Steroids have for years been associated with cheating. Though long ago it was common practice for athletes and bodybuilders to use them in order to have an edge in order to become the best, that perception has fallen away along with the careers of many famous athletes. Today the negative connotation associated with using steroids is stronger than ever before. The most recent scandal involved the allegations that world famous cyclist Lance Armstrong, a seven time consecutive winner of the Tour de France, used performance-enhancing drugs. Armstrong later admitted to using them and was promptly banned from participating in cycling events as well as stripped of his awards.
Abuse of drugs has not however been limited to the professional athletic world. According to research conducted by Dr. Philip Veliz, Dr. Carol Boyd, and Dr. Sean Esteban McCabe, there has been a connection discovered between the abuse of ADHD medication and male athletes in high school. Beyond sports, there has been a recent development that is becoming a cause for concern in high school and college classrooms. More and more students have admitted to abusing the drug Adderall. They have turned to it in the hope of improving focus, helping their memory during study sessions, and increase performance on exams. This is an issue that is demanding a solution.
As with steroids among athletes, students who are found to be abusing Adderall are to face similar severe consequences. The education process is not meant to be a challenge to cause students to turn to drugs to allow them to perform better. In order to find the appropriate response to this new form of cheating, it is important to understand the drug itself including who it is meant for and the effects that it has ...
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...lready scholars such as Ms. Stefanie Stolz who are actively thinking of ways to find a solution to this issue. There is always an opportunity for change, and any progress that does occur will be noted as a step in the right direction.
Works Cited
Fitzgerald, Kevin T., & Bronstein, Alvin C. (2013). Adderall ® (Amphetamine-Destroamphetamine) Toxicity. Topics in Companion Animal Medicine, 28(1), 2-7.
Rigney, Erinn L. (2012). Doctor’s orders: a new prescription for ADHD medication abuse. Notre Dame Law Review, 88(2), 1033.
Stolz, Stefanie. (2012). Adderall Abuse: Regulating the Academic Steroid. Journal of Law & Education, 41(3), 585-592.
Veliz, Philip, Boyd, Carol, & McCabe, Sean E. (2013). Adolescent Athletic Participation and Nonmedical Adderall Use: An Exploratory Analysis of a Performance-Enhancing Drug. Journal Of Studies On Alcohol And Drugs, 74(5), 714-719.
Taylor, Hopkins. Substance abuse issues to Offending Athletes. Miami: Beachwood Press, pages 35-37. 2009. Print.
Many athletes use steroids to become stronger and improve their ability to play their sport. Certain players believe there is nothing wrong with using steroids. Athletes who excel greatly would normally be chosen to be in the Hall of Fame, but if using steroids, they should not be allowed. Steroids have many effects on people. Baseball players are big influences on children and teenagers, which could cause even more steroid use because of major league baseball players.
“We, the Public, Place the Best Athletes on Pedestals” by William Moller and “Cheating and CHEATING” by Joe Posnanski are both articles that mention the use of steroids in the world of sports today. In “We, the Public, Place the Best Athletes on Pedestals” William Moller writes an article on the reasons why professional athletes take steroids. He starts off with a “personal story” to help support the reason as to why athletes take steroids. He started off by telling us when he was in high school he really needed to do well. And always wanted to try and go above and beyond. Because he wanted to do so well in school he made a really big decision and took class 3 drugs so he could stay awake. This is a type of steroid; he thought that taking the drug was a lot better than failing a test. Moller then goes on to saying that the only reason that athletes take steroids is because of
Tired and overworked students will try anything to get that extra edge to stay up all night and study. Students, specifically college students, find solace in a little pill called Adderall. Adderall is a drug used for treatment and control of neurological disorders that affect adults and kids, specifically those with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. Formerly known as Obetrol, it was first approved on February 21st, 1996 by the FDA and was in the warehouses by March 11th, 1996. However, Adderall was used as a substitute to caffeine, speed, or to even reach a natural high by students at high pressure college and prep schools before it was a drug known to aid people with ADHD (Kent 2013).
Marcovitz, Hal. How Serious a Problem Is Drug Use in Sports? San Diego: Reference Point Press, 2013. Print.
But Brown is not part of this 3-5% of the population. For Brown and others without the disorder, ADHD medications increase dopamine levels in the brain, giving the user a sense of euphoria similar to cocaine. Students at Northeastern University as well as other campuses are consuming these drugs for better academic performance and a cheap high on the college party scene. Students are taking Ritalin, Addrall, and the newest drug on the market, Conserta, either orally or crushing and snorting them to study, party, or lose weight. In some cases, kids are melting them down and shooting them up. According to Northeastern students, the drugs are very cheap and very accessible.
Amphetamines produce feelings of euphoria, relieve fatigue, improve performance, increase activity, and suppress appetite. Euphoric effects associated with the use of amphetamines, increase potential for abuse. Consequently, prolonged use of amphetamines may lead to drug dependence and tolerance. Desired effects are only achieved by increasing to higher doses of amphetamine, which can result in an acute overdose. Seizures, hypertension, tachycardia, hyperthermia, psychosis, hallucinations, stroke, or death can be experienced. Additional reports revealed that those who abuse amphetamines were significantly more likely to report using a greater number of illicit substances including nicotine, marijuana, cocaine, hallucinogens, and opiates.
Obtaining an ADHD prescription medication depends on a variety of factors. A consumer must have access to a provider with prescribing privileges and must be able to obtain any test necessary to determine the need for or appropr...
According to Benedict Carey, taking pills to enhance performance in academia is flourishing. Throughout his argument he talks about how individuals are using pills such as Adderall or Provigil to help boost one’s abilities. In his perspective he sees taking stimulants as a horrendous problem within the academic field. The problem with his argument is he is not staying open minded; he stayed in a complete narrow mindset weakening his argument against pills being taken to improve academic success.
ADHD is an exceedingly real diagnosis for many children in the United States. Are we over diagnosing our little ones just to keep from dealing with unpleasant behavior? “ On average 1 of every 10 to 15 children in the United States has been diagnosed with the disorder, and 1 in every 20 to 25 uses a stimulant medication” (Mayes, Bagwell, & Erkulwater, 2008). Several believe that virtually all ADHD diagnoses are retractable with appropriate discipline of children instead of being so hasty in medicating them. The material found on the CDC website describes facts about ADHD, it clarifies the signs, symptoms, types, causes, diagnosis tools, and treatment forms of ADHD. What the article neglects to go into is the reality that there is a considerable amount of controversy surrounding ADHD. The CDCs usage of ethos, pathos, and logos and by what method the website manipulates them to affect the reader will be the basis of this paper.
According a study conducted by the University of Michigan, 7.4 percent of seniors in high school have abused Adderall last year. [“Adderall Abuse Increases Among High School Students”] In addition, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that full time college students (ages eighteen to twenty-two) are twice as likely to abuse the drug [“Adderall Addiction: Students Misuse Drug to Gain Boost While Studying.”]. Why is Adderall so popular among adolescents and young students? Although some adolescents use the drug in order to feel the hyperactive “speed” effect, many more use it in order to focus on their academic pursuits. Students often take Adderall studying and/or before taking finals, SATs, ACTs, projects, and other stressful school work so they can help ensure higher grades and maintain a high GPA. Not only does it help these students to concentrate on their content, but the stimulant property of the drug helps to keep the student awake during all-night cram sessions or long back-to-back finals. Another contribution to the popular...
Steroids are being used more commonly today in normal people's lives. They are also being used so athletes can become stronger, but they have many consequences that follow the advantages. 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.
Kayser, Bengt, Alexandre Mauron, and Andy Miah. "Viewpoint Legalisation of Performance-enhancing Drugs." The Lancet. The Lancet, Dec. 2005. Web. 6 Jan. 2014.
revealed that participation in sports reduced the risk of overall illicit drug use, but particularly during high school; suggesting that this may be a critical period to reduce or prevent the use of drugs through sport.” (Addictive Behaviors.) Being involved helps teens take responsibility and a sense of pride in their activity. Therefore to avoid disappointment and failure adolescents will avoid substances known to have a negative correlation on the activity. One of the items that they may deem harmful includes alcohol since it affects awareness and reaction time. Serious athletes will know to stay away to help maintain their edge and level of fitness. Certainly, participation in extracurricular activities or simply belonging can help decrease teen drinking.
The major issues associated with drug use and abuse in professional sports. The reason why athletes may take drugs and means of primary prevention is addressed. The belief that athletes take drugs because they have not developed effective intra- and interpersonal skills to cope constructively with the pressures exerted by management, media, and fans. A broad-based program of primary prevention is offered that attempts to circumvent the most significant causes of drug abuse. Drug education that provide honest, straightforward information about the benefits and detriments of various drugs. Drug use is not believed to be controlled by purely rational decision-making, emotional education modeled after the scared straight programs with juvenile delinquents would be used to reach young athletes at the gut level. The general life skills would be taught as a means of providing the athletes with ways of constructively handling the pressure. A supportive environment would help develop and assist the athletes in coping with their lifestyle and the associated difficulties.