What are performance-enhancing drugs? Where should we draw the line for athletes?

There has been a lot going on with sports lately, for example, the Asian Games, the Women's World Cup, the Rugby World Cup, and so on. While players enjoy running around and getting some challenges, sometimes, there could be so much pressure on them. Scandals, fake news, hate, and so much more that makes the players feel torn apart. However, many people in the world do not know these disadvantages of the sports world. So because these players have to face those things and gloominess by themselves, there are often cases where they take drugs or PEDs. PED stands for performance-enhancing drugs, and in this essay, I will discuss PEDs in terms of their effects on athletes.

To begin with, one type of PEDs are often used to soothe an athlete or player and prevent them from getting too nervous about an upcoming tournament. Trained or not, many athletes get nervous when in a big competition. One of these soothing PEDs are called Beta Blockers. Beta Blockers are used to block the effects of adrenaline, which slows the heart rate of athletes and makes them feel more relaxed. In particular, they reduce heart rate, anxiety, and muscle tremors, and basically take away all of the disturbing things which would stop an athlete from focusing. This makes them particularly useful to athletes performing in sports that require accurate aiming, like golf and archery. Even though Beta Blockers can be helpful, there are some health risks included. When they are used medically, for a specific heart condition or to treat high blood pressure, then they could be helpful. However, when Beta Blockers are misused for sports, they could be very dangerous. Using them could lead to reduced blood circulation throughout the body, and also cause dizziness, fatigue, dry mouth, and drowsiness. This is really bad, especially since athletes have to focus on their health. More serious side effects can include asthma attacks, memory loss, or even heart failure.

Additionally, different PEDs are used to make athletes stronger during tournaments. Just like how some PEDs can make an athlete feel more relaxed, others could help them to gain more energy during competitions. Anabolic steroids are an example of this type of PED. Anabolic steroids are drugs such as testosterone which help athletes to build stronger muscles and unleash more power during a competition. One common steroid, testosterone, is partially responsible for the developmental changes that occur during puberty and adolescence, and is also involved in controlling the build-up and breakdown of the main biochemical components of all tissues, including muscle. So because testosterone affects muscle growth, it will also lead to significant strength gains. However, there are some side effects for this too. Medical experts see significant dangers in the use of anabolic steroids. Some of the effects are minor or only last while the drug is being taken; others are more serious and long-term. For example, anabolic steroids can cause high blood pressure, acne, abnormalities in liver function, alterations in the menstrual cycle in women, decline in sperm production in men, kidney failure, and heart disease. They can also make both men and women more aggressive.

So in conclusion, PEDs could be helpful, however, they could be dangerous at the same time. In the future, I hope that there would be less use of PEDs to keep the athletes safe and healthy. I hope they all make the right choice for themselves and their body, since they are mature enough to do so. Being an athlete is a hard job. I hope they all have a healthy and safe life until the end.