Steroids: Not only illegal but dangerous

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Tim Beckham
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
It seems like every time someone turns the TV to AFN Sports nowadays, the broadcasters are talking about an athlete using performance enhancing-steroids. Sure, when they are caught they get a smack on the hand, some sort of suspension and of course the media-circus embarrassment. But make no mistake, if a military member is caught using performance enhancers, there will be much more than just an asterisk next to their name. 

"Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the maximum punishment for the use or possession of anabolic steroids, which is a violation of Article 112, is a dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement for five years," said Capt. Robert Chatham, 39th Air Base Wing deputy staff judge advocate. "It is the same maximum punishment as cocaine and 30 grams or more of marijuana." 

In the long run steroids hurt much more than they help. 

"Steroids are dangerous drugs that can cause a host of severe and long lasting, often irreversible, negative health consequences," said Kerry Bringman, Drug Demand Reduction Program manager. "These drugs can stunt the height of adolescents, masculinize women, and alter sex characteristics of men. 

They can lead to premature heart attacks, strokes, liver tumors, kidney failure and serous psychiatric problems." 

Mr. Bringman said that often times steroids don't get lumped in with many of the more well known narcotics, such as cocaine, marijuana or ecstasy, but according to recent studies they can be very addictive. 

"Abuse of anabolic steroids differs from abuse of other illicit drugs because the initial use of steroids is not driven by the immediate euphoria that accompanies most drugs of abuse but by the desire of the abuser to change their appearance and performance, characteristics of great importance to adolescents," he said. "These short term effects of steroids can lead the user to overlook the potential seriousness of the long-term damages caused by these substances." 

The long-term use of steroids can even lead to withdrawal symptoms. 

"There is no question that when regular steroid users stop taking the drug they get withdrawal pains and if they start up again the pain goes away," said Dr. Gary Wadler, New York University School of Medicine professor. 

"They have difficulties stopping use even though they know it's bad for them."
Most people probably know that steroids are unhealthy but may not know just how serious taking steroids can be. 

"It is important that students, parents, teachers, coaches, and others take part and join in the prevention efforts," said Mr. Bringman. "We need to get the word out that sports are fun and offer many healthful benefits, but no one should take unnecessary health risks in the effort to win." 

Remember for every superstar athlete that may have taken performance enhancers to get ahead, there are thousands more who's career's and lives were cut short because they forgot what was really important. (Editor's note: Facts were contributed to this article from http://espn.go.com.)