Performance Enhancers -Walking In Integrity

Proverbs 20:7 ¶The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.

The warning reads as follows:

"improper use of anabolic steroids may cause serious or fatal health problems, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, growth deformities, infertility, personality changes, severe acne and baldness.

possession, sale or use of anabolic steroids without a valid prescription is a crime punishable by a fine and imprisonment."

We must understand what these substances are. Anabolic steroids are synthetically produced variants of the naturally occurring male hormone testosterone. Both males and females have testosterone produced in their bodies: males in the testes, and females in the ovaries and other tissues. The full name for this class of drugs is androgenic (promoting masculine characteristics) anabolic (tissue building) steroids (the class of drugs). Source: Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol and drug abuse.

Therefore, let us define Performance Enhancers as those Anabolic Steroids and Anabolic Steroid substitutes that people use to enhance their performance. These have been common among athletes. The desire to do well and out perform others is the main reason that they use the stuff. In a government risk behavior survey in 2003 of High School students, it was found that 5.1 % of males that were part of an athletic team were more likely to use Steroids than males who were not. The most prominent member of the athletic community to use Steroids was Barry Bonds. I have heard many athletes on this subject, many of whom discount using it. Tied to all this is the attitude of many athletes to be successful. With that comes fame and prosperity.

Furthermore, we must realize that the problem we have is our definition of success and how we teach it to our kids and society in general. Everything we know is geared to it. We bring our children up at an early age to win and be successful. But we fail to teach them what success is, the results can be devastating. On the other hand, For example, I know of a person who was a chef. He did not go to chef school, but he had a good career . He managed Restaurants and did well. He was not, however, a school-trained chef. This same man, however, has been married for over 32 years, and raised two fine children. He also was never unfaithful to his spouse. Was that man a success? You bet he was. He never raised the roof of the Cooking world. He never was on TV or had a cooking show, but none-the-less, he was successful.

Therefore, the problem is knowing what success really consists of. One can be successful without such notoriety as Barry Bonds or others in the athletic world. We don’t have to push our kids to success in spite of everything. The first thing you learn in goal setting is set realistic goals. A goal you can reach. Then raise the bar after you reach your goal a little higher. Keep your eye on the goal. The goal is not the end of it all if you don’t reach it. Keeping your integrity as you walk towards a goal is. Integrity is "moral honesty". A person must Maintain "scrupulous professional integrity"in life. Being able to do your best, look someone in the eye, and have your heart condemn you not is a great thing, and is the sign of this moral honesty.

Teaching our kids to be successful is important. It is hard for them to know this success and integrity with some of the things going on in the realm of professional athletes or other areas of fame. One definition of success is "achieving a state of prosperity or fame". This is the definition most know of success. But there is another definition I would propose. It is "an attainment that is successful", obtained in a manner of integrity. In life we can set our goals and be achievers. But let us put the goals in proper perspective. We can do this without promoting success must come at any cost.

Furthermore, when we push our kids to extreme measures to succeed at any cost for fame and prosperity, don’t be surprise at the outcome. In some instances’ things like "Performance Enhancers" might be used. In other cases, they might do anything else to succeed. In our era of glitz, glamor, and prosperity it is not easy to see the traps that lay ahead. Dan Hooten father of a high school athlete who died of Steroid use said "Parents need to know what to look for and how to recognize something that could be going on in their home right now. It happened in our home, steroids took the life of our son". Taylor Hooten had been taking steroids for four years. The family forced him to quit taking the drug. Shortly after quitting steroids, Taylor Hooten hanged himself. This attitude of being a success can be picked up in school, in society, and from friends. The pressure to be a top athlete can bring a young person to take drugs to become that top athlete no matter the cost.

It is absolutely heart wrenching to bury a child. Even more so, if you have taught him or her to be successful is everything in life. Today the lives of many children hang in balance of adults who are overly aggressive in seeing their kids win. It is too bad these adults live their dreams through their kids. The push their kids in football, baseball, basketball, grades, jobs, and many other avenues. We all have seen the coaches of minor league sports teams scream, shout, and even fight over a call in a game. Everything seems at stake in these kinds of games. It is no longer how you play the game. It becomes a must win at all cost attitude. Then this attitude is passed and pushed to the children on the team. Thus, they learn the success at any cost model early in life. In these games I value the coach who puts everyone in to play, no matter how good they are. Give everyone a chance. Teach them sportsmanship and the integrity success value.

By teaching our kids integrity and a new sense of success, we won’t have to worry about Performance enhancing drugs. The children walk in this attitude and can face anything. Steroids may seem fine at the beginning, but the risks have shown it is not worth it. What good is success and fame if you are six feet underground? Can you enjoy all those things this fame brought you by using Steroids? Let integrity be your company in the road of life and avoid those pitfalls like Steroids.

About the Author: