Cheat or Work hard???

Who abuses steroids?

2007-04-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

Of course we all know that steroids are used by athletes. According to the National Institute they estimated that indivudals over 18 years of age who abuse steroids are in the hundreds of thousands. Its obvious that more men than women but the number of women who are abusing steroids is increasing

"Four percent of high school senirors in the United States abused steroids at least once in their life time, and 1.4 percent in the past month." Those may not seem like high numbers but you have to keep in mind that these are high school senior athletes and the number is only increasing. This may also carry over to steroid abuse after high school and into college.

http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs5/5448/index.htm#Who%20uses

Risks

2007-04-15T14:37:00.000-07:00

Some athletes, especially teenagers in high school, think of using steroids to help improve their strength and their game but do you think they know what risks they are taking?

Steroid users can suffer from liver tumors and cancer, jaundice, high blood pressure and increases in cholesterol levels, kidney tumors, fluid retention, and severe acne. Women can experience growth of facial hair, a male-pattern baldness, changes or cessation in menstrual cycle, and deepening he voice. With men they can experience shrinking of the testicles, reduced sperm count, infertility, baldness, breast development, and increased risk of prostate cancer.

If your young and still growing you can put yourself at risk for prematurely halting your growth because of "early skeletal maturation and acceleration of puberty."

http://www.pwc.k12.nf.ca/PROJECTS/b2201/moore/steroids/page2.htm

http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs5/5448/index.htm

Why People Take Steroids?

2007-04-15T13:23:00.000-07:00

Some people take steroids because they are extremely competitive and want to win, like athletes such as bodybuilders, baseball players, football players and others. The think it is the only way to get stronger and they want to obtain as much strength as they can. Some athletes are so eager to win they'll do whatever they need to do and that includes performance enhancements.

Another reason why some people take steroids is because in the past they have expierenced sexual or physical abuse. They feel they need to be musculare for safety reasons, they feel they can actually protect themself. They wont be attacked or abused as much if they have strength, they feel, so that's why they take steorids.

Another reason is because "some adolescents abuse steroids as part of a pattern of high-risk behaviors. These adolescents also take risks such as drinking and driving, carrying a gun, not wearing a helmet on a motorcycle, and abusing other illicit drugs."

http://www.pwc.k12.nf.ca/PROJECTS/b2201/moore/steroids/page2.htm

http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/steroids/f/steroids_faq04.htm

Is It A Step Forward?

2007-04-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

In the state of New Jersey there's a new mandatory drug test implemented for some of the high school athletes to see if they use steroids or any other performance enhancer drugs. A selected number of student athletes, specifically from football, baseball, soccer and wrestling, are tested. It is a very expensive project and some people argue that the money should be put toward educating students on steroids.

It is difficult to stop student athletes from using performance enhancement drugs especially when the people who play professionally are taking them. Some people thought this new program was affective even if it made a little dent in the use of steroids, like stopping 2 or 3 percent. A doctor, Dr. Jorge Gomez, stated “By testing a small number of athletes they have the lottery mentality and students think: ‘It is likely I am not going to be tested.’ ” Frank Rezzonico, a football coach for a very successful high school football team, agreed by saying “I am sure there will be some bumps in the road,” Rezzonico said. “It is a start, but they had to start somewhere. It is a step in the right direction, and I think other states will follow.”

They are trying to prevent the use of steroids any which way they can but we all need to help support and improve the different strategies towards doing so, instead of criticizing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/22/sports/othersports/22testing.html?ex=1176782400&en=600cd4df413f8729&ei=5070

YOUNG GIRLS ON STEROIDS!!!!

2007-03-11T13:18:00.000-07:00

American girls using steorids? Experts say that some girls as young as nine, are using bodybuilding steroids but not to get an edge on the playing field, but to get the toned, sculpted look of models and movie stars. These girls are getting their hands on the same dangerous testosterone pills, shots and creams that other professional athletes get a hold of. According to research these grils who are taking steorids often are girls who have eating disorders.

According to researchers, most girls are using steroids to get stronger on the field. But plenty of other girls are using steroids to give themselves a slightly muscular look, they say."With young women, you see them using it more as a weight control and body fat reduction" method, said Jeff Hoerger, who runs the staff counselling programme at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

You never really hear of girls or student female athletes taking steorids and it is a big shock to hear about young girls, age 9, taking steorids to make themselves look attractive. Females do face a lot when it comes to the topic of fitness and being the "it" or "happening" girl which is why they take these drugs. They maybe pressured into or they simple have a complex about their body and feel the only way to fix it is by taking steorids.

http://iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=31&art_id=qw1114491246227R131

High School 'Roid Lessons

2007-03-11T13:02:00.000-07:00

A NIDA-funded drug abuse prevention program is showing high school football players that they do not need to take steroids to be muscular or to be a great athlete. Educating student athletes about the harmful effects of anabolic steroids and providing nutrition and weight-training alternatives to steroid use has reduced their intentions to use steroids and increased football players' healthy behaviors . Teaching student athletes about the effect of steorids hasn't been focused on much until this program.

I think this program is very sucessful and it should be taught in every signgle High School to student athletes, both boys and girls. This program should be a mandotory class every day or once a week even. Since some of their "role models" aren't setting good examples for them then they should be guided through the right path by someone else.

High School athletes have to face peer pressure and have to hear it from teamates about not being a good player or about being weak and sometimes some of them feel like they HAVE to take steroids to improve there game. A program like this can prevent that from occuring and that's why it should be in every school.

http://www.nida.nih.gov/NIDA_Notes/NNVol12N4/steroid.html

Bonds, Giambi, Sheffield !!!

2007-03-11T12:46:00.000-07:00

Federal investigators were told that Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield and three other major-league baseball players received steroids from a Burlingame nutritional supplement lab. According to info from the government and The Chronicle the major league players received the illegal performance-enhancing drugs from the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative through Greg Anderson, who is Bonds' personal weight trainer and longtime friend.

Anderson allegedly obtained a so-called designer steroid known as "the clear" and a testosterone-based steroid known as "the cream" and supplied the substances to all six baseball players. Bonds was said to have received human growth hormone, a powerful substance that legally cannot be distributed without a prescription.

What type of examples are these baseball players setting for the kids who look up to them? They are promoting it is okay to cheat in the sports world just to become the best. What happened to playing to the best of your ability and earning and working hard for what you want? These major league players need to get their act together because it definitely isn't a good name for MLB. This is the first or second or third or so forth incident of steroids in MLB, they need to tighten up on the players because they are setting bad examples.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/03/02/MNGNM5C3AV1.DTL

Careless Signature

2007-03-11T12:11:00.000-07:00

A New York City doctor named Victor Mariani pleaded guilty to illegally writing prescriptions for human growth hormone and anabolic steroids on behalf of patients he never met. Mariani could face a maximum of five years in jail and will be fined $250,000 for each count.

Federal prosecutors state Mariani recruited to write fraudulent prescriptions for American Pharmaceutical Group, which advertised anabolic steroids and human growth hormone in magazines and Web sites targeted at bodybuilders.

It is too easy for doctors to write fake prescriptions for clients they haven't met. It is also too easy for people to find websites that promote the distribution of steroid and other performance enhancer products. Although they are starting to crack down a little more now there have been previous cases in the past with other Professional players and now is when its being addressed, it's a little too late.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/03102007/sports/n_y__doc_guilty_of_roid_rap_sports_.htm

Crackin' Down!

2007-03-05T05:57:00.001-08:00

Getting a hold of steroids and other performance enhancers is becoming to easy through the Internet. David Soares, Albany County District Attorney, is teaming up with Senator Chuck Schumer to "target pharmacies that sell drugs using phony presripitons from unscrupulous doctors." It is not only easy for professional athletes to buy human growth hormone products through the Internet but its too easy for high school students to purchase them.

Schumer stated that he is going to put forth a legislation to make " the popular human growth hormone (HGH) a controlled substance that's subject to federal regulation and slap doctors who sell prescriptions for HGH and steroids with federal fraud charges." Hopefully this will make it harder for people to purchase this illegal product.

Schumer stated that he is more concerned with the "kids" specifically the high school athlete who wants to "bulk up for wrestling or to get faster for a track meat." Its good that they are focusing more on the young student athletes than on the professionals because in my eyes the professional players know better and they set examples for student athletes. High School athletes believe it or not follow after their favorite player or even by a player that is suddenly improving.

Since it is a competitive world in High School, especially for the boys, they want to do anything in their power to become the best. That includes enhancement performance products that are illegal, they just want to be the best and they don;t care about the consequences. It good that both Schumer and Soares are teaming up to crack down on this topic and its more for the student athletes.

http://www.nydailynews.com/03-05-2007/news/story/502672p-423988c.html

Steroids for sale but by your local Pharmacy people?

2007-02-28T16:24:00.000-08:00

On February 27th four people were arrested in Orlando, FL for distributing steroids and other performance enhancers that are illegally sold online and they are now facing charges of criminal diversion of prescription medications and prescriptions, criminal sale of a controlled substance and insurance fraud. The pharmacy customers for these products were Major League Baseball players, National Football League players, college athletes, coaches and doctors. Licensed as well as unlicensed doctors were writing out and filling in prescriptions for patients that they didn't even encounter yet, which is illegal.

One of the customers was Gary Matthews Jr., a center fielder for the Anaheim Angels. Matthews had a rough career in his past six years in the majors. He was said to be unimpressive and not many teams wanted him. This factor can be a reason why he purchased performance enhancers from this pharmacy. One year his numbers went up, all of a sudden after six years, and he became more wanted and signed with the Angels for a $50 million dollar contract. Another customer was Dr. Richard A. Rydze who is a physician who tends to members of the Pittsburgh Steelers as well as private patients. Rydze claimed that the drugs he orderd, growth hormone drugs, were for his private patients only and NOT for member's of the Steelers.

The owner of American Pharmaceutical Group, Daniel McGlone, and Ana Maria Santi, a former doctor were stripped of her license to practice medicine. They were charged in an 80-count accusation. Victor Mariani, a licensed physician with a practice in New York City, was charged separately and has agreed to plead guilty.

It's such a shame that steroids are used in the world of sports. Athletes can often have a bad influence on the fans who look up to them. But what's worst is that the state and federal laws against illegal prescriptions are rarely enforced because they are more focused on heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. They should take more precaution when it comes to these kinds of drugs instead of only focusing on certain ones.

http://http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/28/nyregion/28drugs.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1