Drug Addiction Treatment for Athletes

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Being in athletics is not an easy task. Individuals in the professional sporting world are required of mental and physical toughness along with the pressure of an extreme consumer market. They also have to encounter the pressure coming from coaches and families who have been expecting good results.

Athletes come across of problems. Field of professional sports is full of obstacles that can even harm your career. One of the biggest issues that athletes of today face is drug addiction. Mishandling of controlled substances takes place across all sports competition. Various aspects of athletic life are favorable to drug abuse, like improvement in performance, athletes’ takes drug to cure injuries and deal with emotional and mental stress that is part of this profession. Consumption of these drugs increases the chances developing an addiction to them.

Types of drugs used

There is a variety of drugs used by athletes each serving a different beneficial purposes. Here are some of them that are most commonly abused by athletes.

Anabolic steroids are used to increase muscle mass and body weight. It also helps to increase levels of aggression which is all over beneficial to sports. These steroids have legitimate medical uses but are not supposed to be consumed for unfair sporting advantages like a boost in stamina.

But there are downsides associated with unethical usage of anabolic steroids. There are painful consequences of withdrawing it after a regular usage. Athletes may then experience mood swings, insomnia and fatigue. It increases their temptation for steroids.

Many athletes use Adderall which is known for medicating patients with ADHD and narcolepsy. A side effect of this drug is that it causes user to feel good. The mental keenness offered by this medicine is not just a clear thinking but also human pleasure that can satisfy you in times of stress. Abusing such drug can cause anxiety, sleep disorders and mood swings. Discontinuance in intake can cause vomiting and muscle cramps as well.

Treatment

The simplest way is to visit a detox and rehab center. Nevertheless, addicted athletes can go with generally accepted methods and they have proved to heal the victims. But there are other forms of therapy that are made for the sporting world.

Periodic medical detoxification can do the job. It ensures that athlete’s body is cleansed of all the harmful impurities without fear of taking more pills. In cases of extreme addiction, there will be nausea and vomiting and other side-effects but medical professionals will be there to encounter such issues.

However, medical detox alone is not capable of correcting an addictive behavior. Athlete also needs a counseling session to address the mental damage that has been suffered during the addiction.

Addiction is largely associated with mental condition so athlete needs to learn how to curb their temptations.

Conclusion

Drug addiction in the sporting world is becoming prevalent. This is a major issue because the notion of sports is been abused as well. Medical treatment of such victims is a necessity in order to preserve the original purpose of sports.

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