USE OF STEROIDS:

Another item that bears watching if your child is a high school athlete is the use of steroids. The following article points out the ease with which students obtain this substance if as many as noted are taking it.  When it comes to competition with his/her friends or making the team, students will do just about anything to succeed. Watch for the signs of steroid use. If your child was a 98 pound weakling and suddenly isn't, that's your first clue! Search the Internet for additional articles, and there are many, about the dangers of this drug.  Having your child messed up for life isn't a good tradeoff for pleasure YOU get from seeing him make a touchdown on Saturday night or win a Volleyball tournament when he or she is 17 years old! You have to stop and ask yourself, "Is my child's coach really interested in the health and well-being of my child, or does she just want to win?" Only you can answer that question, and only you can stop the steroid use if you see it happening to your own child.

One in 20 youth has used steroids to bulk up: study

Nov 19, 2012 by External Resource

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – About five percent of middle and high school students have used anabolic steroids to put on muscle, according to a new study from Minnesota.

In addition to steroid use, more than one-third of boys and one-fifth of girls in the study said they had used protein powder or shakes to gain muscle mass, and between five and 10 percent used non-steroid muscle-enhancing substances, such as creatine.

Researchers said a more muscular body ideal in the media may be one factor driving teens to do anything possible to get toned, as well as pressure to perform in sports.

“Really the pressure to start using (steroids) is in high school,” said Dr. Linn Goldberg, from Oregon Health & Science University in Portland.

“You get the influence of older teens in high school, so when you’re a 14-year-old that comes in, you have 17-year-olds who are the seniors, and they can have great influence as you progress into the next stage of your athletic career.”

The new data came from close to 2,800 kids and teens at 20 different middle and high schools in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. During the 2009-2010 school year, those students completed a survey on food and weight-related behaviors, including activities tied to muscle gain.

The majority of kids surveyed were poor or middle-class.

via One in 20 youth has used steroids to bulk up: study – Yahoo! News.

http://www.educationviews.org/one-in-20-youth-has-used-steroids-to-bulk-up-study/