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Steroids and the Body

Background
Youths ages 14 to 18 are concerned about their appearance. Boys, especially, want to look muscular, and some use steroids to achieve that look. Some 6 percent of twelfth-grade males had used steroids, according to a 1989 survey by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This lesson teaches that steroids are dangerous to physical and mental health.

Activities
Using the information on steroids from corresponding Web page discuss what steroids are and how they are used.

Explain that some athletes have taken steroids to try to enhance their performance, because the synthetic drug can cause a 10 to 25 percent weight gain within three to six months. Other people have taken steroids to try to enhance their physique or appearance or to become more aggressive in sports competition.

Discuss some of the side effects of steroid use (examples: heart and liver damage, withered testicles, and sterility in males; masculine characteristics in females). Steroids also can cause extremely aggressive behavior, drastic mood swings, and depression. They can cause injuries in two ways: (1) Because athletes who use these drugs are bigger and more aggressive than their bodies normally would allow, they may injure other athletes with whom they come into contact. (2) Steroids make muscles grow, but not the tendons and ligaments that connect them; unnaturally heavy and big muscles put extra stress on tendons and ligaments, causing injury.

Divide the class into groups and assign each group to research one of the following topics: the physical effects of steroid use; the psychological effects of steroid use; the health risks of steroid use; and fairness in competition because of steroid use. Ask each group to prepare a brief presentation on its topic. Discuss the groups' findings with the class.

Resources
Corresponding Web page resource on steroids and other drugs.

Source
Learning to Live Drug-Free, A Curriculum Model for Prevention, U.S. Department of Education's Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program

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