Teen Athletes Often Ignore Steroid Dangers
School District Starts Randomly Testing Student Athletes for Steroid Use
March 15, 2005 — Callahan Kuhns of Plano, Texas, was 17 when he started taking steroids. He learned what so many high school students already know — steroids work.
"We wanted the results and we wanted them fast," said Kuhns, who graduated last year from Plano West Senior High School. "We didn't want to have to work out for 10 years taking protein — the long-term stuff. We wanted to be big before the next season came up."
Within weeks, Kuhns says he gained 32 pounds. His bench press increased by more than 60 pounds.
"It was rapid weight gain," he said. "I looked like a marshmallow."
But steroids have serious side effects. They can lead to heart disease, liver tumors, terrible acne and depression, and are especially dangerous for teenagers.
"It will fool your body into thinking that you've completed adolescence and you will stop growing," said Dr. Gary Wadler, an associate professor of clinical medicine at New York University's School of Medicine. "It will close the growth plates, and you will never reach your genetic potential."
Ignoring Steroid Dangers
But Kuhns says most teenagers don't heed the dangers. What they see instead are bodybuilders with perfect physiques and baseball players making millions.
"People look at that and say, 'Geez, he doesn't look like he is having health problems, and he is knocking the ball out of the park every day,' " Kuhns said.
Although many students are using steroids, few high schools in the country are addressing the problem.
The school district in Polk County, Fla., however, is one of the first in the country to start random testing of its student athletes to check for steroid use.
"We'd like to send a message that says, 'If you are using steroids, stop. And if you aren't, don't start,' " said Audrey Kelley-Fritz, senior manager of drug prevention for Polk County schools.
At more than $100 each, the tests are expensive. But Kuhns says if his high school had tested, he might not have taken steroids.
"It would be scary," he said. "I mean, I probably wouldn't have done them. I didn't want my parents to find out
Kuhns did stop taking steroids. But it was only after his friend Taylor Hooten, who had been on steroids with him, suffered a steroid-related bout of depression and committed suicide
School District Starts Randomly Testing Student Athletes for Steroid Use
March 15, 2005 — Callahan Kuhns of Plano, Texas, was 17 when he started taking steroids. He learned what so many high school students already know — steroids work.
"We wanted the results and we wanted them fast," said Kuhns, who graduated last year from Plano West Senior High School. "We didn't want to have to work out for 10 years taking protein — the long-term stuff. We wanted to be big before the next season came up."
Within weeks, Kuhns says he gained 32 pounds. His bench press increased by more than 60 pounds.
"It was rapid weight gain," he said. "I looked like a marshmallow."
But steroids have serious side effects. They can lead to heart disease, liver tumors, terrible acne and depression, and are especially dangerous for teenagers.
"It will fool your body into thinking that you've completed adolescence and you will stop growing," said Dr. Gary Wadler, an associate professor of clinical medicine at New York University's School of Medicine. "It will close the growth plates, and you will never reach your genetic potential."
Ignoring Steroid Dangers
But Kuhns says most teenagers don't heed the dangers. What they see instead are bodybuilders with perfect physiques and baseball players making millions.
"People look at that and say, 'Geez, he doesn't look like he is having health problems, and he is knocking the ball out of the park every day,' " Kuhns said.
Although many students are using steroids, few high schools in the country are addressing the problem.
The school district in Polk County, Fla., however, is one of the first in the country to start random testing of its student athletes to check for steroid use.
"We'd like to send a message that says, 'If you are using steroids, stop. And if you aren't, don't start,' " said Audrey Kelley-Fritz, senior manager of drug prevention for Polk County schools.
At more than $100 each, the tests are expensive. But Kuhns says if his high school had tested, he might not have taken steroids.
"It would be scary," he said. "I mean, I probably wouldn't have done them. I didn't want my parents to find out
Kuhns did stop taking steroids. But it was only after his friend Taylor Hooten, who had been on steroids with him, suffered a steroid-related bout of depression and committed suicide