Being an athlete is not an easy task, especially when you are constantly competing, for more than half the year, in your desired sport. To be the best, you have to overtrain, be mentally stable and take care of your body, which is the most important thing of all. Athletes' body is precious to them and therefore they must give it utmost care for their body to function properly. However, for a professional athlete, using drugs may be the only possible way to improve their body and ensure they stay at the top of their game, whatever the cost. Psychological and physiological factors also come into play when abusing drugs. Athletes are often caught relying on the drug to help them get through their athletic careers, which over time will cause addiction. Many athletes are susceptible to this and drug abuse often gets them into trouble, even involving the law. Performance-enhancing drugs are substances that are used by an individual to help him or her achieve better athletic performance. In many sports, steroids are the most popular and easiest drugs on the market. In medical terminology, steroids are often referred to as anabolic steroids. An anabolic steroid is a compound composed of a group of synthetic hormones derived from male testosterone. It improves the capabilities of a person's body with physiological effects such as increased muscle mass, protein synthesis, strength, appetite and bone growth. The drug works in truly amazing ways according to many athletes due to its quick results and the endless combinations you can use with it. Some athletes even report experiencing results in less than a week. While steroids may be able to physically alter your body with ease, they can… middle of paper… everything they are putting at risk, all with one small needle. Athletes' lives can change quickly after taking the drug. They may live in glory for a while after the results start to show, but they can attract attention soon after. Anabolic steroids have ruined lives, destroyed families, and even shortened the lifespans of young adolescents. Is a dose of medicine so precious that it costs you everything? Athletes are much more focused on their pride than their lives. Money, fame and power are enough to make an individual change, and all of this is due to the use of an illegal drug. We, as human beings, are smarter than we strive to be, and as a professional athlete, a person should know the dangers of drug use. However, athletes don't want to be known as average, or even the best. In most cases, they simply want to be better than good enough.