Drugs in Sport Monday 16 th March. Learning Objectives What drugs are and why people use them Socially acceptable drugs: the effects of tobacco and alcohol.

Drugs in Sport

Monday 16th March

Learning Objectives

• What drugs are and why people use them

• Socially acceptable drugs: the effects of tobacco and alcohol

• Performance-enhancing drugs: the effects of stimulants, narcotic analgesics, diuretics, physical manipulation and anabolic agents.

• Blood doping and the laws and enforcers

DrugsA drug is a chemical substance that affects the way the body works.

Sportspeople may take drugs to improve their performance. Some drugs are allowed, some are not.

Illegal drug use is known as doping.

Generally, drugs are developed for medical use.

All drugs are dangerous when misused.

Socially acceptable drugsThe two most important drugs that are considered to be socially acceptable are:

Alcohol

Tobacco (nicotine)

Nicotine is a legal drug, though it is slowly becoming less socially acceptable. Nicotine raises the heart rate and blood pressure.

Alcohol is socially acceptable in most sections of society. However it is banned in many sports for safety reasons – it acts as a sedative, slowing reactions and impairing judgement.

Smoking – what’s in a cigarette?

Nicotine is a mild poison. It makes your blood pressure and heart rate rise – this can make new smokers dizzy. It is highly addictive, which is why it is difficult to give up smoking.

Tar is a mixture of chemicals (formaldehyde, arsenic and cyanide to name a few). When cigarette smoke is inhaled, tar is left behind in the lungs. It causes many serious diseases.

healthy lungs smoker’s lungs

Smoking – what’s in a cigarette?

Carbon monoxide is an odourless, tasteless, poisonous gas.

It bonds with red blood cells in the same way that oxygen does, except that the bond is permanent. Blood cells carrying carbon monoxide can no longer transport oxygen, therefore reducing the amount of oxygen the blood can carry.

Up to 15% of a smoker's blood may be carrying carbon monoxide instead of oxygen. This means the heart has to work harder, putting strain on it and causing circulation problems.

It also makes smokers tired and breathless, reducing cardiovascular endurance.

Smokers tend to be at a disadvantage in sports that require an efficient and healthy cardio-respiratory system.

AlcoholAll alcoholic drinks contain a chemical called ethanol. This is what makes people ‘drunk’.

It doesn’t do much harm in small quantities, however larger quantities are dangerous.

Alcohol puts strain on your body, making you unwell – that’s why heavy drinkers may be sick and later suffer from a ‘hangover’.

However, alcohol also has more serious effects, both short- and long-term.

Alcohol – immediate effectsImmediate effects:

you relax and feel good

dizziness and poor balance

impaired judgement – you do and say things you normally wouldn’t

trouble controlling how you move (poor coordination)

slow reactions

blurred vision

impaired speech

aggressive behaviour

vomiting.

How do you think drinking alcohol before sport affects

performance?

Think about a range of different activities.

Alcohol – immediate effectsAs well as impairing physical and mental abilities, alcohol causes the blood vessels of the skin to dilate, so body heat is lost and blood is diverted from the muscles.

Glucose is also excreted, lowering the levels of glycogen in the muscles. Drinking makes people feel tired and lethargic.

After drinking, some performers may lose their drive to train and perform.

Alcohol is a diuretic, so it causes dehydration. This is why people often get a headache. The extra urination also robs the body of essential minerals like magnesium and potassium. This can cause the heart to beat irregularly.

Alcohol – long-term effectsDrinking a lot of alcohol regularly over a period of time is likely to cause physical, emotional and social problems:

skin problemsliver and brain damagedamage to reproductive organsmemory loss / confusionheart and blood disordersstomach problemsfrequent infectionsweight gaindepressionrelationship problemsproblems with money and work.

Performance-enhancing drugsDrugs can be used to improve performance. This could give some performers an unfair advantage and undermine the integrity of sport.

Sports governing bodies produce lists of banned substances, so that it is clear to both performers and coaches which substances they must avoid while training and competing.

The IOC (International Olympic Committee) has identified five classes of banned substances:

Stimulants

Narcotics / analgesicsAnabolic agents

Diuretics

Peptide, chemical & physical manipulation

StimulantsStimulants excite the central nervous system (CNS) and raise the heart rate.

They improve the reactions of a performer. Users usually feel more alert and display increased confidence in their level of ability.

Performers using stimulants can work for longer periods without feeling tired. This means that they can both train harder and perform better on the day.

Here are some common stimulants:

Caffeine (not prohibited)

Cocaine

Ephedrine

Mefenorex

Amphetamines

Nicotine

Stimulants – side effects

Heavy usage can lead to high blood pressure, liver and brain damage.

They can cause irritability and aggressive behaviour.

Insomnia

Irregular pulse

A performer may feel low or depressed after the initial effects have worn off.

Sensory feelings can be suppressed.

Stimulants can have some nasty side effects:

Do you think that the side effects are worth risking to get the performance benefits of using stimulants?

Narcotic analgesicsAnalgesics are pain killers.

Narcotics cause delirium and drowsiness.

Narcotic analgesics do both. They are sometimes referred to as opioids because they often contain opium derivatives.

These drugs are used by performers to suppress pain and enable them to carry on, even with an injury.The following are types of narcotic analgesics:

Morphine

Heroin

Codeine

Methadone

Pethidine

Fentanyl

Narcotic analgesics – side effects

Narcotic analgesics can have the following side effects:Narcotic analgesics are highly addictive – they are illegal in many countries unless administered by a doctor.The withdrawal symptoms are very unpleasant.Users may find it more difficult to concentrate.They lead to reduced coordination and poor balance.Pain is suppressed, causing performers injuries to worsen without realizing.They can cause mental apathy and lack of motivation.Narcotic analgesics can cause constipation.They can cause low blood pressure.

DiureticsDiuretics increase the amount of water passed out of the body as urine.

Performers sometimes use them to reduce their body weight very quickly before a competition.

Diuretics can also be used as a masking agent – they flush out traces of banned substances in the body so that they don’t show up on doping tests.

Examples of diuretics include:

Frusemide

Probenecid

Acetazolamide

Indapamide

Some jockeys use diuretics to keep their weight down.

Diuretics – side effects

muscle weakness and cramps

heart damage

rashes

loss of sodium and potassium salts

dizziness and nausea

kidney problems.

Diuretics cause the body to rapidly lose water, so many of the side effects are the same as the symptoms of dehydration. They include:

Can diuretics really be described as ‘performance-enhancing’?

Anabolic steroidsAnabolic agents (steroids) are the most commonly used performance-enhancing drugs. They are hormones which help build and repair muscle and bone. They mimic the male hormone “testosterone”.

Anabolic agents occur naturally in the body.

Nandrolone

bodlenone

Stanozonol

Testosterone.

However, they are also made artificially and can be used by performers to illegally improve their performance.

Examples include:

Anabolic steroids – side effectsThe side effects of anabolic steroids are serious:

heart disease, which can be fatal

high blood pressure / anxiety

Increased risk of muscle injury

severe liver disorders

aggressive behaviour

facial hair growth and infertility in women.

Worst case: Cause DEATH

Why do you think that performers still take anabolic

steroids despite the side effects?

Peptide, chemical & physical manipulation• These types of drugs are used to produce

similar effects as steroids• to increase muscle growth• assist in recovery from injury and heavy

training sessions• increase the number of Red Blood Cells to

carry extra O2

Human Growth Hormone (hGH)• Fewer side effects than steroids• No urine test, unreliable blood test

Erythropoietin (EPO)

• It increases the production of Red Blood Cells

• Therefore increasing the amount of haemoglobin available to take up O2 increasing aerobic capacity

• It thickens the blood, making it difficult for blood to pass through small capillaries

• Thus, there is the risk of

heart attack and stroke

Blood Doping• Is a banned process not a drug

• Athletes train at high altitude increasing the O2 carrying capacity of their blood

• They withdraw blood and freeze it

• Just before a competition they undergo a blood transfusion

• This is thought to increase their performance by up to 20%

The Laws and the enforcers• The International Olympic Committee (IOC)

have strict rules on prohibited substances – 4000!

• The IOC take random tests of athletes both in season and out of season

• Individual sporting associations also do this• A urine sample is taken in front of a witness• The sample is split into two and a test is

conducted on the first sample• If any drugs are shown, then the second sample

is checked with the athlete present

Performance-enhancing drugs

Performance-enhancing drugsFor further information on all types of performance enhancing drugs visit:

The 100% ME programme encourages athletes to believe that they don't need to use prohibited substances or methods to succeed in sport. For further information visit:

WORLDANTI-DOPINGAGENCY

100% ME

uk sport

Exam-style questions1. Richard plays doubles at his tennis club. He has noticed

that his partner is often short of breath during long rallies despite being fit.

a) Richard thinks this is to do with his partner’s regular smoking. Why might smoking affect performance in this way.

b) Richard sometimes drinks alcohol before playing if the game is not important. Describe how the alcohol may affect his performance.

Exam-style questions2. Elite performers in a variety of sports are tempted into

taking performance enhancing drugs.

Anabolic steroids are a type of banned performance enhancing drug.

Narcotic analgesics are also banned.

a) What physical advantages would a performer gain from taking anabolic steroids?

b) What types of sport would this kind of drug give the greatest advantage in?

c) Why might an athlete take this type of drug?

d) Why are narcotic analgesics thought to be potentially harmful to athletes?