Affects of Steroids
General Goal: give basic understanding of affects
Specific Goal: show that usage is not worth it
Thesis Statement: The use of performance enhancing drugs is bad for your physical, and mental health.
I.
II.
Introduction
A. Have you ever thought about one of your favorite athletes taking performance enhancing drugs?
B. Believe it or not steroids are used a lot more than you would think they are. Whether in your local gym,
used by your favorite actor, or could even be your favorite athlete. Sadly there are also a lot of
influencers who lie to their fans, and listeners about their use of steroids, which leads their audience to
false hopes.
C. I am someone who had taken lifting weights seriously for around three years, and in that three years I
have done lot’s of research aiming towards how to maximize muscle growth. I also talk to many others
who are interested in lifting, who usually share the same opinions, conducted by their own research.
D. The use of performance enhancing drugs is bad for your physical, and mental health.
Body
The use of steroids weakens your heart
1.
2.
According to the NIH (National institute of drug abuse) steroids can shrink your coronary arteries passages.
(Tobin, 2017) Everyone has coronary artery disease , but there are habits and other factors that speed up the
process for some people. The shrinking of your coronary arteries is due to Atherosclerosis which is the plaque
build up in the vessels, which can reduce blood flow. (Cleveland clinic) When your heart receives reduced amount
of blood flow due to the plaque build up which is called myocardial ischemia. The plaque build up comes from
waste materials such as fats, calcium, and fibrin. The reduction of blood flow can also limit the amount of oxygen
that your heart gets. It is evident that Atherosclerosis is damaging to the heart. As this can lead to heart disease,
which is the number one thing that claims lives in America. It may be tempting because steroids can make you
seem healthier because of performance, physique, and extreme muscle growth.
Another thing that the use of steroids can do to your heart is weaken left ventricular function. (Tobin, 2017) When
this occurs it can limit your stroke volume. Stroke volume is the amount of blood that is pumped from the left
ventricle per beat. This can lead to heart failure because it is not pumping enough blood. Your left ventricle is
responsible for pumping blood into your major organs. Your heart has to keep up with the demand for oxygenated
blood, to keep you body functioning. (Heart failure: Compensation by the heart and body 2020) This leads to your
heart muscles tightening, growing, and the walls of your heart become smaller because they have to adapt to the
amount of blood in your heart. One this problem gets worse it can lead to ventricular dysfunction. There in so cure
to severe LV disfunction, and inevitably leads to increased heart failure, and sudden death. (Health, 2020)
We can assume that people with these heart problems from steroid, are probably not happy.
2.
3.
Mental health is Also effected by the use of steroids
a.
One way that steroids can effect your mental health is due to the side effects that come before you even
start using. Many people who use steroids suffer from a misconception called body dysmorphia, which is
the belief that you are too small. With this hope of getting better they will do almost anything to get to
there desired size. This leads to a bad recipe for addiction as the constant mental battle with yourself
increases, as you see your inhumane process you start to fall involve. This can lead to arrogance as you
start to become something you have never experienced before, and also start to look better, and feel
stronger. You are being given a false representation that you feel fine, look healthier, and can keep going
on, but you are becoming a slave to something in which has control over your emotions.
b.
Another way that steroids can affect your mental health is due to the phycological affects that come
directly from the use of steroids. They can lead to anxiety, depression, aggression, and constant mood
swings. If you have heard of the term roid-rage this is because it can make outburst os aggression
These mental diseases can have an effect on your social life. With the increase of depression, anxiety, and
paranoia this affects your social life. You can start to loose trust in others, or change views on those close to you.
This can lead to many broken relationships with those who you trusted. Those around who might look at your
addiction, and change the way they look at you.
4.
The most important thing is that you are disobeying Gods commands while using steroids. Because of your
change in mood and outburst, you are being rude to others more often. You also are damaging your body. 1
Corinthians 6:19 says that “ Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you
have from God? You are not your own,”. This tells us that we must respect our bodies, because they represent the
holy spirit.
This shows us that the use of steroids is not worth the performance enhancing agents.
III.
3.
4.
5.
Conclusion
The use of performance enhancing drugs is bad for your physical, and mental health.
Steroids can have a major impact on both mental and physical health. Steroids can lead to a weakened heart
because of limited blood flow. This limited blood flow is caused by things like Atherosclerosis, and myocardial
ischemia. This weakened heart leads to heart failure, and increased levels of death. (Health, 2020)
We can see from this research that the ultimate desire to get bigger, and stronger is not worth it because of the
side affects that are hidden from the positives from steroids. The maximizing of muscle growth is simply not worth
the cost of health. This cost of health is deadly to all who abuse these performance enhancing drugs. It also goes
against our morals, and beliefs as Christians. We should not put self proclamation before God. We should also
make sure to keep in mind that we do not own our bodies, and that they are made to represent God.
References
Anabolic steroids increase risk for heart disease in young and middleaged men. CardioSmart. (2017, July 7).
Retrieved February 27, 2022, from https://www.cardiosmart.org/news/2017/7/anabolic-steroids-increase-riskfor-heart-disease-in-young-and-middleaged-men
Tobin, S. (2017, November 30). Anabolic-androgenic steroids may damage the heart and arteries. NIDA Archives.
Retrieved February 27, 2022, from https://archives.drugabuse.gov/news-events/nida-notes/2017/11/anabolicandrogenic-steroids-may-damage-heartarteries#:~:text=A%20large%20new%20study%20demonstrates,the%20heart%20to%20the%20arteries.
Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Coronary artery disease: Causes, symptoms, diagnosis & treatments. Cleveland Clinic.
Retrieved February 27, 2022, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/16898-coronary-arterydisease
Healthwise Staff. (2020, August 31). Heart failure: Compensation by the heart and body. Heart Failure:
Compensation by the Heart and Body | Michigan Medicine. Retrieved February 27, 2022, from
https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/aa86963
Anabolic steroids increase risk for heart disease in young and middleaged men. CardioSmart. (2017, July 7).
Retrieved February 27, 2022, from https://www.cardiosmart.org/news/2017/7/anabolic-steroids-increase-riskfor-heart-disease-in-young-and-middleaged-men