Anabolic Steroids: A Deadly Advantage

Anabolic Steroids: A Deadly Advantage

Asiah Lavina Loper
Melba High School

Anabolic Steroids: A Deadly Advantage

Abstract
When a high school baseball pitcher, 17 year old Taylor Hooton, took his life shortly after
discontinuing the use of anabolic steroids, this case was no surprise to authorities.
Often, these are professional athletes, whom are considerable role models, that rack up on
anabolic steroids(AAS) which are muscle building substances to improve their athletic ability.
Inevitably, when youth catch a glimpse of their favorite contender make great success with the
help of AAS, a negative message is conveyed; the bigger the better, be the best by any means of
getting there. To gain an understanding of why Hooton subjected himself to suicide in relation to
his use of steroids, I will breakdown what anabolic steroids are, how they affect the body and
mind, and what influences people to use steroids. Collectively, after my research, I regard the
practice of performance enhancing drugs as an unsportsmanlike and damaging way of reaching
success.

Anabolic Steroids: A Deadly Advantage

Anabolic Steroids: A Deadly Advantage

Introduction
From the beginning of sport, substances have been used to gain a competitive advantage.
In Ancient Greece, some of the earliest Olympians consumed sheep testicles, which they knew to
be a source of testosterone. In addition, these athletes consumed extracts from mushrooms and
plant seeds. Indicated above, were men who competed for cash prizes and olive wreaths, with a
mindset for winning. Later in Rome, gladiators doped to ease pain, and bear a warrior
appearance and strength. Although the use of performance enhancing drugs(PED) have been
practiced for many years, the side effects are incredibly harmful to an individuals body.
Anabolic steroids are man-made versions of male testosterone, developed in late 1930s.
Primarily, anabolic steroids are prescribed for men lacking testosterone causing factors such as
delayed puberty, infertility, less body hair, decreased bone mass,etc. The doctors prescribing the
anabolic steroids provide only the necessary dosage. When in recent history, anabolic steroids are
no longer bound to just medical use. An appetite for large doses of testosterone for the bigger,
faster, stronger ability causes harmful side effects and abuse.

Physical and Mental Effects

Anabolic Steroids: A Deadly Advantage

These performance enhancing drugs have the ability to drastically alter an individual's
body, inside and out. Steroid users commonly intake up to a hundred times the natural amount of
testosterone. The longer an individual intakes steroids, the more serious and dangerous side
effects are. In addition, many users are prone to infections due to contaminated needles, often
shared with other users. AAS are dangerous drugs and abuse leads to harmful health
consequences. Effects range from physically unattractive effects, like acne and breast
development to life threatening effects, heart attacks, for instance. Heart attacks are caused by
clogged arteries from increased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol). Only
after a couple years of steroid usage, even at a young age, a person is at risk of heart attack.

Figure 1: Mental and Physical Effects

Not only are people at risk physically, from practicing steroid use, but are at risk
mentally. One of the side effects of PEDs in the human body mentioned in the chart above is
mood swings. In regards to Taylor Hootons story, a boy who had many friends and loving
family, subjected himself to suicide shows this side effect to be legitimate. Steroids elevate mood
levels so much that the effects mimic the same feeling one experiences when on antidepressants.With the overload of testosterone, the brain sends signals telling the testis to stop

Anabolic Steroids: A Deadly Advantage

making the natural testosterone. When the testis shut down, the human body is overwhelmed
with stress. This causes the user to stop their practice of steroids. When a person stops taking
steroids, the individual experiences a condition, known as estrogen rebound. The longer the
person has been taking steroids, the more severe side effects are. During this phase or offcycle the male experiences a loss of euphoria that is typically replaced by deep depression, and
this factor alone is often enough to send the psychologically crippled individual scrambling back
to their steroid addiction(Occhipinti 1997).
Another issue, recognized as roid-rage, is a psychotic episode of aggression. With so
much testosterone intake, the body reacts as if the individual is invincible. A man by the name of
Chris Benoit shows how serious roid-rage is. Pro-wrestler, Benoit killed his wife and son, then
himself in their Georgia home. Investigators found high amounts of testosterone in his urine,
validating cause. Every person who uses steroids is at high risk of behavioral problems strongly
affecting those around.
Anabolic steroids are very addictive substances. You can tell if a person develops an
addiction to AAS by their distinctive behavior. A common behavioral trait is if a person spends a
lot of money and time, creating a routine of steroid practice, Stacking, cycling, and pyramiding
are three methods of steroid practice common to all abusers. Steroids are often abused in patterns
called "cycling," which involve taking multiple doses of steroids over a specific period of time,
stopping for a period, and starting again(Anabolic Steroid). Stacking is the practice of ingesting
more than one type of anabolic steroid in order to get greater results. Another method of steroid
abuse is referred to as "pyramiding." This is a process in which users slowly escalate steroid
abuse (increasing the number of steroids or the dose and frequency of one or more steroids used
at one time), reaching a peak amount at mid-cycle and gradually tapering the dose toward the

Anabolic Steroids: A Deadly Advantage

end of the cycle. Often, steroid abusers pyramid their doses in cycles of 6 to 12 weeks(Anabolic
Steroid).
Influence
If anabolic steroids are so harmful to the human body and mind, then why are people
drawn to using steroids? The two main reasons people undergo steroid practice is they way they
make an individual look/feel and most prevalently, athletic performance. Despite the serious
risks involved in steroids, many personnel are willing to risk the consequences and believe they
can reach success more effectively.
Steroids, are indeed, effective. Anabolic agents increase muscle size and reduce body fat,
allowing an individual to obtain a desirable appearance. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a great
example of influence in the fitness world. For years Schwarzenegger has influenced not only the
born gym-rats, but inspires people to get in shape whom never touched a dumbbell before.
Unfortunately, Arnold has his history of doping. Indefinitely, people look at that as the
secret ingredient to his succes. Some people get so infatuated with the looks of their physique
that develops destructive effects. As stated before, AAS are very addictive and some people
develop muscle dysmorphia. Muscle dysmorphia is a condition, frequent in both men and
women, making one think they possess a small body build when they are actually large in size.
Women often will believe they acquire too much body fat, when really they have a very small fat
percentage. Although it is typically assumed that eating disorders are a womens problem, men
today are becoming more and more dissatisfied with their bodies, contributing to the rise of
people with muscle dysmorphia(Bigorexia).
The use of anabolic steroids for athletic performance is the most common motive. The
anabolic substances are extremely effective. The potency of testosterone allows an athlete to

Anabolic Steroids: A Deadly Advantage

swing a bat harder and run faster. Taylor Hooton was looking for that extra edge that steroids
provide. A person who eats terrible and could be considered a couch-potato could outperform
an athlete who attains a healthy diet and trains tough for years. It is an obvious reason why many
turn to steroid use to gain advantage and do what their bodies could not achieve themselves
Highschool athletes are often influenced .
Unfortunately, with the influence of professional athletes, the rate of anabolic steroid use
in high school youth are becoming more frequent. In desperation to become the next best in
professional sports, it is not uncommon for the teen athletes to fall under pressure to take these
drugs.

Figure 2: Annual Prevalence of Use of Steroids

The chart above demonstrates the prevalence of use of steroids between eighth, tenth, and
twelfth graders. The twelfth grade students have a higher percentage of use mostly because of
their opportunity for college level athletics. As a result of competitiveness at college-level,
recruiters are looking for the fastest and strongest. High school athletes ignore the health risks in
order to get recognition. The pressure to thrive in high school athletes is increasing. No one wins

Anabolic Steroids: A Deadly Advantage

when a young athlete feels like he or she needs to resort to steroids in order to further their
athletic career(Steroid Use).
When athletes are abusing anabolic steroids to gain competitive advantage, the spirit of
sport is diminished. Ben Johnson won the 100m dash in the 1988 Summer Olympics. Lowering
the bar to 9.79 seconds, Johnson made all time history. Evidently, and later admitting to using a
form of anabolic steroids, he was disqualified for unfair advantage. After this remarkable race,
questions were raised about the level playing field in competition. The International Olympic
Committee and 625 sports organizations worldwide have adopted the World Anti Doping
Agencys (WADA) Code banning 192 performance enhancing substances(Position Statement).
Major League Baseball is known as the biggest steroid using sport. The chart below
illustrates a survey showing the large percentage of how steroids have impacted baseball.

Figure 3: Steroids and record breaking performances

Also, as one of the last sports to address steroid use amongst player, the consequences
getting caught taking these drugs are not very detrimental to the player. Often, players will only
be dismissed from a couple playing games. At most, the athlete is laid off for the season. For this,
many believe taking steroids until caught, is worth it in the long run.

Anabolic Steroids: A Deadly Advantage

Opposing arguments believe that performance enhancing drugs, should be legal in

competition; for the reason of heightened performance and ability. Though the short term use of
performance enhancing drugs give an athlete great advantage, not only diminishing the value of
sportsmanship, but are causing harm to the users. In conclusion, although anti-doping policies
and testing have been implemented through professional athletics, awareness of health risks
should be a priority to educate youth of the harmful consequences. The practice Performance
enhancing drugs is an unsportsmanlike and damaging way of reaching success.

References
Anabolic Steroid Abuse. (n.d.). Retrieved December 4, 2014, from
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/anabolic-steroid-abuse/how-areanabolic-steroids-abused
Bigorexia:How Big Is Big Enough? (2012, September 17). Retrieved December 4, 2014.
http://casapalmera.com/bigorexiamuscle-dysmorphia/

Anabolic Steroids: A Deadly Advantage

10

From Ben Johnson to Barry Bonds: Sports' Steroid Scandal Continues. (n.d.). Retrieved
December 4, 2014, from http://bleacherreport.com/articles/381072-from-ben-johnson-to-barrybonds-sports-steroid-scandal-continues
Gallery For Anorexia Nervosa Diagram. (n.d.). Retrieved December 4, 2014, from
http://imgarcade.com/1/anorexia-nervosa-diagram/
Position Statement. (2012, September 1). Retrieved December 4, 2014, from
http://www.aaos.org/about/papers/position/1102.asp
Steroid Use Among High School Athletes - Global Sports Development. (21, January 1).
Retrieved December 4, 2014, from http://globalsportsdevelopment.org/steroid-use-among-highschool-athletes/