.

Steroids are obviously potentially dangerous substances for adults, but they have far more catastrophic effects for people under the age of 25. Steroids can cause growth plates to form over prematurely and stunt a teenager's growth. Once a teenage user has ended a cycle of steroids, they can often experience profound depression. The human body is already naturally at its most anabolic state between the ages of 14 and 24. Steroid use during this period is, therefore, unnecessary and dangerous.

The creators of the World's Strongest Man contest recently stated that they would be using the University of Maryland campus as a test run for a new series of College's Strongest Man contests. This means many athletes between the ages of 18 and 22 will be training to win such a contest and to be recognized as the strongest man in the college world. One can only assume that some athletes may choose to use illegal anabolic to gain an edge on the competition. After all, many athletes in the World Strongest Man competition have undoubtedly used steroids. Young athletes may feel they need to emulate such elite strongmen if they are going to have a chance to win.

By now one might be wondering what possible solutions there are to keep steroids out of sports and out of the hands of young athletes. Drug testing is unfortunately expensive, but it is also effective. Leagues and organizations must make frequent drug testing mandatory so athletes know that they could and will be tested at any point during the season or year if they wish to play or compete in their organization or federation. Furthermore, the U.S. Government should put pressure on various organizations to conduct such drug tests. There will probably always be some people who will be able to get away with steroid use even with drug tests, but steroid use would certainly decrease with increased random and mandatory drug testing.