Why Teenagers shouldnt do steroids

Nearly everyone in America would like to see a dramatic change in their physique without doing the excruciating work of dieting and lifting weights. To accomplish this goal of getting muscular and lean without any hard work, most people use anabolic steroids. Try to guess how many teenagers alone in this country try to use steroids to do just that? Maybe a couple thousand, maybe even a hundred thousand? The actual statistic is over 1,000,000 Americans, and that just includes the numbers that receive the steroids “legally” by a doctor’s prescription. This number does not include all of the people in gyms around the country that are gaining a large amount of muscle mass illegally through the use of anabolic steroids. Steroids are illegal for a reason, and according steroidabuse.gov, the side effects from anabolic steroids in teenagers include heart disease, liver damage, depression, hostility and aggression, stunted height, and the possibility of contracting HIV by using a dirty needle. Although most people would not even dare to go near anabolic steroids, the ones that do are uneducated and uninformed of the potential hazards that are associated with the drug.

Anabolic Steroids cause more health problems for teenagers than any other drug. According to weight-training-guide.net, “1,084,000 teenage Americans were prescribed anabolic steroids this year.” This statistic does not take into account all of the people in gyms across the country that buy steroids illegally. Also, according to news.bbc.co.uk, “a study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry by Yale School of Medicine found high levels of the hormone killed off nerve cells. The researchers believe the effect might explain why some steroid users become aggressive and suicidal - a condition known as hyper excitability.” I myself have been able to witness firsthand all of the harmful side effects that are associated through anabolic steroid use, through friends, relatives, and in gym locker rooms and there is no way to describe the countless horrors they are doing to their bodies. According to nida.nih.gov, “One of the main reasons people give for abusing steroids is to improve their athletic performance. Another reason people give for taking steroids is to increase their muscle size or to reduce their body fat. Finally, some adolescents abuse steroids as part of a pattern of high-risk behaviors.” Most anabolic steroids are taken through needle injections, but new forms of steroids come out all the time that come in pills, nasal sprays, or even in dissolving capsules.

Considering the majority of this nation is a sports fan of some type, most of Americans are familiar of the large amount of professional athletes that use anabolic steroids. When the headlines of newspapers are analyzed, it is easy to see that more and more professional athletes are being caught every day for using anabolic steroids. Most of them use it to get ahead of the rest of the competition, while others in their league are actually working hard in the gym and on the field trying to gain an edge. However, it’s the stars of the league that teenagers look up to, and aspire to be just like them. Many teenagers use steroids to get ahead in sports, looking to be just like their heroes. Teenagers like these need our help in order to become properly educated on the dangers of what anabolic steroids can actually do to their body. It’s actually kind of sad, when I was researching this topic and typed in anabolic steroids in the browser, I got close to one million results of websites marketed towards teens that sold actually sold anabolic steroids over the web. You would think that since the drug is illegal, that it would be harder to obtain the drug rather than just a click away online. But unfortunately, it isn’t.

How does this country combat this epidemic of anabolic steroid use among today’s teenagers? In order to completely eradicate steroid use in America, I believe the best plan is to further the education of the side effects of steroids in classrooms across America. The earlier that this knowledge is introduced to our children, the better. This method has worked in the past, most notably in sexual education. According to sciencedaily.com, upon the introduction of comprehensive sex education in schools during the 1970s, teen pregnancy rates dropped nearly 30%. I believe that America can expect to see steroids drop by those same numbers with proper education of the side effects of the drug. Since the side effects of the drug are so severe and extreme, this will most likely shock the students about how dangerous the drug really is and they will refrain from using it in the future. According to webmd.com, the most severe effects of the drug include high cholesterol, tendon ruptures, heart disease, and even liver problems, which can all lead to death. Children will see that building muscle does not outweigh death, and will stay away from the drug in the future. Most people don’t know that steroids can actually kill you, but they can. Everybody knows what it’s like to lose a beloved family member, and steroids are simply not worth that.

Imagine a world without steroids, where competition is fair in sports, and everybody works as hard as everyone else to reach their physique goals. It sounds nice doesn’t it? It will be, but there’s a long road ahead for this issue to be completely eradicated. We should all take this matter seriously; steroids are ruining the concept of hard work leading to success. If we don’t, then steroids will be considered to be the only option for success. If we all pitch in, we can rise against this drug. We all can do something to fight this issue, educate yourself and the ones you care about most about the harmful effects of taking steroids. Nobody should be able to take the easy way out when it comes to sports performance or building an impressive physique and steroids is that very shortcut. Talk to the people you love, and make sure they are aware that steroids are not worth the risk. I cannot emphasize how important this is, we all can do something. To end with a quote from Marvin Olasky from Brainyquote.com “Baseball needs to put the steroids era behind it by having and enforcing tough rules against all kinds of artificial advantages, so that spring can return.”