Many athletes have ruined their careers and themselves by doing steroids and other drugs to excel in sports. For example, Lance Armstrong recently admitted to doing years of performance enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France. Not only did he use banned substances, but he also received blood transfusions. Armstrong didn’t even consider it cheating. All of the events that he competed in were purposeless to those who truly tried. Now stripped of his titles and those who trusted in him, he looks back on it in regret.

In almost every sport, there is an athlete who is cheating. Not only do they diminish the purpose of a competition, but they harm themselves in the process. Erythropoietin (EPO) and steroids do things to the body that could negatively affect the athlete’s future. The overuse of steroids can cause high blood pressure, liver disease, acne, and increased cholesterol. It can also cause extreme aggression. These side effects won’t just affect you, but your family as well.

Using any performance enhancers is detrimental to your life. Some people say that these drugs just knock down barriers that restrict you from achieving optimal performance. However, once these barriers are gone, you have a substantial advantage over the other athletes. If it’s considered cheating and bad for you, then why do it?

From the athletes’ point of view, legalizing the substances might seem great for them—but they might not know what they do to their body. I believe that having no tolerance towards doping would make competing ten times safer for the athletes.

There are other ways to help you succeed, other than doing drugs. Many sport companies have created different types of clothing that may benefit the athletes. For those in sports that require speed, there are skin- tight body suits that decrease drag, that could help you do well. Steroids and drugs that increase muscle mass, are making your body perform better. That is why it is cheating. Some might say that the advanced clothing should be considered cheating too, but they don’t affect your body in negative ways like the drugs do.

If an athlete decides to cheat and use drugs, they should think about the consequences of health problems and the guilt from cheating. Why not just compete and win based on your talent?