Anabolic steroids are the most popular illegal substance used in college sports.

In 2002-03, 85 of 105 positive drug test results, done by the NCAA, were for anabolic steroid use. In 2003-04, 46 of 72 positive results were for anabolic steroid use, and in 2004-05, 51 of 106 positive tests were for anabolic steroids.

Since the NCAA implemented its year-round drug-testing program, the drug-use studies have generally shown a decrease in most drug use. If you test positive you, you can’t play for the NCAA for a full-year and loses one of four years of eligibility. If you’re caught a second time, you lose all remaining eligibility and are permanently banned from intercollegiate competition.

Even though anabolic steroids are banned by the NCAA, some college athletes take them anyways, thinking that these drugs will enhance their performance.

If banning steroids and not getting to play aren’t reason enough not to take steroids, here are some things you need to know about.

Student athletes take anabolic steroids thinking that these drugs will enhance their performance. Steroids are the synthetic derivatives of the naturally occurring male anabolic hormone testosterone. The hormone’s anabolic effect helps the body retain dietary protein, which aids in the development of muscles.

But it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. There are some serious side effects, especially for adolescents and young adults.
Some side effects are visible and some are internal. Some are physical and some are psychological.

Physical side effects
Men - Although anabolic steroids are derived from a male sex hormone, men  experience a feminization effect and a decrease in normal male sexual function. Definitely not something you want while you’re at college.

• Reduced sperm count
• Impotence
• Development of breasts
• Shrinking of the testicles
• Difficulty or pain while urinating

Women - On the other hand, women often experience a masculinization effect from anabolic steroids, including the following:

• Facial hair growth
• Deepened voice
• Breast reduction
• Menstrual cycle changes

With continued use of anabolic steroids, both sexes can experience the following effects, which range from the merely unsightly to the life endangering. They include:

• Acne
• Bloated appearance
• Rapid weight gain
• Clotting disorders
• Liver damage
• Premature heart attacks and strokes
• Elevated cholesterol levels
• Weakened tendons

Behavioral side effects
There are also behavioral side effects like severe mood swings. You can go through bouts of depression, irritability, feelings of invincibility or outright rage commonly known as roid rage. So not will you only be unattractive with  potentially serious health problems, no one will want to be around you.

Long term effects
If you overdose, the effects can be irreversible or undetected. And the effects of steroids stick around way after you stop taking them. Also if anabolic steroids are injected, you can transmit or contract HIV and Hepatitis B through a shared needle. Suddenly running faster and having some big muscles just doesn’t seem worth it. Not only will you have acne and be bloated, you’ll actually be too sick to play sports. The reason you considered steroids in the first place. 

Playing intercollegiate sports can be serious stress. You don’t want to let your fans down, your coaches can be screaming at you from the sidelines, you have to push your body beyond its limits and you are continually under pressure about getting drafted to the pros.

Not to mention the whole pressure of getting recruited and filling out applications and that’s even before you get to play sports at college.

To deal with all these pressures, student athletes turn to all kinds of unhealthy behaviors, ranging from steroid use to fights off the field against their opponents.

But these unhealthy habits don’t really reduce stress in the long run; they actually create more problems for you.

We don’t think you should let a little bit of stress intimidate you away from college sports. So here’s some things you can tell yourself when the going gets tough.

1. Remember why you first got into sports—they are supposed to be fun. So when the pressure is really high, remind yourself that it’s just a game.
2. Anything worth achieving is rarely easy. If it was you’d be bored and not stressed at all. The challenge is what makes the victory that much sweeter.
3. Mistakes are a necessary part of learning anything. Very simply, if we don’t make mistakes, we probably won’t learn. So remind yourself that mistakes, rather than being things to avoid at all cost, are really stepping stones to success. They give us the information we need to adjust and improve.
4. Do not confuse worth with performance. There is a difference between what you do and who you are. Don’t measure your worth as a person in terms of how you compete. So you are more than who you are on the field; hang out with friends and do other activities so you don’t see yourself as a one trick pony.
5. Try to like and respect sport opponents. Some coaches and athletes think that proper motivation comes from anger or hatred for the opponent. We disagree. Sports should promote sportsmanship and an appreciation that opponents, far from being the “enemy,” are fellow athletes who make it possible to compete.
6. Do your best. Instead of concentrating on winning or losing, focus on your own performance. You can control your own performance, but not the game.  That should reduce your stress.

Even though drugs are illegal in the NCAA, that doesn’t stop all student athletes from taking the banned substances.

Some take it because they think it will increase their performance, because of pressure and anxiety or because they feel insecure or want to rebel.

So the NCAA does random drug testing to make sure all players are on even playing field.

The NCAA spends approximately $4 million each year for its national drug testing program, and it provides more than $800,000 each year in funding assistance for education programs to NCAA colleges and universities.

There are different types of NCAA drug testing—random testing during the year and drug testing at championship games.

About 2,500 student-athletes were tested in 2006-07. The championships testing program tests for steroids, masking agents and ephedrine as well as other stimulants, peptide hormones and street drugs.

Any Division I or Division II student-athlete may be tested for training drugs such as anabolic steroids. About 10,500 student-athletes are randomly selected from squad lists and tested by the NCAA on their campuses August through June.

The year-round program tests for steroids, masking agents and ephedrine.

If you’re caught, you can’t play for the NCAA for a full-year and loses one of four years of eligibility. If you’re caught a second time, you lose all remaining eligibility and are permanently banned from intercollegiate competition.

And don’t think you are home free over the summer. The NCAA has been doing periodically summer testing since 2006.

The NCAA’s list of banned drug classes is far more extensive than those substances banned under federal law. For a full list check the NCAA website.

So when it comes to college sports and drugs, there is no playing around.