Drug Use in Sports: Analyzing the Causes, Effects, and Solutions

This essay delves into the pervasive issue of drug use in sports, examining its prevalence across various levels of competition. It highlights the pressures athletes face, including performance expectations, physical pain, mental health issues, and the allure of performance-enhancing drugs. The essay explores the evolution of doping strategies and the role of governing bodies and government interventions in addressing the problem. It discusses the health hazards, ethical concerns, and the importance of fair competition. The essay further analyzes the use of different substances, including stimulants and anabolic-androgenic steroids, and their impact on athletes. It emphasizes the need for preventive measures, education, and drug testing to safeguard athletes' well-being and uphold the integrity of sports. The conclusion underscores the importance of understanding the causes and consequences of drug use to develop effective solutions and protect the future of sports.

Running head: DRUG USE IN SPORTS
Drug use in sports
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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The drug abuse occurs in all kinds of sports and in almost all levels of
competition. The reflection has been prepared by following the DIEP method.
I have observed that the life of an athlete has been lead to drug abuse. This has
occurred due to number of reasons. They have the constant pressure of performing well. They
are exposed to the performance enhancement. They have to face untreated mental illness and
they have to go through the pressure of performing and going through a lot of injuries,
physical pain and they have to suffer from the pain of getting retired from the sport. This is
the reason they seek help of drugs in order to overcome the pressure. This is evident even in
the historical period (Johnston et al. 2016). I have come across many evidences of
performance-enhancing drug that have continued to evolve in the recent years. They have
evolved with the doping strategy that has been driven by improved drug testing detection
methods and advances in scientific research that might lead to the discovery and use of
substances that might be banned later. It has been found there were many organizations who
have banned the use of the drugs. The government have introduced consequences in the form
of punishment for those who have found been guilty of using the drugs. There are serious
side effects of using the drugs in athletes. There the drug abuse in athletes should be
addressed with the help of preventive measures. The preventive measure includes, education,
motivational interviewing (Johnston et al. 2016).
I could extract that the inhaling of the drug includes the intake of Marijuana and
alcohol. This may be used without the intention of performance enhancement. The athletes
might develop the substances that use the disorders just as any nonathlete may. The athletes
might turn to cope up with numerous stressors. This is considered to be the most important
reason of their intake of the drug (Veliz et al. 2017). I think that the athletes sometimes go
through depression and this is the reason they require some amount of resources to release
their stress. They start to intake the drugs in order to deal with the problem of depression. In

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the historical times, the means of doting was used in chariot racing and in the recent years
they are used in the sports like baseball and cycling. The use of drugs in sports has been
termed to be illegal. The reason for this is the health hazards that it might cause. The other
reason is the equality of the opportunity for athletes and the exemplary effect of drug-free
sports. The use of the drugs in sports goes against the spirit of sports (Denault and Poulin
2018). This is the creating factor of using drugs.
While taking effective measures in resolving the issues the tool of analysing the issue
should be taken. The source of the problem should be analysed. There are many who prefer to
take steroids. It has been observed that in the last 20 years the use of steroids has been found
to be epidemic. The effects of using steroid has short-term as well as long-term effects. They
are both physical as well as mental. The side effects could have been controlled if they used
controlled substance under a proper medical supervision. The side-effects include the
intramuscular abscesses and other microbial bacteria that have the chance of creating
infection (Veliz et al. 2017). The physical effects include the damage caused inside the
muscles and the body of a human that include increased amount of blood pressure,
cholesterol, sometimes it can cause infertility and decreased condition of dermatology that
can result to severe acne. There are other mental effects. This might include depression,
aggression and in many cases the people land up in committing suicide. It has been found that
the sportsmen have made use of the stimulants. These are the drugs that usually act on the
central nervous system in order to alter the mental as well as the functional behaviour of an
individual. It increases the sense of excitement of an individual. It decreases the sense of
fatigue in an individual. This include caffeine, cocaine, amphetamine, modafinil and
ephedrine (Boardley, Grix and Dewar 2014).
Apart from this the anabolic-androgenic steroid has also been found to be used
widely. It was identified in the year 1930. The tool of evaluation should be applied in this

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case. By evaluating the factors it can be mentioned that the drugs are now used
therapeutically in medicine to induce bone growth and stimulate the appetite, it is also used to
induce male puberty and treat chronic wasting conditions for example, cancer and AIDS
(Mowen and Visher 2015). It also increases the muscle mass and the physical strength and
this is the reason they are used in sports and bodybuilding in order to enhance the strength or
physique. There are innumerable side effects of the same. They have harmful changes in the
cholesterol levels, in acne, in high blood pressure and in the damage of liver (Ahmadi,
Rambaree and Mousavi 2017).
Therefore while concluding it can be mentioned that the use of the drugs have gone
high as it enhances the performance of the players. In order to understand the same one needs
to understand the problems and remember the causes. This is the only way to analyse the
issue. One tend to forget the consequences that are related to problem. This is the reason the
tool of understanding the causes of the problem and remembering the same is important. The
option of winning brings huge fame and money to the players. The players are able to attain
huge status and fame by winning the game. This is the reason the question of ethics and the
fitness level of the sportsperson have come as a big question (Kwan et al. 2014). The
performance enhancing drugs boost the energy level of the players and this is the reason the
players get habituated in using the drug. The drugs have harmful effects as well as they have
the risk of tarnishing the image of the players once they are caught while consuming the
drugs. There are drugs that can pose serious harm and cause hurt to the players. They are
considered to alter the physical as well as the mental well-being of an individual. There
should be safe distance between drugs and sports. The benefits that come from the drugs is
short-term and they might be helpful in achieving the short-term goal. This is the reason the
testing of drug have become necessary in all the sports. This is an effective step to save the
athletes from the intake of the drugs and save them from the future loss.

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