Athletes may take cocaine, like other stimulants, to improve their endurance and performance, boost attention, lessen tiredness, and lose weight. 2. Cocaine causes users to feel euphoric for a short period of time before collapsing. Users may "binge" on the substance several times in order to prolong the euphoria. 1. What Percentage of Athletes Use Drugs? It is difficult to say exactly how many athletes use drugs because drug tests are not performed regularly at all levels of competition. However, there have been numerous reports of positive tests for banned substances. According to one study, up to 70% of college football players may be using drugs. Another study reported that more than 20% of professional athletes may be using steroids.
It is estimated that between 10% and 30% of athletes will try cocaine at least once in their lives. Most people who use cocaine experimentally, but only a small percentage become dependent on it.
The use of cocaine by athletes can greatly enhance their physical ability or "peak performance". This advantage could be great enough to give them a sporting edge over their opponents. However, since cocaine is also known to be toxic to the body, users run the risk of suffering from heart attacks, strokes, seizures, and other complications if they consume too much of it. Additionally, there are cases where athletes have failed drug tests after having used cocaine because it hides in their bodies for a long time; therefore, testing positive later in life is possible.
Drug addiction can hinder an athlete's ability to focus and, as a result, have a detrimental impact on their performance. Certain medicines can have a variety of adverse effects, including performance-impairing withdrawal symptoms. Some sportsmen may be compelled to retire early as a result of the detrimental repercussions of their drug use.
Sport involvement, on the other hand, appears to be associated with lower illegal drug usage, particularly use of non-cannabis-related substances. Eighty percent of the research revealed that sports activity was related with lower illegal drug use, whereas half of the studies found a negative relationship between sports participation and marijuana use.
Athletes may turn to drugs for a variety of reasons, including performance enhancement, self-treatment of otherwise untreated mental illness, and coping with stressors such as performance pressure, injuries, physical pain, and retirement from sport. Drugs used by athletes include anabolic steroids, stimulants (caffeine and amphetamines), and painkillers (morphines and codeines). In addition, some athletes use cannabis or hashish.
Drugs are dangerous because they can do bad things to your body if you take them wrong. Anabolic steroids can cause breast cancer, heart disease, and infertility; caffeine can lead to nervousness, insomnia, irritability, stomach ulcers, and anxiety; and codeine can cause respiratory depression and death. There are also possible long-term effects of taking these drugs that we just don't know about yet.
Sports authorities have taken action against drug use in sports. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was created in 1999 to prevent doping in athletics. Its main tool is a list of prohibited substances and methods, known as the WADA List.
Since 2005, all Olympic games have had a Drug Free Sport program designed to help prevent drug abuse by athletes. This program includes educational activities for athletes, coaches, parents, and officials on the dangers of drugs, as well as screening programs for athletes to detect drug use.
Many people take cocaine because it gives them a euphoric high and gives them more energy. Someone high on cocaine will stay up until the sun comes up, or perhaps for days at a time. Then there's the crash. He or she will sleep during the day or refuse to leave bed for more than 24 hours. Appetite Suppression: Cocaine usage reduces a person's appetite. They will usually eat less than they normally would so they can have more of the drug. This combination often leads to obesity. Mental Floss notes that "the effects of cocaine use may be visible to others," including "changes in mood, behavior, or ability to function safely."
Cocaine affects everyone differently. Some people only feel its effects when they drink alcohol or take other drugs along with it. For others, it alone can be quite dangerous. There are several signs that someone may be using cocaine regularly, even if they aren't aware of it:
- Changes in mood or behavior that don't make sense for one's age + mentality - Refusing to eat or sleep - Withdrawal symptoms such as tremors, diarrhea, and headaches - Being obsessed with money - Reluctance to socialize - Spreading rumors about friends or family - Stopping medical treatments - Spending more than you earn
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