Bigger, Stronger, Faster*

As an alternative, many people turn to "natural" alternatives to steroids. Are there some common vitamin or herbal alternatives that are dangerous? And are there some that are safe and effective?

Sent by Eric B | 2:47 PM ET | 06-12-2008

Mr. Bell is 100% on point. "As American as apple pie," sums it up. I could care less if Congress or anyone else investigated steroid use because all are complicit and more than a little hypocritical. America is all about performance enhancement, from lasic surgery, to Viagra, to breast implants, plastic surgery, and so on. Celebrity and being "first" are our "gods." Cheating is the norm, all of the moralising is nothing more than fake platitudes. Compare Patriot's coaches sin to the corporate espionage on Wall Street? Mmmm.

Sent by Louis S | 2:57 PM ET | 06-12-2008

The issue is not whether a substance or procedure is performance enhancing (certainly food and air are performance enhancing), but one of safety. Lasik is a safe procedure but I do not think steroids are. I play amateur sports and happily compete against people who have had lasik (and eat and breathe), but I would not like to compete against people who use steroids.

Sent by Evelyn Ivey | 2:58 PM ET | 06-12-2008

Athletes taking steroids would be fine with me if it was only adults freely choosing to take them, and if it was only adults that had nobody depending on them. Like it or not, kids look at athletes as role models. If they see their heroes taking steroids, kids are going to take them too. And it's well-documented that steroids are dangerous for kids. They can cause severe, even suicidal, depression on withdrawal, for example. As long as they are that dangerous, they should be outlawed. Adults with families depending on them shouldn't be allowed to play with fire either, just like they are required to wear seat-belts in cars.

Sent by Gene Jones | 3:01 PM ET | 06-12-2008

Steroid use in sports is like drug use amongst artists. They are both illegal, but people are willing to do it still. It's the person's body, not the government. If I wanted to drink Liquid Plumber to get through life faster than anyone else, that's my business.

However, justifying steroid use in professional sports is the first step towards allowing athletes to become bionic super humans with robotic-like enhancements. It's just cheating... yourself. It's like a student writing notes on his shoe for a test.

Sent by R | 3:03 PM ET | 06-12-2008

I just don't understand why steroids and other so-called performance-enhancing drugs are so reviled. It seems to me that exercise, training and practice are performance-enhancing. It further seems that diet, nutrition and vitamins are perfromance-enchancing chemical compounds. I remember seeing a documentary about the Olympics that made the point of the advantage Americans had over other athletes because we had refrigeration--allowing us to include more milk in our diets than other countries.

Steroids, particularly in a skill-based sport like baseball, seems to be a pretty minor enhancement. The best argument against steroids is that it unfairly extends one's career. But again, so do anti-inflammatory drugs, improved training techniques, better diet and nutrition, etc.

To me the better approach is to ensure that such products are provided under the supervision of a medical professional.

Sent by George H | 3:11 PM ET | 06-12-2008

I did steroids off and on between the ages of 19 and 22. They definitely work better than anything legal. Why did I use them? Vanity, pure and simple. I have lifted weights since I was 14, and currently at 41 I am a competitive powerlifter. How come I haven't used them in 20 years? I was studying sports medicine in college and discovered what might happen to my health. Especially having high blood pressure. Then my mother discovered them and told me I was just being vain. That drove it home, and then there is the whole against the law thing.

I never had any of the negative side effects such as depression. If anything, I felt great about myself. I definitely don't condone the use of performance enhancing drugs, but I can understand how easy it is for an athlete to make that decision. People like winners. I wish there was not such thing as performance enhancing drugs.

Sent by Dan | 5:07 PM ET | 06-12-2008

This film looks (from the trailer) like just more of the same browbeating propaganda that our politicians have been shoveling recently. Why doesn't anyone cry "cheater" when someone straps on a pair of advanced athletic shoes that prolong their endurance and help them jump higher on a basketball court? Where is all the outrage over high technology carbon composite bicycle frames (which arguably provide a performance advantage over their predecessors)? It's not a fair analogy, the critics say. Performance-enhancing advantages like these don't come with all the scary health risks that steroids do.

I'm sure I'm not the only person who suspects the standard claims about the side effects of steroid use are blown ridiculously out of proportion. What about all the millions of men and women who successfully use androgens with *ZERO* side effects? We never hear about them -we only ever hear about the extreme cases like Greg Valentino. The unfortunate fact is that right now, American popular opinion on steroids is clouded by misinformation and too much misplaced moral outrage. Let's hear about all the steroid success stories too. Believe me, there are plenty out there, and they don't all end with coronary disease, liver failure, and testicular shrinkage.

Sent by Brett D | 7:32 PM ET | 06-12-2008

What does Steroid use have to do with America, as the movie suggests? There are numerous other countries that are famous for their use of performance enhancement drugs. Shouldn't the subtitle of the movie be "the side effects of being human"?

Sent by John | 1:01 AM ET | 06-13-2008

To Brett D - don't judge the film by it's trailer - it is not what you think. I saw it the other night and it ends up making a case for steroids. I don't think this was Mr. Bell's oringinal intention, but it sure changed my mind.

Sent by Patti A. | 9:15 PM ET | 06-13-2008

I have read your comments and am surprised by the acceptance people are showing towards a substance that can drastically change the way one lives.

Few Fun Facts: The majority of steriods are used by athletes due to scheduling. Baseball for example, has a very long 162 game season. Whether most believe so or not, it takes a serious toll on your physical stamina, strength, and even more importantly, your mental toughness.

Why do we celebrate an athlete like Cal Ripken Jr. or Omar Vizquel? Because it is damn hard to play that well, for so many years, through so many games. Steroids, makes it possible to stay healthy, awake after full-night plane rides, and gives users the ability to lift/excercise during the season while still playing at a high level.

Make no mistake, and I speak from experience as a past player, young men shoot up and it isn't given a second thought. Money, love for the game, or just personal reasons are making a DRUG like steroids very attractive.

Do you really believe that Clemens was able to work as hard as he did, for as long as he did, without the aid of a substance? Apposing players were even interviewed stating, "I have never seen anyone work as hard as he does, before a game..."

And the comment about international athletes setting the table for steroid use is also true. Anyone remember a Chinese swimming team that seem a bit more...bulky in a past Olympics. Being FIRST is not an American thing, but a natural human characteristic.

Sent by Joseph | 1:36 PM ET | 06-16-2008