Enhancement Of Life

There are many ways that using performance enhancing drugs in sports that can

affect your life and everyone else's around you. Have you ever considered what your

fans would think if they ever found out you were using enhancement drugs? What about

your parents, wife, children and team? Have you ever thought about the physical,

emotional or overall mental health risks that using performance enhancing drugs can

cause? In life there are many factors to consider when faced with the option of using

drugs to enhance your athletic capabilities. Is the game the addiction or the drug? Is it

worth it? From my personal experience, no, it is not worth it.

One of the very most important things to consider when using performance

enhancing drugs are the health risks. There are many more downs than ups with the use

of drugs. Consider the effects enhancement drugs have on your mind and body. There

are several physical problems than can come from use of performance enhancing drugs.

As stated in an article; "Use of supplements has been associated with high blood

pressure, heart attack, stroke, seizure, and sudden death" (Richard Buchanon, 2005,

paragraph 13). When using certain drugs in sports such as pain killers, you could do

extensive damage to your muscles and costing your career. How about the physical

damage you could cause to another person? Results of using anabolic steroids could be

just as physically damaging to an opponent; due to increased strength of the user. In

addition to the physical strength, the mental anguish that occurs from chemical imbalance

in the body just adds the damaging possibilities to the opposing players. There are many

other physical factors to take into consideration before choosing illegal enhancement

drugs. There are many enticing factors to athletes of enhancement drugs.

Most athletes use enhancement drugs for the physical enhancement.

For goal oriented athletes, steroids or other enhancement drugs can help give them the

edge they need to succeed. In a sport such as football, the added size of a lineman can

mean a stronger offense or defense. There are some athletes that along with the physical

element that steroids bring comes a boost of self confidence. In a case such as my own, I

found that the noticeable physical difference that steroids gave me made me feel really

good about myself. The fear of losing became a pride of winning.

The availability of enhancement drugs is unlimited. One of the most popular

places to buy enhancement drugs is the local drugs store. There are several over the

counter medicines that contain some of the restricted ingredient found in certain

enhancement drugs. Also located in local drug stores are optional natural supplements

than can be used as a safe alternative to restricted drugs. Most anabolic steroids and pain

killers are found on the streets. The anabolic steroids that I got my hands on came from

my very best friend. Many people that I knew who had there hands on anabolic steroids,

simply came from stealing and forging their family doctor's prescription pad.

Fans of many sports have different opinions on sportsmanlike conduct. Do fans

really care if their favorite player is using enhancement drugs? For example in baseball,

as stated by a fan, "he and other fans still considered Roger Maris, a North Dakota

native, to be the single-season home run champ with 61", even though he had not ever

used steroids (Dick Patrick, 2005, paragraph 2). From the same fan, by saying that this

player was great implied that he believed achievements made by athletes such as Barry

Bonds and Sammy Sosa were due to the use of steroids (Dick Patrick, 2005).

The results of younger fans hearing of their heroes using enhancement drugs can be

detrimental to their health.

In agreement with President Bush, I believe that players should think about the impact

they have on the lives of children (Kapadia, 2004). Some children may believe that the

only way that they are ever going to accomplish anything in sports, is by using

enhancement drugs.

Money is another issue that some athletes may have some trouble with.

Enhancement drugs can cost a pretty penny for athletes whom choose to buy their drugs

off the street. Enhancement drugs are very addictive, causing some young athletes to

spend