The Use of Anabolic Steroids in Society Today
The use of steroids in our society today is very common, that is with prescription. But that is not the kind of steroids I am talking about, I am talking about Anabolic Steroids. Anabolic steroids are a very sensitive issue in the world of sports today. Even though the side effects are life threatening, men and woman alike continue to submit their bodies to this illegal drug.
Anabolic steroids can weaken the body’s defenses against viral infections and cancers, even at doses much smaller than those used by cheating athletes. If they are weakened, viral diseases and tumors may find it easier to take hold in the body, potentially placing those who take steroids for prolonged periods at risk. Athletes have used these drugs for a long time, “Dr. Weatherby said, But now for the first time we were able to show that androgenic anabolic steroids have a seriously detrimental effect on a specific part of the immune system.” Steroids have the ability too help you gain muscle and/or body fat. “There was a young man in high-school named Chris Wash who managed to go from a fatty 180 pounds to a big and bulky 230 pounds with shoulders so big he could barely put on his backpack” (Alder). The fact that the athletes who use steroid’s put their career on the line for a better and stronger body with a drug is wrong. Steroids are organic compounds, they are natural or fatty substances that contain four fused rings.
If someone guaranteed you amazing results in the weight room with minimal effort by just taking a pill would you take it? You probably would! But, if you knew that these pills could potentially knock 20 years off your life. Would you take it then? You would be suprised to find out how many people would answer yes to that question. In the past three decades, steroids have become a serious problem, more than ever in the athletic field. It is reported that over 3 million athletes and bodybuilders alone have used anabolic steroids . Steroids are a drug that include the male sex hormones, principally, testosterone and estrogen, the female sex hormone. To begin quite simply, it is apparent to most people that men tend to be larger than women. Indeed, a clear cut example of a difference between the sexes is the relative muscle mass. In men the most important growth builder is testosterone, which is made from the cells of the testes. Approximately 8 mg of testosterone is created daily, most of which is metabolized by the liver and excreted through the body in urine form. Testosterone is also present in the blood plasma of women, being derived from the ovaries and adrenal glands, in amounts roughly 30 times less than that found in men. Among the many effects of these androgens is the general growth on the body tissues and an increase in muscle strength. One of the main effects of anabolic steroids is to increase the number of red blood cells and muscle tissue without producing much of the androgenic effects of testosterone.
People use steroids for many reasons. Some are to increase muscle mass, increase strength, increase endurance, increase recovery rate, heighten aggression, improve performance in sports, improve performance on the job, increase muscle definition and leanness, to maintain appearance with age, and enhanced appearance. Different types of people use steroids. Athletes make up the largest group. These now include an increased number of amateur athletes. Aesthetes make the next group. These are male and female models that use drugs for cosmetic reasons. Third, "there are individuals who work in places where fighting is common. Such as police officers, bouncers, and prison guar...
Anabolic steroids are a class of natural and synthetic hormones that promote cell growth and division, resulting in growth of muscle tissue and sometimes bone size and strength. The best known natural anabolic steroid is testosterone, which is contained in many of the steroids throughout the world. These steroids have two kinds of effects on the body, anabolic and physical effects. Some examples of anabolic effects include increased amino acid incorporation into protein synthesis, increased muscle mass and strength, increased appetite, increased bone remodeling and growth, and they also stimulate bone marrow which results in increased production of red blood cells. Various examples of the physical effects are growth of a child’s penis or clitoris (although an adult’s penis may not grow larger, increased growth of pubic, chest, facial, arm, and leg hair, enlargement of the vocal cord resulting in the deepening of the voice, additional sex drive, suppression of endogenous sex hormones, impaired spermatogenesis, accelerated bone maturation in children, and the chance that males who use steroids will develop breasts (Anabolic Steroids-Definition).
Steroids are something every single person has. All they are is hormones your body produces. Some peoples bodies produce more than others. When you hear of people taking steroids they are overwhelming their body with the drug. Steroids are usually taken for building muscle or to “get huge”. A lot of people don’t know they do a lot of harm to your body, and on top of that they are cheating. Steroids can cause severe acne, weaken tendons, or even cause osteoporosis. Steroids don’t sound that appealing anymore do they?
Anabolic steroids are the quickest known way for male athletes to improve their bodies and excel in sports, but not necessarily the safest. The Encyclopedia of Drugs and Alcohol defines anabolic steroids as "the synthetic versions of the naturally occurring male sex hormone testosterone; they are properly called anabolic-androgen steroids because they have both body building (anabolic) and masculinizing (androgenic) effects." Anabolic steroids have been around for many years, dating back to the 1930's, where they were primarily used to treat hypogonadism, a condition in which the testicles do not produce enough testosterone for normal growth, development, and sexual functioning. Shortly after their discovery, people began abusing them. In World War II for example, German troops were given anabolic steroids to improve muscle strength as well as increasing aggressiveness to fight at war (Wadler and Hainline). The first abuse of steroids in sports did not occur until the 1950's, when Russian athletes began taking steroids to increase weight and strength. The Russians use of anabolic steroids led to the development of anabolic steroids in the United States. Steroids have come a long way since then. They now serve an important role in assisting patients with many medical conditions. They are often given to patients with abnormally low amounts of testosterone, such as delayed puberty and some types of impotence, as well as treating people with AIDS and other diseases that waste away their bodies (NIDA). In the United States anabolic steroids are available legally, but they require a prescription.
Steroids
Testosterone was often referred to as the "male hormone", It is responsible for the development of the male characteristics such as lowering of the voice, hair growth, and because the male body produces much more of it than the female. However, it is responsible for stimulating quite a few other processes. Steroids are a very large class of compounds, which occur in all animalsalso. The steroids used by athletes are mostly androgenic steroids: steroids, which act like testosterone. These steroids are used to treat inflammatory disorders such as cortico steroids, which do not have anabolic effects.
Steroids: A Growing Role in Society
Dear Mr.:
Here is my research project on steroids and its effect on society. While conducting my research I have learned that steroids are becoming a serious and dangerous problem in society. I believe that my research project would be a good reference for anyone interested in the science and culture of steroids in America.
Some of the topics I covered in my project are topics that have for the most part been ignored by most scholarly works on steroids.
“Steroids are any type of a large group of fat-soluble organic compounds, as the sterols, bile acids, and sex hormones most of which have specific physiological action” (Dictionary.com). When our bodies are still developing, the effects of steroids can be dangerous and can also be permanent (“Above”). Steroids are made out of substances such as nandrolone, stanozolol, testosterone, fluoxymestrone, and oxandrolone. Sometimes people say when you can’t pronounce something, you probably shouldn’t use it. In the 1940’s testosterone began to be widely used in competitive sports, but the dangers of loading up on testosterone were not yet clear (“History”). Instead of using steroids for a bad reason, there is a medicinal purpose. Cortisteroids can treat arthritis, asthma, lupus and multiple sclerosis, eczema and rashes, and some types of cancer (“Steroids: Medline”). Also, steroids can be used to treat anemia, to improve weight loss due to severe illness, and to treat osteoporosis. Steroids can only be sold to you by a pharmacist f...