Drive to Win & Drugs

The drive among athletes to win at all costs pushes them to take risks with their health by using what are known as "performance enhancing" drugs. There are many categories of performance enhancing drugs, including steroids, growth hormone, stimulants, pain killers, GHB, and diuretics - anything the athlete believes will give them the winning edge (Kowalski, 2003, 6-11). Motivation ranges from gaining college scholarships to high-paying spots on professional teams or becoming an Olympic gold medalist. No level of sports is immune to this problem. The taking of performance enhancing drugs, or doping, as it is called in sports, is banned by most sports regulatory bodies, yet it is rampant in all sports. Three athletes lost their gold medals at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City because they tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. Some athletes are willing to take the risk of being caught, even though it may mean being barred from competition for life, just to triumph over their competitors. Winning is the only thing that is important to them.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately five percent of high school athletes take performance enhancing drugs, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association reports nearly 60 percent of its athletes take supplements which may contain banned substances (Kowalski, 2003, 7). Athletes use the drugs for a variety of reasons: to increase their body mass and strengthen muscles; to increase oxygen

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become constricted in asthma attacks. When these substances are injected into the bloodstream, they build muscle mass and reduce body fat and are used like steroids by athletes. Erythropoeitin (EPO) is a hormone which promotes the production of erythrocytes (red blood cells), and therefore increases the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. However, because of the extra erythrocytes in the circulation, the blood also becomes thickened and this can lead to blood clot formation resulting in strokes, convulsions, and death (Freudenrich, 2004; Kowalski, 2003, 9). Athletes sometimes take adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) to speed repair of damaged tissues, but taking ACTH can cause a loss of bone mass, high blood pressure, insomnia, stomach problems, and delayed wound healing. Pain killers are used by athletes as performance enhancing drugs, masking the pain from injuries so they can continue to compete (Freudenrich, 2004; Kowalski, 2003, 9). Pain is the body's warning sign of a problem, and should not be ignored. Masking pain puts the athlete at risk for more serious injury, and many painkillers are addictive. Taking anabolic steroids at the same time enhances the addiction to pain killers. Gamma hydroxy butyrate (GHB

Category: Psychology - D