Sports

 Student Athletes and Drugs

By: Brianna Felder 

04/25/13

There have been many student athletes that have died of overdoses. They were usually quite talented or even superstars at the sport they played but they made one wrong decision.

       They went out with their friends and did drugs instead of practicing or doing something different. The ended up to be a deadly decision.

       There are a lot of student athletes who have tried or use drugs. Over 65% of them have done or do drugs or alcohol. Athletes use drugs for many reasons. They use them for performance enhancing, pain relief, or recreational use.

       They use steroids to improve their speed, strength and muscle mass. People think that if their bodies are in good shape that they can handle the effect or alcohol, they also use marijuana as a stress reliever and they say it helps them concentrate but it actually reduces motivation and attention span.

       Some athletes use beta-blockers or human growth hormones. They use beta-blockers too slow down heartbeat and steady body movements, but they can cause asthma symptoms. Human growth hormones are used as a substitute for steroids and they thicken the skin, internal organs, bones, and facial features, but they can cause diabetes and heart disease.

       All drugs have an effect on your body even if you are in good physical condition like athletes. People think that if one is involved in sports,  they will be protected from alcohol and other drugs but this is just a myth. Drug tests are used to see if athletes use drugs to enhance their performance on the field. Choosing to do drugs or participate in other illicit activities is not a good choice, especially with the risk of getting caught via drug testing.