Steroid Abuse
Reports of steroid abuse by professional sportsmen are getting more regular and the fact that teenagers and even younger children look up to them and try to mimic them is a dangerous development. It seems that nowadays the trend is to win at all costs. The amount of money that can be earned by a sportsman has grown alarmingly in recent years particularly in sports such as golf, basketball, baseball and football in the US and in soccer in Europe. The amounts to be made make it an attractive career for young people with ability and has led to an increase in the numbers of parents who are intent on getting their children into a highly paid sport. All these factors have a huge influence on the young mind. 
The children want to emulate their heroes, they want to please their parents, and they want a career doing something they enjoy, which does place a lot of stress on those youngsters. The problems arise when these young people are not quite good enough to make it to the top. Do they just give up on their ambition, disappoint their parents, and feel they are inadequate to cope with what they have been forced to do day after day, hour after hour? We would say yes to that but the ambitious parents are unlikely to let them off so easily. Instead they are likely to impose a stricter regime, demand even more effort, and cause their offspring a great deal of stress. It is a sad fact that these pushy parents were unable to be successful themselves and hoped to realise their own ambitions through their children.
What of these sportsmen who have been caught cheating? Does it make the hero worshipper who sees his hero deposed determine not to fall into the same trap, or does he or she think that it is okay to cheat? It is impossible to know what goes through the mind of a developing young person but it must cause some turmoil in their thinking. They have been raised to participate in a sport they love, pushed to perform better and better and failed. Their sporting hero has failed too but prior to failing he was a huge success worshipped by the public and a role model for the young people who admired him. Is it so bad to cheat? This must be what goes through their minds. He got to the top, he made his fortune, he’s got a nice house, a fast car or two and though he’s banned now everyone knows he will not be banned for life no matter what he has done to fall from grace. It seems unlikely that the younger generation are being influenced the right way by a hero being caught out as a cheat as steroid users in schools has risen dramatically, so much so that even grade 8 children are abusing steroids. It would seem then that authority figures are not communicating well enough with these young people, not imposing strong enough punishments on disgraced athletes, and not educating the children on the dangers of drug abuse. The rewards in sport are tipping the balance in favour of cheating and it is the cheating that is getting the support not the punishment which is what we should be concentrating on. There needs to be a concerted effort to teach our children that it is wrong to cheat and that cheats never prosper, but cheats are prospering and the sporting authorities need to make sure that the cheats are punished severely to set an example to our children. We also need to educate our children about the side effects of drugs, in particular anabolic steroids which do not seem to have the same negative press as other drugs.
Side Effects
The side effects of steroid abuse are well documented but are obviously not getting through to our children. Apart from the sickness, the dizziness, and the acne which are symptoms of steroid abuse the more serious effects need to be explained. Most adolescents go through the acne stage when they are alarmed at the sudden appearance of spots on their faces. For girls in particular this is a disaster at a time when they want to be seen at their best, when puberty is turning their thoughts to boys. It is not as bad for boys though they are going through the same experiences it seems to be more acceptable to be a spotty faced boy than a spotty faced girl. The trauma that this causes is still not enough to stop the contemplation of drug abuse even though acne can be severe in those who do abuse steroids. It should also be pointed out that steroids effect their future growth. The sudden surge in hormones sends signals to the body to stop bone growth and means that the person involved is always likely to be below average height, a factor that should be emphasised to those wishing to compete in sports where height can make such a difference. These effects are nothing compared to the possibilities of cardio-vascular problems that may arise and nothing compared to the possibilities of heart attacks that the abuse increases the chances of. Girls in particular are vulnerable where steroid abuse is concerned. It can spoil their looks, cause facial hair to grow, shrink their breasts and affect the whole menstrual cycle and jeopardise the chance of them ever giving birth.
The Parents Responsibility
Parents have a huge responsibility for their offspring. It is not good enough that they provide comforts, ensure a good education, teach standards of moral and general behaviour, and try to do their best. They need to put pressure on the powers that be to ensure that their children are properly educated which means that they have regular lessons about the problems they will face as they grow up. They need to put pressure on the sporting authorities to mete out stronger punishments to those who break the rules and cheat. It MUST be put over to our children that honesty is the best policy and that they can see examples of how this is so otherwise we are going to foster a society that is based on “the strongest men rule” a “win at all cost” society and these attitudes if not corrected will spill over to more violence on the streets, more bullying in our schools, and a more aggressive society. We know that parents do not have the time to teach their children everything which is why we rely on teachers to help us.
The Teachers Responsibility
Our children are left in your care whilst we go to work so we put a lot of responsibility on your shoulders but you need to be trained to deal with steroid abuse as it is something that is going to get worse not better. Whilst we understand that teachers have a lot to do and are often undervalued it is them that have to watch for that boy who is trying to sell drugs to my child. It is them who have to emphasise the dangers of such a practice and teach about the fact that win at all costs and cheating is not acceptable behaviour. They are the parents whilst a child is at school and parents expect their own standards of teaching to be echoed by the teaching staff. They should let their voices be heard by those responsible for the curriculum at their schools.
Summary
We are facing something of a crisis with the situation of steroid abuse and every one of us has a duty to young people to make sure that they fully understand the choices they have. It is difficult for parents and teachers to be totally responsible for their children’s behaviour as they cannot change the decision makers unless by voting and letting their voices be heard. This is fine in theory but in practice most parents fall into the category of “silent minority” not wanting to be seen as pushy or controversial. It is the government’s ,the leaders, the authorities who decide the way society develops and it is those people who should be held responsible if your child turns to steroid abuse. Pressure needs to be put on these authority figures to ensure that the punishment fits the crime when sporting heroes, admired and often worshipped by the children, transgress. It is time that life bans were handed out to theses people with no right of appeal. All sportsmen and women know the rules when they join and if they cannot live up to their responsibilities then they should no longer be allowed to compete. Some will say that is harsh, that everyone should be given a second chance, but would those same people say the same if their child was laid on a slab as a direct result of steroid abuse? Would they not wish it was their child getting that second chance?