ABSTRACT
The use of elicit substances, in particular anabolic-androgenic steroids to improve performance, appears to be a practice that is gaining popularity in our society, especially among today’s youth. Anabolic-androgenic steroids enhance strength, power, and endurance performance. However, performance is largely affected by many factors including the sport itself and sporting skill, training regimens, frequency of training, genetics, intensity, and environmental inuences to name a few. Research has indicated increased use patterns among high school students, in particular male students, not only for the performance-enhancing benets but also for increased self-esteem. Some of the acute side effects reported in male subjects in these studies include increased aggression, acne occurrence, increased body hair, and testicular atrophy. Use of such substances by women, children, and adolescents are of particular concern due to the addictive potential and how the substances impact the physiology of these types of individuals. Legal considerations and testing of anabolic-androgenic steroids are not cut and dry, which is further complicated by adequate and effective testing procedures as well as necessary funding to support widespread testing efforts. With regard to adolescents and sports, drug testing is largely punitive, with positive testing yielding signicant penalties, including loss of player privileges, removal of both individual and team awards and championships, removal of scholarships, and potentially criminal punishment.
