In today’s society, young athletes worship all-star athletes, many of whom use performance enhancing drugs. Unfortunately, steroid abuse is an issue in not only professional sports but in college and high school levels as well. Allen Community College athletes learned about the dark side of appearance and performance enhancing drugs.
Don Hooton, with the Taylor Hooton Foundation, spoke to the ACC athletic department Tuesday night about the foundation’s purpose to educate about steroid abuse.
Hooton’s brother, Taylor, began using anabolic steroids in his teen years. He was a high school athlete from Plano, Texas and wanted to excel in baseball. The drug consumed Taylor’s life and in 2003 Taylor committed suicide. He was 17.
In addition to steroids, Hooten spoke about the effects of energy drinks, pre-workout enhancers and growth hormones.
He said athletes need only three things to enhance their performance.
“You need more sleep, a proper diet and more water,” he said.
In 2011 there were 26,000 emergency room visits related to use of performance enhanced drugs and in 2012 there were 18 deaths.
Red Bull or Monster energy drinks may seem an innocent choice for an energy boost but can lead to cardiovascular damage, Hooton said. Growth hormone stimulants have painful side effects like joint swelling, tissue swelling and fluid retention.
There are 120 types of pharmaceutical steroids on the market today. Sixty-five percent of those steroids improve physical appearance.
“The median starting age to take steroids is 15,” Hooton said
He receives calls and concerns from across the country. One man said he knew of a father who was injecting his seven-year-old son with steroids for pee-wee football.
He showed photos of athletes who had used performance enhancing drugs and talked about their repercussions. Photos of actions heroes and superheroes were also displayed. He showed how G.I. Joe and Superman had evolved over the years. This gives people a negative idea of body image.
In the past, men were the primary targets for steroid use but steroid use in women is rapidly growing.
Using these drugs can cause birth defects in their children, breast reduction and hair loss in women.
Hooton wanted the ACC athletes to realize these drugs can ruin their lives or kill them.
“Steroids affect all organs. They create mood swings and severe depression with thoughts of suicide,” he said.
To learn more about Hooton and the Taylor Hooton Foundation visit http://taylorhooton.org.
Athletes learn hazards of steroids
