Why We Should Start Testing Now

The whole idea of starting to test high school students isn't a "gotcha program" , it is to help save our youth from bad habits and teaching them good morals. By starting, or continuing this program, it will lower the amount of teenage lives lost physically and mentally to innocent teenagers just trying to "Buff Up" to impress peers. I know schools that don’t test for steroids do test athletes for other drugs such as marijuana and cocaine. The tests for so-called recreational drugs are relatively inexpensive, but if you’re going to test for drugs that don’t enhance performance, you’re just playing to the bleachers: “Look, we’re testing the athletes for drugs.” But you’re not testing them for the drugs that matter in this regard, the ones that equate with cheating. You can lecture kids all you want about the dangers of steroids, about the incredible shrinking testicles and acne blooms and possible liver damage down the road. There are always going to be some, just as there are some athletes at every stage of competition, who are willing to take the risks if they can see a clear reward. By just by putting a little more income into steroid tests that really make a dramatic difference we can save those that really think steroids are going to bring them the huge reward they expected. If we do not start testing now the number of high school athletes using steroids will just keep increasing drastically because they know they will get away with it. THE CHANGE NEEDS TO START NOW!

Money Money Money

Now I bet yall are all saying ok we know a way to solve this issue so why don’t we just go ahead a start random drug testing, well the issue is money. Many states including Florida have had to get rid of the random drug testing $100,000 program because it simply costs too much. Other states including Texas, California, and Illinois and still holding on strong are still testing their high school athletes. I know that economy these days doesn’t have much slack on money today and most school board members and teachers want our society's money to go into the classrooms and not into random drug testing but this program is worth it if we want to be successful in abolishing this problem. People are saying that very few athletes get caught but the reason that very few are being caught is because athletes are stopping use when they know they are going to be tested because they are afraid of the consequences and the actions that will be taken against them if they happened to get caught using steroids. Drug testing randomly will simply stop athletes from hiding their use and will catch more athletes who are using the drug. Basically like Mike Celizic says, "The Olympics tests for steroids and every other performance-enhancing drug. Pro sports leagues test. Colleges test. High schools, with just a few exceptions, don’t test. And if you don’t test for steroids, you are telling kids to go ahead and use them, because they won’t get caught." But with random drug testing them most defiantly will and learn from this lesson by either higher authority of by the side effects steroids bring.

How the Process Works

Hey it’s been awhile things have been pretty hectic around here but I’m going to make up for it right now with this post. When I left off I was talking about how the major solution to this problem was to start random drug testing in high school sports. Now for many of you that have heard of the term random drug testing you probably think it’s just peeing in a cup and waiting for the results. But in fact it is a very intense and strict process with many rules. Before an athlete is tested they have to be notified by an official to sign a consent form basically saying that they have been notified. The athlete must have there test done with in a designated period so they can't cover up their drug use. Many of the tests are done in a mobile testing unit or kindah like a portable restroom but they try to make it as comfortable as they can with supplying plenty of drinks. To make sure the test is accurate an official must watch the urine flow from the athlete to the bottle. Male athletes are asked to strip to their waist and lower their shorts to their knees. Female athletes must be watched very closely while they void a sample. Of course this situation is going to be a little embarrassing but it is the only way to make sure the tests are not tampered with. If the athlete tests positive for steroid use then they have the right to ask for a second test to be done to make sure the results were correct. If the results are still positive then the head official of the sport will notify the athlete and the end result is usually suspension.

Many Solution to A Huge Problem

You probably realize now that steroid use among high school athletes is a huge problem that needs to be addressed and fixed. I mean after all if you could save a teenagers life wouldn't you? I sure as hell would and that’s why we need to start thinking of solution on how to solve this. I know this might seem like a hard problem to tackle but there are many solutions to help solve this expanding problem. Like lately numerous high school athletes across the country are beginning to be randomly drug tested for performing enhancement drugs. A quick and simple way to start a change would be educating coaches, athletes, and parents about the serious effects of the drugs and the signs of use. I know this might sound a little silly but you have to start somewhere and that’s why we need to take baby steps. By educating parents, coaches, and friends it might scare them into really paying attention to drastic changes going on with their child, teammate, or players and make them realize they have a huge impact on the athlete's life. I think this will give them courage to confront a steroid user and tell them to stop ruining their life. The teenagers this age are all into the media aspect of the world. Whatever is projected in the media world is usually portrayed through an athlete’s life. Professional athletes may not always be the best role models for athletes to look up to. Athletes need to realize that the images they see on television and magazines are the result of hard work and dedication, not a result of cheating themselves and risking their lives in the process. Now all of these are a great idea for fast and short term effects on steroid use but the most effective way to stop steroid use all together is to start RANDOM DRUG TESTING. Not testing athletes is just leaving the ability for them to use steroids because they know that there is no way to get caught and no consequences to pay. This needs to come to a stop and become the main solution to this whole issue today.

Effects Of Steroids

I know I have been nagging on about the dangers of steroid use but steroid users experience major and minor side effects of the drug. Some minor side effects are: acne, oily skin, excess hair growth, and deepening of the voice. If these are not unattractive enough then there are major side effects that could literally kill you. Cancer, increased risk of heart and liver disease, jaundice, fluid retention, bad cholesterol, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and aggressiveness are the more serious side effects that could occur. An very interesting fact that I read in Fred C. Pampel's book Drug and Sports is that, " German soldiers in World War Two took early forms of steroids to increase aggressiveness"(11). Can you believe that a drug that is today used to improve physical strength was once used to make killers stronger?

The side effects vary from men and women . There are many symptoms that are gender specific. Now brace yourself because some of these can be pretty disturbing. According to The Partnership for a Drug-Free America," Side effects specific for men can include testicular atrophy or the shrinking of the testicles, reduced sperm count, infertility, baldness, and the development of breasts." For women, you basically turn into a man with, " breast shrinkage, more facial and body hair, voice deepening, problems with menstrual periods, and clitoris enlargement" can occur. Of course there are many many more side effects that come with the use of steroids but these are just some of the main ones. Also, steroids can be extremely dangerous for growing teens because their bodies are still developing. This includes : stunted growth, hepatitis, rapid weight gain, body odor and HIV. After reading this I really do not understand what would even tempt a healthy teenager to want to experience any of these side effects. This just comes to show that kids today really need to be educated on what they are getting themselves into.

Trickle Down Effect with Professional Athletes

As with the teenagers Taylor and Dionne that I mentioned in my last post, the pressure to win by young athletes can be forced by coach's approval, crowd appraisal, and the want of college scholarships. This explains why reporter Anne Bell of News Hour Extra says that " Use is more prevalent at the schools where athletes have a better chance of using sports to get college scholarships." Being an athlete myself from a more wealthy side of the town I experienced first hand just how far my fellow teammates went to obtain a college scholarship. Most athletes where I was from were expected to get scholarships to play in college and when they realized that practice and training was not enough they turned to steroids. Also, many high school athletes from when they were young have always tried to imitate their professional heroes. Athletes tend to do as their heroes are doing on to improve their own skills. For instance many athletes look up to Barry Bonds since he is one of the best hitters ever lived and therefore they are starting to imitate his batting stance and reading his quotes before every game they play. Today, he is being questioned frequently about steroid use and athletes are thinking that steroids are a good option to take now. This is what John Stewart calls the " trickle down effect". The effect is the result of the teenage athletes seeing professional atghletes abuse steroids without any punishment and realizing that they can get away with the same thing.

Taylor and Dionne's Life Changing Story

What teenagers do not understand is that every user does not always benefit fit from the use of steroids. Taylor Hooton was a 16 year old, 180 pound baseball pitcher from Plano, Texas. He did not even get to experience the short term benefits from the drug before the long term effects took over. His coach was always saying that for him to be the number one varsity pitcher, he needed to get bigger. Like any desperate athlete wanting to be the shining star on a team he did exactly as he was told and started buying steroids from a classmate at his school. Taylor soon gained over 30 pounds, back acne, and began having mood swing around his family and friends. A month after he turned 17 years old, his mother found him hanging from his bedroom door with a belt wrapped around his next. The long term side effect of depression set in quickly with Taylor and took his life before anyone could help him. If family, coaches, and friends were educated about the side effects of the drug then they could recognize the changes in their loved ones and could maybe save their lifes. I know that men are mainly in the spot light when it comes to the topic of steroid use but women are just as guilty of using the drug as well. A 17 year old high school cheerleader, Dionne Passcantando, began using because " she wanted was six pack abs." which she says was " her desire to use steroids was the result of societal influence." Five weeks after using the drug the she obtained from a classmate at school the became suicidal as well. Like many female steroid users, steroids was just a easy way to improve their physique and appearance by reducing body fat faster than normal exercise would. Unlike Taylor, she asked for help before it was too late and quickly got her life back to normal. Teenagers need to learn from Taylor and Dionne that help and education can really save a life and need to speak up when in need of help. Since Taylor Hooton passed away his father founded the Taylor Hooton Foundation to educated kids about the danger of steroid use and that their is no better success then the success you earn by hard work and dedication.

When Push Comes to Shove

In 1991 and 2002, seventh, tenth, and twelth graders reported using steroids at least once in their lifetime making that 479,000 high school students across the nation have abused steroids through out their high school career.This means one thing, steroids are becoming way to easy to obtain. "A 2005 study by Monitoring the Future, found that nearly 40 percent of high school seniors said steroids were 'fairly easy' or 'very easy' to aquire." There has to be a reason that teenage athletes are using the drug. It all comes down to the pressure to win. Coaches, teammates, and sometimes even parents can push an athlete to the point that steroids are a must. The pressure to win is that important to them and they are willing to sacrifice their future just to reap the short term benefits of winning.That much pressure should not be put on anyone's shoulders especially the shoulders of a young athlete with a bright future ahead of them. There needs to be a line that should not be crossed when it comes to pushing yourself to the limit. Below I posted a youtube video that really explains how easy it is to obtain steroids and how parents family and friends are really unware that there love ones are taking them.

Knowledge is Power

Like I said my blog is about steriod abuse in high school athletes. There are many different types of steroids out there but they all basically do the same thing. For you that don't know what exactly steriods are ... steriods are a type of drug that is used to increase muscle mass and bone synthesis. Over the years the rate of athletes admitting to using steriods has DOUBLED, with the fastest growing group being 7th grade girls! I know that this has to be a huge shocker for you because it was for me when I read this, but the reasons for the use of the drug are not surprising with people today being addicted to the image projected by professional athletes. Instead of high school athletes being so concerned about their image and success, they need to be educated about the long and short term effects of the drug, dangers it brings and needs to be regulated by a higher source.

New Kid

Hey yall. My name is Hillary and this is my first time writing a blog I'm kindah nervous about doing it but I hope you are excited to read it . I will be writing about teenage steroid abuse by high school athletes. I am very passionate about this subject and really think that there needs to be a change in society today about it. I will be able to post more soon. I hope you enjoy and really think about what I say and ways you can help make a change. See yall soon. :):):)