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Both PED's and alcohol can benefit adults in their everyday lives. What most people do not realize, however, is that putting anything other than water or food in your body is taking a risk, no matter how safe your coach or your friends may say it is. Risking your personal health and athletic integrity for larger muscles is the mistake that over a third of athletes make every year. For example, Lance Armstrong, one of the most famous American athletes of this century, recently lost all eight of his Tour de France titles due to his use of blood doping, a performance enhancing method used to increase cardiac capacity. He used to be one of the most look-up to athletes in the world, but now he is just an example of athletic fraud.
People like Armstrong who choose to roll the dice do not understand that they are gambling more than their own integrity, though. It's understandable for a young, hotshot athlete to risk his/her own health for the potential glory, but what they don't realize is that they are risking more than just their own athletic reputation, but their teammates' too. That's right, many athletic organizations will not only strip an individual athlete of his/her title, but often the entire team in the event that one or more persons test positive for PED's. The Olympic Committee stripped Usain Bolt of his 2008 gold medal in the 400 Meter Relay because just one of his teammates tested positive for PED's.
So, if you are ever offered a PED or other illicit substance, first ask yourself:
Is it really worth the risk?

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The number one abused substance in America is alcohol
Sobering facts
- Over 100,000 people die every year from alcohol-related causes, including car crashes, liver disease, cancer, and alcohol poisoning
- Alcohol abuse from teens alone kills 4,700 people each year— more than all other illicit substances combined

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Anabolic Steroids can cause severe acne

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- Approximately 30% of all athletes, college or professional, use anabolic steroids
- Side effects for these sorts of drugs include premature balding, depression, high blood pressure, cancer, insomnia, dizziness, increased HIV risk, caprices, and vomiting
- Just between the US, Russia, and Hungary, 30 medals have been stripped from athletes in the Olympics

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Hello, miscellaneous athlete! Have you heard any of the following terms before? Steroids, Doping, Cocaine, or Diuretics? Chances are, you probably have. In this world of modern medicine, scientists are continuously developing new breakthroughs, synthetically producing different chemicals that generate different reactions from the body. In the last few decades, a field of biochemistry has emerged that modifies the body's hormone balance to enhance its physical capacity. Drugs designed for this purpose are called PED's, or Performance Enhancing Drugs. Now, these drugs sound like the stuff of science fiction, but they are certainly no fantasy. Despite their seemingly miraculous effects on an athlete's physical abilities, just like every drug, these PED's come with side effects. But unlike flu medicine, these PED's have side effects that can maime you permanently.