Performance Enhancing Drugs: Anabolic Steroids

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Performance Enhancing Drugs: Immorality and Imperilment of Steroids
The animal within human nature drives people to great lengths for success and survival. People are often willing to do whatever it takes to reach the top and individuals competing in athletics are no exception. In fact, some athletes use drugs, such as steroids, to give them the extra edge, regardless of the consequences. Steroid has multiple meanings and several different functions. There are three main types of steroids: steroids produced naturally by the body in order to fight stress and generate puberty, medicinal steroids prescribed to treat diseases like cancer (Anabolic), and illegal anabolic steroids used by athletes to increase muscle mass and improve performance or appearance (Steroids 1). The official name for steroids is “anabolic- androgenic steroids.” Anabolic refers to muscle building and androgenic refers to male- sex characteristics (Anabolic).“Steroids are a synthetic version of the human hormone called testosterone.” This drug tricks the body into thinking it is producing testosterone, which leads to increased production of muscle mass, but stunts
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Essentially, steroids are a drug that simulates a natural chemical which can improve an individual’s muscle mass and athletic performance. The use of steroids is an unethical utilization of scientific ingenuity and characters, such as Dr. Lanyon and Mr. Utterson, from the novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson would be disgusted by the abuse of this drug. This novella discusses the dual nature of man- good versus evil - and how an aspect of morality should be considered when engaging in scientific research and decisions. Unless prescribed, the use of steroids is dangerous and unethical, as explained by theories presented in the novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,

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