Throughout the history of athletics, athletes have sought ways to make themselves better, faster, and stronger. Steroid use is one of the most popular choices among these athletes. Steroids are synthetic hormones that produce specific physiological effects on the body and have been used since the 1930s (Center for Substance Abuse Research). Although the German scientists who discovered steroids did not intend to use them for body building or to create better athletes, steroid use has become a controversial topic concerning users' health and other moral issues. The use of steroids in athletics is physically and morally wrong because it essentially promotes the deterioration of athletes' health and unfair competition among these athletes. While some athletes claim that steroids give them an extra edge over the competition, many studies have shown that the risks of steroid use far outweigh the benefits, especially in adolescents. Anabolic and androgenic steroids, which are the most commonly used, have negative effects on the entire body. The most harmful of these effects is brain damage. When injected or taken orally, steroids have dangerous mental effects, such as extreme mood swings, violence, steroid withdrawal, and depression leading to suicide (National Institute on Drug Abuse). This is more intense in adolescents (“Dangers of Steroid Abuse for Teens”). These mental effects would not only harm their body, but would harm their personal life and relationships with others. These negative effects are not worth the extra "advantage" an athlete receives from steroids. In addition to the negative mental effects, steroid abuse extremely damages major bodily functions. For example, ...... middle of paper ...... Muscles and fitness. 01 September 1997. Web. 27 February 2010. Longman, Jere. "OLYMPICS; Drug Testing Agency Reports Steroid Program by US Athletes." The New York Times. The New York Times. October 17, 2003. Web. February 27, 2010. National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Steroids (anabolic-androgenic).” National Institute on Drug Abuse. National Institutes of Health. nd Web. 09 February 2010. Rhoden, William C. “Why Baseball Should Keep Talking About the Past.” The New York Times. The New York Times. January 12, 2010. Web. February 9, 2010. Stepan, Kate. “Students question use of cortisone in college athletics.” The GW Axe. University multimedia network. 06 March 2000. Web. 27 February 2010. "Steroids discovered in homicide and suicide investigation." ESPN. ESPN. June 27, 2007. Web. February 21, 2010. Zundel, Irene Helen. “Steroids: Recognizing Adolescent Substance Abuse.” EduGuide. EduGuide. nd Web. 9 February. 2010.