Essay on Steroids

Two Austrian physiologists studying testicular extracts of a bull in 1894 tested the extracts by injecting samples into themselves. They measured the strength of their fingers before and after the injection with a Mosso ergograph. When the results came back showing a significant increase in strength, the idea of steroid/prohormone use for performance was born (Hoberman 147). The only bad things about these steroids were their negative side effects. The most prominent negative effects are: severe depression, shortened temper, public shame and damage to internal organs. One negative effect of steroid use is severe depression. Depression often is seen when the drugs are stopped and may contribute to dependence on anabolic steroids (Nardo 23). It can be imagined the drop in self-confidence when one goes from a strong, muscle building machine, to a totally different feeling of diminished strength and appearance. “They (steroid users) can go from feeling happy to feeling angry or depressed in only a few seconds” (Nardo 23). Depression is a hard thing to experience making it a significant point against steroids. Most have heard the horror stories of “roid rages” or intense bouts of anger and aggression. One of these is a story featuring a police officer that shot and left a storeowner paralyzed over phone usage while on steroids (nardo 25). On the field or in the gym, users have reportedly loved this rage. It may be fine in these places but “it is undesirable, even dangerous in everyday life” (Nardo 24). This states that living with other people in the world can be potentially hazardous to the user and his or her peers. This is another negative effect of steroids. Getting caught with steroids, in the past, has left the offenders with a load of public shame. Take Ben Johnson for example: “In the 1988 summer Olympics” Johnson thrilled the world and set a new world and Olympic record of 9.79 seconds” (Nardo 17). This is an amazing feat of speed. However his experience was short lived when the drug test results showed he was using steroids (Nardo 17). The Olympic committee disgraced him and took away his gold medal, awarding it to Carl Lewis. The risk of public shame is another effect that just makes steroids unworthy of time and/or money. Improper use of steroids can cause irreversible damage to critical internal organs. “Large amounts of steroids might overload the organ and lead to liver damage” (Nardo 22). Without the liver, the human body cannot function properly. This is definitely one of the most dangerous negative effects. Not only can the liver be damaged, but the heart as well. “Experiments with animals have indicated that steroids can damage the heart muscle itself” (Nardo 23). When the heart is entered into the equation, it becomes even more of a risk. It is not uncommon for users to “experience an enlargement of this vital organ” (Nardo 29). Damage inflicted upon internal organs is a dangerous effect that large steroid use has been shown to cause. These effects of depression, shortened temper, public shame, and internal damage are just a few of the negative effects of steroid use. The entire list includes side effects for nearly every part of the body. In short, they can severely damage a person’s body. Yet, people still pay thousands for a few extra pounds. For someone considering steroids, it would be wise to conduct further research upon the subject to discover that the negative effects far outweigh the positive and can cause great harm.