Anabolic steroids are used by athletes to enhance performance, but their use has spread to schoolyards across the US. The drug can cause severe health problems, including cardiovascular disease, tumors, stunted growth, and psychological effects. It can also lead to infertility and physical disfigurement. Parents, educators, and sports institutions should educate adolescents about the dangers of steroid use.
Over the years, the illegal use of anabolic steroids to enhance sports performance has made headlines around the world. Anabolic steroids are artificially produced variants of the male hormone called testosterone. Many professional athletes claim that this substance helps build their endurance, making them much faster, stronger and bigger than before. Unfortunately, these beliefs have extended beyond the professional sports arena to schoolyards across the United States.
According to the 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 4.8 percent of all high school students surveyed reported using steroid injections or pills without a prescription. Additionally, the 2005 Monitoring the Future Study (MFS), conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), added that between 18% and 40% of eighth, tenth, and twelfth grade students said these drugs they were “fairly easy” or “very easy” to obtain. Parents and educators are concerned about the easy availability and subsequent use of this drug by teenagers who simply wish to emulate their athletic idols without realizing the consequences of their use.
When injected into muscles, taken orally, or rubbed into the skin via gels or creams, this drug has the following effects:
General health conditions
Severe acne: Changes in hormone levels cause the glands in the skin to produce more sebum, an oily substance that protects and prevents the skin from drying out.
Jaundice: Steroids affect liver function, causing gradual yellowing of the skin.
Cardiovascular or heart disease: Their use increases bad cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and simultaneously decreases good cholesterol or high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in the body.
Tumors: Benign and malignant (cancerous) tumors form in the liver and kidneys.
Stunted growth: bone lengthening and stunting prematurely.
Psychological effects: Prolonged use increases aggression, mood swings, paranoia, sleep disturbances, euphoria and hallucinations.
Potential for Violence: Increased hostility, competitiveness, and aggressive behavior can lead to assault and violence. The male reproductive system
Temporary testicular atrophy: The testicles decrease in size and eventually cease to function.
Decreased sperm production: Testicular shrinkage limits sperm production.
Temporary infertility: A lower sperm count reduces fertility and the ability to conceive a child.
Erectile dysfunction: Sexual function is severely impaired due to testicular atrophy.
Potential impotence: Impotence occurs after continuous use of high dose steroids over a long period of time.
Permanent gynecomastia: the increase in female hormones called estrogen causes the irreversible development of breasts in men. The female reproductive system
Irregularity of the menstrual cycle: Steroids impair the maturation and release of eggs during ovulation, causing an interruption of the menstrual cycle. Prolonged use of this drug will eventually lead to infertility.
Enlarged clitoris: This is an irreversible physical disfigurement.
Female pattern baldness: These medications cause permanent hair loss, particularly in the frontal hairline.
Breast atrophy: Increased testosterone in the reproductive system reduces breast size permanently.
Male Physical Traits: Steroids promote facial hair growth, musculature, deepening of the voice, and skin roughness.
Pregnancy Issues: Use during pregnancy may cause fetal delay or death.
It is important to create awareness and educate the public about the potential dangers and long-term health risks that come with prolonged use of these drugs. In this matter, parents, educators, sports institutions and governmental organizations should come together to help adolescents realize that improved sports performance can be achieved without compromising health and well-being.
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