Performance enhancing drugs

CrazyDad said:

lol.

I agree. The topic should probably eventually come up. Just not necessary at 9.

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I agree. Unfortunately, the world we live in doesn't. Thanks to the mess at Penn State I've already had to have one conversation at 9 I didn't expect. PEDs should be a walk in the park.
I think there is something more important to PEDS though. That's pain killers. It seems like every year this problem gets worse and worse. I know many people that start out with a little pain and one script, only to still be taking them years later when they can't even remember what the pain was. And it seems like every few months someone dies from them . If we don't address the problems at a young age it might be to late when they get older.

I just think that with today's society and how things are going, a tidbit of awareness is good. I mean they have a whole month dedicated for "say no to drugs" Which they influence the elementary schools with. So is it really to young??

I believe that the only way we are going to stop this is drastically increase government (or another untouchable organization) ran testing. Late 80s.... I was poking needles and popping dball starting the summer after 10th grade, along with several other serious athletes I knew. I went from benching around 200lbs to 425lbs in one summer, I still have the "425 club" t shirt. Never had one legal or health problem the whole time I used peds, (off and one for probably 8 years). I strongly believe (without any evidence or proof) that there is a much higher % of people using now. They are by far easier to get. Youth athletics are, or seem to be much more serious now than in the 80s.
I really believe that testing either isn't happening, being beaten, or hidden in high school, college, and every professional sport. Find out how many ncaa have tested positive in the last few years, very very few, do you believe that is because everyone is clean? I don't. I know the character of some of our local d1 athletes, they are robbing and beating people in the local bars all the time. Getting caught with marijuana, cocaine, stolen property etc, but not testing positive for drugs? Because they are good people....doubt it!
NBA....just look at pictures of players pre 1990s and post 1990s. These guys today look like Schwarzenegger when he was Mr Universe (who admits he used peds).

So what do I say my kids to convince them never to try peds?
Have to go, I will get back to this post later.

At 9. I would tell my kid to not take things from strangers. Candy or whatever. I would tell them that any drugs from people other then mom and dad are not good. And to be careful because people will tell you that drugs are good to take. As they get older you can fill in the details about what types of drugs to look out for.

9 is young, but its never too early to teach a kid about something dangerous. You just speak in generalities that they can understand and fill in more details as they mature. Same as the sex talk. Generalities when they first ask where babies come from, and more details as they get older.

redhotcoach said:

Never had one legal or health problem the whole time I used peds, (off and one for probably 8 years). I strongly believe (without any evidence or proof) that there is a much higher % of people using now. They are by far easier to get.

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I'm glad you never got caught, but I'm also glad that you're one of the vast majority who've never had an adverse side effect from your AAS use.

On the one hand, we promote HRT for its anti-aging benefits while we continuously pump anabolics into livestock and poultry and then all at the same time, we tell people that these steroids are so dangerous.

This will never be an issue for most people, especially when compared to alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, or party drugs, but with all due respect to all the concerned parents out there, the best way to start a conversation about any topic is to first educate yourselves.

I really believe that testing either isn't happening, being beaten, or hidden in high school, college, and every professional sport.

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Like you, I believe that steroid testing is inept or half-hearted, but it's largely a moot point since the athletes have moved on to HGH which is undetectable.

Screwball said:

No I would not bring it up. Yes, too young for one. And females rarely use them and never in softball (as it does not do anything), and why create anxiety about a non-existent issues when teen bullying, food disorders, politics in HS playing time, lack of self-confidence, etc. are more prevalent.

Steroids are used by professional baseball players mainly to recover from nagging injuries and lessen aging so they can play every day and make money, which are not (or should not be) issues for young female softball players.

Steroids among women would only be found around sprinters in track (and usually older when they hit their natural peak), weightlifters, and body builders.

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I certainly hope that your conclusion is correct that drugs (steroids, HGH) are not an issue in girls softball because they don't do anything, but it would seem to me that your supporting statements could as easily point in the other direction. Perhaps high school girls aren't worried about aging, but are nagging injuries not an issue for some of them? If baseball players use steroids to increase strength and go yard more often, why not softball players? If sprinters use them, is there no advantage in the sprint around the bases? I understand the benefits of timing steroids and hormones for adult athletes. A young athlete avaricious for any edge may not. Can we not admit that while softball success is less rich and less likely than baseball success, the lure of being the next Osterman or Finch may skew the "worth it" equation? I think we can always endeavor to convince girls that the risks outweigh the rewards, and 9 is probably too young an age for them to be tempted, but I don't think we can dismiss the issue with the assumption that drugs in softball do not do anything.

Every sport has its peds. If baseball players benefit greatly from peds, why would any one think sball wouldnt benefit. Any athlete involved with explosive movements would greatly benefit from a form of added testosterone. If you find the sites to purchase roids from over seas, they even give recommendations on what combinations are ideal for female athletes.
I know, while in hs, I never believed I was going to be a great mlb player. I busted tail in the weight room, along with dozens of other student athletes, only some were getting double the results. It didnt take me 10 seconds to weigh out the decision to use roids. I knew I would never be caught (though I know my parents would have been upset), coaches HAD to have known, and didnt care. I knew it was probably bad for my long term health, but what teen thinks about what life is going to be like when they are over 50.
So now at 40, I don't have any proven effects, but every time my back or rest of my body aches, the thought that my kidneys are shutting down enters my mind. I think someday that will probably be the case.
I go back to my opinion that any talk a parent can make will not out weigh the huge advantage athletes can get from drugs. It must be tested enough and punished enough to make it never become an option.

Redhotcoach - Yes, you are right about the testosterone advantage, but you have to take into account the culture surrounding each sport and how young people are first exposed to PEDs. It has nothing to do with how a softball player might benefit from juicing. Young women get them from their boyfriends.

I could be misguided in my impressions, but I'm in an area where a lot of softball is being played, so if many girls in the sport are using, it's not at all apparent.

I made the choice to begin educating my daughter about steroids and government intrusion, but those conversations had nothing to do with softball. Most 9-year-olds don't need to be told much, if anything at all about this subject. They just need to get outside and stay active. I do, however, advise teaching them about proper nutrition and instilling healthy eating habits. What the media won't tell you is that, regardless of what chemical enhancements a person might use, the best supplement is always food. All the drugs in the world cannot offset poor nutrition.

Imagine a girl who from the age of 8 years old was told she was special because she could throw a ball harder then all of her peers. For the next 6 years all she heard was how mommy and daddy were so proud of her because she was better at a game then everyone else around. Mommy and Daddy are so happy that you work hard and will earn a scholarship to play softball. Then a funny thing happened, her peers caught up. Mommy and Daddy will still be proud of me won't they? If I can't get a scholarship will I still go to college, even though mommy and daddy have spent so much time and money making sure I was the best. Now I am not the best, I let them down. They aren't proud anymore. What can I do?

If you are think that girls won't have the same pressure to take steriods then boys. You might be right, but the pressure might be closer to home then you think.