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At the Doping Control Station
Athletes should be aware that doping can have severe health and social consequences.
Social consequences of committing an ADRV and receiving a sanction may include:
- loss of sponsorship deals
- loss of income
- wiping out of previous achievements
- damaged relationships with friends and family
- isolation from peers and sport
- damage to future career prospects
- effects on emotional and psychological well-being.
Substances and methods used to dope have health consequences. Many can be lead to severe health issues or even death.
Taking steroids can produce:
- acne
- increased aggression and mood swings
- libido disorders
- high blood pressure and increased risk of cardiovascular and liver disease
- psychological dependence
- increased risk of contracting hepatitis and HIV from needle use
- for males: impotence, infertility, breast enlargement, premature baldness
- for females: development of male features such as deepening voice, excessive hair growth on the face and body, and foetal damage in pregnancy.
Taking Human Growth Hormone can result in:
- diabetes in prone individuals
- worsening of cardiovascular diseases
- muscle, joint and bone pain
- hypertension and cardiac deficiency
- abnormal growth of organs
- accelerated osteoarthritis.
By thickening the blood, EPO abuse can lead to an increased risk of several deadly diseases, such as heart disease, stroke and cerebral or pulmonary embolism.
Recreational drugs:
Use of recreational or social drugs is banned in sport. Whilst an athlete can be in a compromising situation with peers outside sport, it’s important for athletes to recognise that social drugs such as cannabis can be detrimental to sporting performance and result in a positive test result weeks later.
Some sports such as football and rugby run a comprehensive social drugs testing programme. This is to ensure that players maintain the values and behaviours of clean sport.
For impartial advice on recreational drugs, the FRANK website is a useful resource.
