Athletes struggle with abusing performance enhancing drugs.

By ZACH ARNOLD

Athletes today in our society often see winning the game more important than the game itself. Drug abuse in sports is a major issue today in all sports. There are four different classes of drugs including Creatine, anabolic steroids, ephedra alkaloids, and androstenedione. All of these drugs are over the counter medication except the anabolic steroid class.

   Performance enhancing drugs have continued to evolve, with advances in in doping strategies driven by improved drug testing detection methods and advances in scientific research that can lead to the discovery and use of substances that may later be banned.

   Doping dates all the way back to the Ancient Greek Olympics back in the third century BC they were using various brandy and wine concoctions and ate hallucinogenic mushrooms and sesame seeds to enhance performance.   

   Drugs and alcohol have ended careers and lives and continue to do so today. Athletes turn to drugs for different reasons whether it is to enhance their performance, get over an injury, depression, accessibility, and personal history. Certain substances increase physical attributes but also present multiple health risks. In reference to his drug own abuse of steroids Alex Rodriguez told ESPN, “When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I felt like i had the weight of the world on top of me and i needed to perform, and perform at a high level, every day”.

   NFL player Josh Gordon admitted that he used tto get drunk or high before pretty much every game that he played in during his first three seasons with the Cleaveland Browns. Gordon said that if he had already been drug-tested that week, or the day before the game he knew he had a couple days to clean his system. Josh led the NFL in recieving yards  in 2013 until he had to miss forty five games over four seasons because of his drug problem and due to failed drug tests.

after seeing all the aspects of drug abuse in sports most would conclude it is a major problem.