Prescription Drugs in Extreme Sports

Despite what you may have heard about extreme sports “junkies” and their reckless, thrill-seeking, adrenaline-fueled adventures, most people who are interested in taking sports to the extreme also tend to take their activities seriously.  They employ all possible safety precautions, enroll in the proper training, and stay focused to ensure that accidents do not occur.  But these sports are called extreme for a reason.  By engaging in activities like surfing, snowboarding, bungee jumping, sky-diving, base jumping, cave diving, white-water rafting, and other risky ventures, proponents are, in many cases, taking their life into their own hands (no matter how many safety measures they may have put in place).  So it’s no surprise, with all the allegations of juicing in the major sports, that people are beginning to question the role of prescriptions drug use and it’s repercussions in all sports, including extreme sporting.

Injuries can occur in any type of athletic training, but participating in extreme sports can really up the ante.  At the very least, people who engage in these dangerous activities are inevitably going to encounter some aches and pains that they just can’t shake, and at the worst, they may incur injuries that trouble them for their entire lives.  And once a doctor prescribes pain killers like Vicodin and Percocet, it doesn’t take a leap in logic to figure out how people get hooked on them.  They are terribly addictive, make the user feel great, and will almost certainly cause harsh withdrawal following extended use.  Even worse, they’re readily available.  It sometimes seems like doctors are handing them out like candy.  And to those who face constant bodily aches from their sports (even aside from outright injuries), prescription medication can become a crutch, and eventually, a necessity.

But doctors are not entirely responsible for what people do with the pills they prescribe.  And they certainly aren’t to blame for those who abuse their prescription medication.  By the same token, they are not the ones who will have to suffer from the inevitable struggle of breaking an addiction.  So like athletes in any other sport, those who practice extreme sporting must be wary of taking any prescription drug as a result of injuries sustained in the course of their activities or even in concord with their sport.  Performance-enhancing drugs can have just as much allure to those who paddle over a waterfall as for those who swing a bat.  Finding a way to be stronger and faster can sound like a great idea when your life could depend on how your body performs.  But even herbal supplements, which can be obtained legally (but are often not FDA approved) can have unanticipated side effects.  It’s probably better to avoid them, no matter what they promise, and simply know your body’s limitations.

While extreme sports have largely escaped the scrutiny applied to major sports like football, baseball, and basketball, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the people who practice them are any more immune to the challenges and temptations that other athletes face.  However, if they take their goals seriously, and strive to reach the heights of their sport and see what they are personally capable of, it is not hard to stay away from prescription medications and avoid both the stigma attached to taking them and the inevitable damage they can cause (for both body and reputation).

Guest Post: This post was written by Alicia Witt of Abusing Adderall. Browse the website to find out more about Adderall dependence and what symptoms to look for.