The Postitive Effects of Steroids and the Real Reasons Why They Are Banned

Chris Benoit, a famous WWE wrestler, is found dead in his house, along with his wife and 7 year old son Daniel. The police first speculated that it was a homicide and that an outsider entered the house and killed the family. Further investigations lead police to conclude that Chris Benoit had killed his family before fatally shooting himself in the head. Chris, like most other wrestlers in his profession, has been a long time steroid user. Therefore, as soon as the police uncovered the reality of what happened, the media and news papers went on to blame steroids by claiming that it was "Roid rage" that took the lives of the Benoit family. Unfortunately, this has been the fate of steroids for the past couple of decades. Hasty generalizations, shallow assumptions and a misled public have given steroids a permanent taboo label of causing harm to those who take them. However, the reality is that steroids, in reasonable doses, are harmless. This constant misleading of the public must stop, because steroids have many beneficial benefits, that can better people in many ways. Even the latter statement is arising anger and denial in many of those out there hearing it. But why? What is fueling this anger? Where is your proof? Almost all of you have based your information on what people have told you. The general public isn't always right. At one point in history, men were ridiculed and even persecuted when they said the earth was round. Even when science proved the latter was right, people still had a problem coping with the idea. Hopefully, steroids will one day stop being regarded as a taboo or a crime.

First of all, not one study conclusively shows that steroids cause any of the diseases they are blamed for. Steroids are often blamed for their "side effects". Well, every single drug has a side effect, even aspirin. Furthermore, steroids have only been conclusively proven to cause increase in muscle mass. Not one other study conducted on humans, was able to conclude that steroids cause any harm. On the same note, drug abuse, no matter what the drug may be, is always bad. Steroids can be taken in safe quantities without causing any negative side effects.

Secondly, many doctors prescribe Steroids as a medication for many patients. How could steroids be drugs which are so detrimental to the body but be used to treat people? Does one have to fall ill in order take steroids?

On another note, anorexics and bulimics, like steroid users, change their bodies to achieve their ideal image. The law does not intervene in the former case, which is proven to be lethal, while those who take steroids are considered criminals even though steroids have not been proven to cause death in reasonable doses.

The law allows people to have sex changes in order to change their body image. Sex changes involve female patients ingesting massive amounts of steroids in order to show male characteristics. Must someone undergo a sex change just to be allowed to legally take steroids? Some males lack masculine features. Why is it legal for a woman to undergo a sex change and be more manly than natural men who lack masculinity?

People are born free. They can do whatever they want to their bodies. Piercing one's body or having a tattoo is legal but using a drug to increase muscle mass is illegal? Many people in financial need resort to selling their organs in order to procure money. Giving away a kidney or part of a liver can have dire consequences on one's body. How can the use of steroids, which has not been proven to cause any major negative side effects in reasonable doses, be illegal while the latter practice be considered legal?

Governments, who have labeled steroids as illegal substances, allow people to smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol, even though they are known to cause many types of diseases raging from cancer to cardiovascular diseases. Steroids have not yet been proven to cause ANY disease, but yet they are illegal.

Overeating to the point of morbidity is legal, but taking steroids to improve one's stamina, lower their fat percentage and increase their overall athleticism is illegal.

Steroids are known to lower LDL, the type of cholesterol that causes all types of cardiovascular diseases.

Caffeine is a drug ingested by children. Caffeine has more proven negative side effects than steroids which vary from hormonal imbalances, to mood crashes, to even enhancing performance by keeping people awake and focused. Steroids are illegal because they enhance one's performance. Therefore caffeine is a performance enhancing drug that is not banned, unlike steroids which are.

Many people say using steroids is unfair. Well, many people are naturally born athletic with beautiful bodies, even though they have never been to a gym in their lives. Other people have almost lived in gyms and have not been able to improve their bodies at all. isn't that also unfair? In that case shouldn't people with bad genes be allowed to take steroids in order to restore the balance of fairness and justice?

Many FDA approved products claim they give the same desired effects as steroids while repeatedly stating that their product is steroid free. In that case, shouldn't these products be banned since they also enhance performance?

In conclusion, we can see that the ban of steroids is logically flawed in many ways. Governments have banned them based on no scientific studies, since not one study conducted on human beings shows that steroids are responsible for the diseases they are infamous for. The general public has their information based only on what they hear, and since all the media bases their findings on assumptions and generalizations, society seems to be following a "blind leading the blind scenario". hopefully I have been able to open your eyes more about steroids, and why not go discover the truth for yourselves? Use the internet, find reliable websites and sources and make your own conclusions. We can think and conclude as much as we can read and watch TV. Don't let anyone else make your own decisions, as long as they are based on proven facts.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2003-12-04-steroid-testing-debate_x.htm

http://stress.about.com/od/stresshealth/a/caffeine.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0LEj8IPHGU

http://baseballcrank.com/archives2/2005/01/baseball_yes_st.php

http://www.mesomorphosis.com/articles/gendin/philosophical-defense-of-steroid-use-03.htm