Drug abuse and athletes: A perspective

SHOBHA AHI

Abstract

Drug abuse in athletes is a menace that should be addressed by the sporting and the associated non-sporting fraternity for the benefit of the society. Doping is the use of prohibited substances and methods for the purpose of performance enhancement by athletes. Doping may lead to drug abuse and addiction when an athlete may get involved in it for getting a competitive edge or for stress relieving. Hence, it requires stringent actions to promote the confidence of athletes in their natural ability while saying no to doping. The World Anti Doping Agency (WADA), monitors the anti-doping program worldwide to promote fair play and to safeguard the athletic population. However, the performance-enhancing drugs pave their way into the sports and games and hamper its true spirit. The advancements in the classification of drugs of abuse make it more challenging for the doping/substance abuse testing laboratories to keep a check on the cheaters which is achieved using improved testing methodologies and advanced scientific research. Drug abuse in athletes is a significant problem that may have many potential underlying causes. It requires to take necessary preventive measures, promote education, provide motivation and interventions to combat doping/drug abuse in sports. This presentation would provide a review of the history of doping and drugs of abuse in athletes, their side -effects, addictions, advancements in testing methodologies, and scientific advancements. The future perspective required to curb the menace of doping/drug abuse by adulterated nutritional supplements would also be discussed.