Dangers

The latest news about the extraordinarily high usage rate of anabolic steroids and other Appearance and Performance Enhancing Drugs by America's gay and bi teenage boys comes as no surprise to Don Hooton of the Taylor Hooton Foundation, widely recognized as the national leader in education on the topic of APED use by the youth of the U.S., Canada, and Latin America.

Reviewing current information about the content, benefits, and risks of the use of energy drinks by teens, a group of military doctors expressed "great concern" over the safety and negative effects of energy drinks, given their high caffeine content and the common practice on college campuses (and most likely at the high school level as well) of mixing energy drinks with alcohol.

Win. Win. Win. There is no losing, just winning, at all costs. Get bigger, get stronger, hit harder, run faster longer, DESTROY YOUR COMPETITION. This is the message of contemporary sports in America. Winning is everything, losing is unacceptable. Winners go on to become famous and sign million dollar contracts, losers watch them on television. With all of the societal pressure young athletes are faced with to succeed, be it from the media, parents, coaches or peers, it is no wonder that a surprising number turn to illegal performance enhancing drugs to give them an edge over their competition.

According to a 1999 National Institute of Drug Abuse survey, steroid use among students is now at its highest point in a decade, with an estimated 479,000 students nationwide, or 2.9 percent, having used the drug by their senior year of high school.