Drugs

Drugs

1. Anabolic steroids

   • Reasons athletes take them
     • allow them to train harder for longer so increasing power and strength
     • to speed up recovery time
     • help develop learn muscle mass
   • Health risk
     • Liver damage
     • mood swings, including increased aggresion
     • skin problems, including acne
   • Who might use them?
     • weight lifting
     • Sprinter

2. Diuretics

   • Reasons athletes take them
     • to achieve quick weight loss (due to loss of fluid from the body)
     • to mask or hide other performance-enhancing substance the performer may have taken.
   • Health risks
     • dehydration
     • nausea, headaches
     • heart/kidney failure
   • Who might use them?
     • boxing
     • horse racing (jockey)

3. Beta Blockers

   • Reasons athletes take them
     • they reduce muscle tremor or shaking
     • they allow the performer to remain in control
     • they reduce the performer's anxiety
     • they have a calming effect
     • increase chances of winning
   • Health risks
     • slowing heart rate, therefore oxygen delivery drops and performance in endurance events drop.
     • lowering blood pressure
     • sleep disturbance leading to tiredness
   • Who might use them?
     • archery
     • target shooting
     • gymnastics
     • diving

4. Narcotic Analgesics

   • Reasons athletes take it
     • give sense of euphoria
     • give sense of being invisible
     • mask injury
     • increase pain threshold
   • Health risks
     • nausea/sickness
     • anxiety/depression
     • kidney/liver damage
     • addiction
     • concentration loss
     • further damage to injury
   • Who might use it?
     • sprinting
     • boxing
     • football
     • swimming

5. Stimulants

   • Reasons athletes take it
     • increase alertness so the performer is quicker to respond
     • to reduce tiredness
     • to increase heart rate
     • increase levels of aggression and competitiveness
   • Health risks
     • insomnia
     • anxiety
     • aggression
     • heart rate irregularities
   • Who might use it?
     • rugby
     • boxing
     • ice hockey
     • long-distance cycling
     • baseball

6. Peptide hormones

   • Reasons athletes take it
     • help increase muscle mass and therefore strength (HGH)
       • HGH: human growth hormone
     • help increase red blood cell production and increase oxygen delivery (EPO)
       • EPO: Erythropoietin
   • Health risks
     • HGH
       • arthritis
       • heart failure
       • diabetes
     • EPO
       • increase thickness of the blood
       • blood clots
       • increased risk of heart attack
   • Who might use it?
     • HGH
       • sprinting
       • weight lifting
     • EPO
       • rugby
       • distance running
       • distance cycling

7. Recreational drugs

   • Alcohol
     • negative effects on health
       • heart failure
       • increased blood pressure
       • increased weight
       • liver disease/cancer
     • negative effects on performance
       • leads to slower reaction times
       • loss of coordination
       • loss of concentration
   • Nicotine
     • negative effects on health
       • stokes
       • bronchitis
       • heart disease
       • blood clots
       • emphysema
       • lung cancer
     • negative effects on performance
       • causes breathlessness
       • reduces oxygen-carrying capacity