Athletes have skills and talents. And they are always in great physical shape and a competitive side that keeps them still on top of their various games. Unfortunately, the competitive streak may often lead some of the athletes to injuries and stress. The pressure of winning for their teams and making more money for both the professionals and scholastic can be high.
The strain to perform may be so high in motivating the athletes to use the performance-enhancing drugs to keep up on their game. Additionally, because the athletes are always getting injuries, they may get prone to the use of prescription painkillers that help them to manage pain and injuries. The continual use of such prescription painkillers for the treatment of chronic pain may lead to over-dependence hence becoming an addiction.
Drugs that get commonly used by Athletes
Although some of the athletes may get addicted to the alcohol and some have to go through meth withdrawal treatment, they tend to use the performance-enhancing medicines frequently. These types of performance-enhancing drugs are known as ergogenic blends. And they do include stimulants, anabolic-androgenic steroids and erythropoietin.
Erythropoietin
Athletes mostly use erythropoietin drugs as a hormone. It enhances their performance by significantly increasing the stamina though boasting of the body red blood cell counts. However, it becomes dangerous when lots of it live in a person’s body. Since the hormones work is to thicken the blood, overuse of erythropoietin makes the heart work harder to maintain the various body activities. Addiction to erythropoietin may lead to high risk of heart attack or stroke. Those needing assistance should look for programs and healthcare systems, like Tricare drug rehab coverage, that help to cover the expense of recovery
Steroids
Steroids act as muscles builders that get abused by the athletes. When used for a more extended period they may lead to medical issues that include liver failure and heart problems. Additionally, steroids may cause the athlete to experience some extreme psychological effects like violent tendencies, depression, severe mood swings and aggression.
Stimulants
Stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamines sometimes get used by athletes to help them maintain a higher level of alertness and energy. Also, stimulants are used to increase the aggressiveness in combat sports like wrestling, martial arts and boxing.
However, these stimulants become highly addictive, and athletes cannot perform correctly without using them leading to a full-blown addiction.
Narcotics
The usage of narcotics drugs has embraced the athletic world. Most of the athletes always push their bodies to perform in high gear beyond its natural capacities. And this may lead to chronic pain, injuries or both. Most doctors still prescribe anti-inflammatory medication to relieve the pain, but for the severe pain, they may not work leading to the prescription of opioid painkillers. These opioid painkillers may lead to abuse, dependence and then addiction
The Warning Signs
There are at least five main types of warning signs noticeable for any athlete using and struggling with drug addiction and abuse. While not all athletes may exhibit these warning signs, in case you recognize more than couples, talk to the individual
Physical signs
The main physical symptoms for the athletes using performance-enhancing drugs include acne, puffiness and swelling of the neck, oily hair and skin, excessive weight gain and loss. Others include excessive sniffing or having a runny nose, slurred speech and bloodshot eyes.
Medical Signs
Some of the unusual medical symptoms recognizable in an athlete addicted to drugs include heart palpitation, hypertension, nausea, arrhythmia and digestive problems.
Psychological signs
Mood swings are the most common psychological signs of any drug additions. Others include insomnia, depression, anxiety, unexplainable anger, rationalization and diversion of the drug subject.
Behavioral Signs
You may notice an athlete exhibiting some behavior changes that include obsession with their performances and changes in their social circles. Others are poor performances, financial problems and loss of activities enjoyment.
Drugs Paraphernalia
Some athletes may have the rather obvious items that indicated abusing of drugs. The paraphernalia may include syringes, folded papers of nicotine and pill vials.
Finding the best treatment for the Athletes
Getting addicted to drugs for athletes may give them a competitive edge for short-term success, but this may lead to dangerous hard-term effects. It’s vital to encourage such athletes to seek treatment to help them recover. The first step of this treatment is the drug test by saliva drug test or urine drug test.
For any athlete drugs, addiction may lead to failure in life. Lots of encouragements and family support plays a significant role in their road to recovery. If you are an Athlete suffering from drug addiction in Washington state seek help ASAP. There are a number of reputable drug rehab centers that are willing to help you get better.