Steroids and HGHThe use of steroids in medicine and sports has increased dramatically since steroids were first invented. “The history of anabolic steroids can be traced back to the 1930s, before the term steroid was even used. In the 1930s, a group of scientists managed to create a synthetic form of testosterone (a male hormone) to help treat men who were unable to produce enough of the hormone for normal growth, development, and sexual functioning” ( Center for Substance Abuse Research, 2013, web). Many doctors at that time prescribed steroids to soldiers to gain weight and have an overall athletic physique. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay After World War II, steroids found their way into sports at the 1956 Olympics, where they were especially popular with Russian athletes. When the Russians won the Olympics, it was clear that steroids were having a huge impact on sports. “After learning that those athletes were using testosterone, an American doctor (Dr. Zeigler) created a more selective form of what we know as anabolic steroids” (Center for Substance Abuse Research, 2013, web). Athletes began taking steroids to gain an edge in their sport. The Olympic Committee finally banned steroids in 1975, but that didn't stop athletes from taking them to get better at their sport because the penalties weren't as severe. It was not until 1988 that the first major federal regulation of steroids was introduced as part of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act – toughening penalties for the sale and possession of steroids (Center for Substance Abuse Research, 2013, web). There are a few ways to take anabolic steroids, but the most common way is to inject the drug. You can inject yourself directly into the bloodstream, also known as intravenously, or directly into the muscle. Either of these two ways introduces the drugs into the system faster and will produce almost immediate results with exercise. During lifting or training, the muscles of the body suffer micro injuries within the muscles which cause us pain for the following days. The body naturally produces proteins to repair damaged microlesions in muscles, but not at an extremely rapid rate (usually one to two days). When an anabolic steroid is injected, it “travels through the bloodstream to muscle tissue. It is drawn into the receiving basin of muscle cells, called the androgen receptor. Once delivered to the muscle cell, the steroid can interact with the cell's DNA and stimulate the process of protein synthesis that promotes cell growth” (Peterson, 2009, web). There are advantages to taking steroids, for example the athlete has a faster recovery time after training. The process mentioned above allows the body to not only recover faster, but also allows muscle tone to grow within the body. Once taken, steroids can also allow the body to stay out of the “fatigue zone” for longer periods of time. This is especially important for endurance athletes because they are able to train and compete at a higher intensity for long periods of time. Another benefit of taking steroids is physical attractiveness. Many body builders take anabolic steroids to increase the size of their muscles. Most body builders take some form of steroids to look much bigger than their body would be without the drug. Finally, athletes take steroids hoping that they will improve theirgame. Steroids themselves do not actually help improve sports skill, but they allow the athlete to develop larger muscles and faster recovery times. The athlete will still have to practice to improve, but there will be some added bonuses if he takes steroids. Well there may be pros to steroids, there is a much longer list of cons when taking steroids.drug. The drug negatively affects males and females differently. In males, the short-term effects are a reduction in sperm count, heart damage, difficulty urinating and many other side effects. In females, short-term effects include breast reduction and excessive hair growth all over the body. , as well as masculinization effects such as a deeper voice, masculine musculature, and excessive facial hair growth. Some shared short-term effects of steroids include acne, fluid retention, headaches, swelling of the feet and ankles, insomnia, rapid weight gain, and many more. In addition to the short-term effects of steroids, there are more serious long-term effects for both males and females that include blood clotting difficulties, heart attacks, cardiovascular and liver damage, premature heart attacks, stunted growth in adolescents, as well as mood changes such as depression (Center for Substance Abuse Research, 2013, web). The long-term effects of steroids can cause premature death in “healthier” athletes. Many steroid-related deaths involve middle-aged people and almost always come by surprise. Most people who take steroids appear to be in great shape, however they are in very poor health in their body. Steroids cause a buildup of plaque in the arteries, causing an increased risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. Most people don't know they have clogged arteries and eventually have a heart attack before realizing it's too late. In addition to the physical disadvantages of steroids, there are also mental drawbacks that come with steroid use. Many steroid users become more aggressive towards the drugs, causing them to act abnormally. This happens to such an extent that they call this aggressive behavior “rage on steroids”. Steroids make an already aggressive person even more aggressive to the point where they act out. Aggressive behavior is not the only psychological behavior induced by drugs. Depression is a huge side effect of the drug, especially if someone stops taking it. There have been many suicide-related deaths of athletes who used steroids once they stopped using them. Unfortunately, steroid use is not only found in professional athletes, but in hundreds of thousands of high schools across the United States. High school age steroid users are trying to get recruited to play at big college schools or to be on their school's varsity team. This creates big problems because using steroids on a developing brain can have major psychological effects in the future. Taylor Hooton, was a seventeen year old high school pitcher at Plano West High School. Hooton took steroids to excel in his high school baseball career, but soon after he stopped taking them, he fell into a deep depression that ultimately led to suicide. Her father and mother believed that "the suicide resulted from depression following Taylor's decision to stop using steroids" (Stiffman, 2013, web). High school kids are big buyers of black market steroids, and use is steadily increasing. opinion, should never be taken into consideration