Drugs and Sport (1)

A drug is any chemical substance you take that affects the way the body works. Doping means taking drugs to improve sporting performance. Athletes take drugs to: Pep up their performance Kill pain so they can keep going Build muscles faster than they can do in training Calm themselves before important events

Drugs and Doping

Cartoon from an Australian newspaper

These stimulate the circulatory and nervous systems. Raise the heart rate and blood pressure Speed up reactions Increase alertness and confidenceEnable users to work hard for long periods

with less pain and fatigue

Stimulants

Examples are:-AmphetaminesEg. Dexedrine, benzedrine, ‘speed’

- Caffeine- found in tea and coffee

DangersSuppressing pain and fatigue can be

harmful to the body.When the stimulant has worn off the

individual can experience ‘down’ feelings.Stimulants can cause violent and aggressive

behaviour.Heavy use can cause high blood pressure

and liver and brain damage.

Stimulants

These act on the central nervous system to stop the body feeling pain. Narcotic=causing drowsiness. Analgesic=killing pain. They give a sense of wellbeing and relaxation.Examples Morphine and heroin- used in hospitals Codeine- a much milder drug. Found in

painkillers from normal chemist shops.

Narcotic Analgesics

Athletes misuse these drugs to kill pain from injury, so they can carry on competing in events.

DangersCan cause constipation and low blood

pressureCan cause the person to feel apathetic

(Lethargic, flat, not interested).They are addictiveSome are illegal

Narcotic Analgesics

These are hormones which help to build and repair muscle and bone. These occur naturally in the body eg. Testosterone.

Athletes and body builders take artificial steroids to increase the size and strength of their muscles and aid recovery.

Anabolic Steroids

Taking artificial steroids mean that the body stops producing its own. This can cause…

Heart disease and high blood pressure Weakened ligaments and tendons Infertility and cancer Aggressive behaviour Growth of facial hair and voice deepening in females

Anabolic Steroids

These increase the amount of water excreted in urine. They are used to treat patients with heart disease who have excess fluid in their bodies. They are misused in sports that have weight divisions eg. Boxing, jockeys, wrestling etc. They can also cover up use of other drugs by flushing them out of the body.

o Essential sodium and potassium gets lost along with the water.

o Low potassium can lead to muscle weakness and heart damage.

Diuretics