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Dale Magnuson [email protected] |
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By Dale Magnuson August 20, 1998 Sports have always been competitive. Some people will go to any extreme to gain the competitive edge. Many athletes will ignore the consequences just to gain a small amount of fame. In almost all cases the drug user is caught and must pay the consequences. The popular phrase "cheaters never win" usually is proven in athletics. Sometimes, an athlete will slip through the cracks and not get caught. This athlete will always remember that they did not really win. Is it really worth the long-term pain for the short-term fame? This project will attempt an overview of certain key aspects of drug use during athletics. Obviously, not all aspects of drug use/abuse can be discussed in this project, but many key points will be included. II. Drugs Used / Educational Levels
Study: NCAA news Who: 13,000 athletes, 18 men's sports, and 15 women's sports What: Ergogenic (performance enhancing) and recreational drugs including: amphetamines, anabolic steroids, alcohol, marijuana, smokeless tobacco, and ephedrine. Marijuana use: Marijuana is the second most commonly used recreational drug, its use is approximately one third that of alcohol: 80 percent to 28 percent, respectively. Alcohol: (not completely legal, but not allowed by NCAA) Alcohol is by far the biggest recreational drug problem on college campuses. Almost 80 percent of athletes studied said that they used alcohol. Anabolic Steroids: According to The NCAA News "anabolic steroid rate for football players (2.2 percent) was higher than most of the sports surveyed, men's water polo actually had a higher rate of use: 2.8 percent. While football has received the most attention in this area and undergoes year-round random testing in Divisions I and II, there are many other sports, such as men's water polo and baseball, that have significant usage of anabolic steroids." Herbal energizers / Ergogenic drugs: Currently, there are over a hundred types of over-the-counter stimulants sold in US. These over-the-counter stimulants are sold as "herbal energizers," food supplements, and fatigue reducers. The advertising makes them appear healthful and harmless. All of these stimulants belong in the class, sympathomimetic amines, a potentially dangerous and addictive class of drugs similar in structure and actions to amphetamines. Ephedrine: Ephedrine seems to be more of an issue at the high school level rather than at the college level. According to the NCAA News "only three percent of athletes had used ephedrine in the preceding 12 months; 50 percent of the users stated that they took it to improve athletics performance. Because of this information the NCAA added ephedrine to its banned substance list for the 1997-98 season." (NCAA News)
The most common types of stimulants used in over-the-counter stimulants are caffeine, ephedrine, pseudo-ephedrine, and phenylpropanalomine. These drugs have legitimate use as antihistamines, cold medications, and for asthma relief and are found in many over-the-counter medicines. The desired main effects are bronchial dilation, sinus drying, and drowsiness. The side effects of over-the-counter stimulants Most of these stimulants, if taken in small reasonable doses, will not cause harm to the individual in any way. The FDA requires that over-the-counter medications have clear instructions and warnings. Unfortunately, all drugs affect different individuals in different ways. One of the main problems with any drug is that the body builds up a tolerance to it, therefore, the individual will need to increase the dosage to get the same desired affects. With increased dosages comes an increased risk of side effects. Withdrawal effects upon ending use of the drug will follow increased dosages. The most common side effects of these stimulants include anxiety to agitation, alertness to disorientation, increased muscle tension and shakes, mildly elevated heart rate to tachycardia or dangerously elevated heart rate. Appetite is suppressed although the large intestine and bowel may be stimulated. Urine production is increased, as is blood glucose production. Temperature elevation can range from mild to severe overheating. According to the latest information I could find, the FDA is currently examining tightening of regulations of ephedrine sales and distribution. (Substance Abuse Finding News, 1995). Ephedrine can cause heart palpitations, hypertension, nerve damage, muscle injury, psychosis, stroke and death. Pseudo-ephedrine is nearly identical in structure and effects to ephedrine. The main effects, side effects, and risks are essentially the same between the ephedrine and pseudo-ephedrine and both drugs are on the banned lists for most athletic unions. Combining any of these drugs can cause severe overdose effects. Even taking the drug and washing it down with a cup of coffee can cause a severe overdose. A false sense of security may surround the use of over-the-counter stimulants but these drugs are only save when used as recommended and in the doses recommended. The uninformed user of these drugs may accidentally overdose as the result of the combined or synergistic effects of multiple drug use. III. At what levels are athletes using drugs most?
(Taken from NCAA News) Division I Division II Division III Highest percentage for amphetamines, anabolic steroids, alcohol, and marijuana There is very little institutional drug testing at division II and III. The NCAA conducts drug testing only at championship events and year-round for division II football.
All athletes want that competitive edge over their competition. According to advertisers the easiest way to get that edge is by taking stimulants. Drugs are most visualized by advertising ploys. As stated in the Herbal Energizers article, "advertisers of food supplements, some of which contain stimulants target young weightlifters, bodybuilders, and athletes by using words and phrases which remind the reader of anabolic steroids such as "..has twice the anabolic effect." They use terms like "herbal," "natural," and "nutrition supplement" to give the impression that these are healthful and harmless substances." We are in a society nowadays that showcases our stellar athletes. If it comes out that one athlete's role model was a drug user/abuser then young, impressionable athletes may feel that it is all right for them to use drugs. An uninformed athlete may feel inclined to use the same drug to feel the same affects. This probably relates to the high school level more than the college level. The NCAA News ran a study that looked only at college athletes. Their study cleared up a myth that the majority of college athletes feel they must take drugs to "keep up with their competition." Their study found that 87 percent of the student-athletes surveyed disagreed with the above statement. Furthermore 94 percent felt that college athletes use drugs less than other college students. It is important to remember that while accounts of individual student-athletes using drugs make newspaper headlines, the majority of student-athletes do not use illegal substances. Searching the Internet I ran across a news clip from ABCnews.com. The headlines were "Think steroids are just an adult problem? Think again." To summarize the rest of the article, surveys found that boys and girls as young as 10 are taking the illegal drugs in order to do better in sports. The survey found that 2.7 percent of 965 youngsters polled at four Massachusetts middle schools are using anabolic steroids. Where will is stop? If 10-year-old children are using illegal drugs what will they be using once they enter college? Where are children getting illegal drugs? What should the coach be doing about this? Is the coach putting to much pressure, or not enough? These are questions that need to be answered on an individual athlete basis.
A study that the National Youth Sports Coaches Association in 1989 demonstrated that young athletes identify somewhat with the drug-using behavior. Over 1,200 athletes between the ages of 10-14 were surveyed and the results showed that: The findings of this study indicate a lack of knowledge about steroids and drug use in general. Are we teaching young children of society that drugs are a "quick fix" to achieve athletic success? Coaches as well as parents need to learn how to educate young athletes better about drug use. A publication, as reported in the Clearinghouse Fact Sheet, stated that "coaches exert a tremendous influence upon their players and are an important factor in helping to establish positive self-esteem in their athletes." The article also stated "that 6-12 years after a group of swimmers had stopped competing, they still rated their former coaches as the most significant adults in their lives." This shows that coaches need to play many roles as teachers and role models, as well as coaches. Coaches need to educate as well as be educated.
While FINA and the IOC are under great pressure they have increased drug testing and awareness. An examination of FINA's financial report for 1992-96 shows that drug testing ranked ninth on its list of top 10 expenses. The same is true for the IOC, where only a small fraction of one percent of its $4 billion budget it being spent on drug testing and research. Swimming World suggests that FINA should publish on the internet the number of unannounced tests, who has missed or avoided testing, and who has been tested, when, where and with what results. This would increase the power that the IOC and FINA have over drug testing athletes. Most drug testing programs for amateur athletics are modeled after the International and US Olympic Committees (IOC and USOC) drug testing programs. All of the common stimulants found in over-the-counter medications as well as herbal energizers are listed as banned substances by the International and US Olympic Committees and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The Clearinghouse Fact Sheet cited a study conducted in 1984 where members of the American Olympic Team were asked if they would take a "magical solution" that would guarantee them a gold medal, but would cause severe health problems within 2-3 years. A high percentage of them indicated that it would be worth the risk in order to win a medal. Does this show that drugs encourage athletes to take a risk? Why would the "best" athletes in the world be willing to take drugs with guaranteed harmful side effects? This shows that the IOC needs to take a stronger stand on educating athletes about drugs. Swimming World, March 1998 Volume 39 No. 3 Pg. 22-25
Baker, Richard Ed.D. "The Coach's Role in Alcohol/Drug Prevention." Clearinghouse Fact Sheet. 1992. "Drugs..." Swimming World October 1997 Volume 38 No. 10: 10-11. "Drugs Update" Swimming World April 1998 Volume 39 No. 4: 10-12. Green, Gary A. M.D. "Seven Myths About Athletes and Drugs." The NCAA News Jenkins, Andrew P. "Herbal Energizers: Speed By Any Other Name." Lord, Craig. "The Great Gall of China." Swimming World March 1998 Volume 39 No. 3: 22-25. Lord, Craig. "What is Growth Hormone?" Swimming World April 1998 Volume 39 No. 4: 28-29. "More Middle-Schoolers Taking Steroids." ABCNEWS.com. Stash. Drugs in Sports. Madison: Stash Press, 1974. Zaleski, Carol. "Disclosures of East German Doping." Swimming World February 1998 Volume 39 No. 2: 12-13 |
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Dale Magnuson [email protected] |
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