The Dangers of Steroids
Kids’ interest in steroids may begin with the use of vitamins, supplements, and protein powders from the health food store. If athletes happen to perform well while taking supplements, they may look for something stronger to become even better. “Jake asked me about protein supplements, so we talked about how he could eat lots of small, nutritious meals and work out with light weights to get stronger,” says his father, Jeff. “I asked Jake what he thought about steroids, and he said, ‘They’re illegal! And it’s cheating, too.’”
Don Hooton formed the Taylor Hooton Foundation to fight against steroid abuse after his son, Taylor, a high school pitcher, took his own life in 2003 after using steroids. He advises parents to become familiar with the signs of steroid use, and then watch their teens carefully. If parents detect enough risk factors, they should get their family physician to test their teen for steroids.
The long-term side effects of steroid use are serious. They include heart disease, liver damage, high blood pressure, cessation of bone growth, and cancer. There is also a risk of HIV and hepatitis from shared needles. Many of steroids’ harmful side effects are permanent, including breast growth and withered testicles in males and lowered voice, acne, weight gain, and increased facial/body hair in females.
For a look at what abuse of steroids can do, read a story about a girl who was on them, and luckily, got off in time here.
What Drug Testing Can Do
It’s vital for kids to know about all the damage that steroids can do, but Hooton believes that drug testing is also an important deterrent. “A significant number would not start using if they thought they’d be embarrassed in front of their parents, kicked off the team, or lose their chance for a scholarship,” he says. Hooton advocated strongly for the new random steroid testing program of high school athletes in Texas. New Jersey and Florida have similar programs.
But more research is needed before drug and alcohol testing is considered an effective deterrent for school-based athletes, says Linn Goldberg, MD, Professor of Medicine and Head of the Department of Health Promotion and Sports Medicine at Oregon Health & Sciences University. His recent study in the Journal of Adolescent Health found drug testing was accompanied by an increase in some risk factors for future substance use. And drug tests can't reliably detect human growth hormone, another performance-enhancing drug that is becoming more popular among young athletes because professionals are using it.
Kathy Smith, Roanoke, VA 03/21/08
Something not mentioned here is wrestler's struggles to "make weight". Boys are wrestling at weights that are not healthy, too low for their naturally growing bodies, and they starve themselves to make weight and then binge eat. Some of them spit for hours to try to lose weight! The younger boys learn all of the bad habits of the older ones, while the coaches look the other way or are unaware.
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