"It has been proven that alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana are the leading choice among youths and student athletes in America today" (journal of alcohol and drugs education pg. 49). Due to the fact that the drugs mentioned above are probably the most common and easiest to get a hold of, they are also usually the ones that kids try first. Alcohol, despite the increase in education and prevention efforts, remains the drug most widely used by high s

t to listen for normal sounds of urination. Each male student remains fully clothed at all times while the testing is taking place. They produce the urine sample while a monitor stands near by to make sure that the student does not tamper with the sample. A female student follows the same steps, but is allowed to go into an enclosed facility. Monitors are not allowed in the room so they do not get a direct observation of the procedure-taking place. The identity of the student is not taken into consideration as the school determines what drug the student might be tested for. When the tests are finished and sent to the laboratories, scientists check for the following drugs: cocaine, amphetamines, and marijuana. Scientist now and days can search for LSD and other drugs by the request of the school or the NCAA. "The laboratory has a 99.94% rate of accuracy"( www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/SDFS/actguid/drugath.html). As the results are determined, the laboratory is responsible to mail the!

ve the risk of being dismissed from school, for not participating in their sport. In the case of Division I athletes where it becomes more like a job, the students must maintain a certain grade point average, remain physically healthy and attend practices without excuses. If these following guides are not followed students scholarship could be taken away and dismissal from the sport or even the school may take place.

Some athletes are more prone to abuse steroids than are others. It's an obvious fact that football players have the highest rate of steroid abuse, because of the fact that their game has more to do with strength use than others. The higher the level of competition is the more chance there is to find an athlete abusing drugs. The effect of steroids might be good in the beginning, but the lasting effects can be crucial to ones own image. Now that steroid use has been prohibited by almost all-legitimate sporting organization, urine testing just prior to the athletic event has become commonplace. Although many athletes attempt to avoid steroid detection, it's usually not worth it in the end. The use of drug tests to test students for drug and alcohol use is a new technique used by schools today. "After undertaking previous prevention efforts that proved ineffective in stopping the increase of drug use, the policy of random drug testing was adopted, along with very detailed proce!

With all of the drugs, illegal and legal, that student-athletes are regularly involved in are dramatically affecting either their ability to perform as athletes, or inhibiting their abilites to perform as students. Student athletes are torn between what their peers expect from them in social arenas, and what society expects of them as role models and representatives of athletics. Student athletes may feel pressured by their peers to abuse drugs in order to be perceived as popular. Also, they mat feel led by society and authority figures to obstain from such actions while representing their community, family, and school as an athlete.

A survey taken in 1992, discovered that a "51% of high school seniors claimed that they had consumed an alcohol beverage in the last month"(Albrecht, R.R., Anderson, W.A., McGrew, C.A., McKeag, D.B., & Hough, D.O. 1992). A study taken by the same people but among high school athletes in 1988 "showed that 83% of high school athletes have tried alcohol at least once in their lives," while 55% of them admitted to consuming alcohol on a regular basis.

Statistically, the basketball team was lower in most categories, except for tobacco.

Many possible reasons for college athletes to take socially used drugs is to make them feel better, for social use, and to help deal with college stress both in the fields of academics and athletics. Although the drug abuse in Division I schools has decreased from an 87% to a 79% since 1989, there is still a large room for improvement. In the other hand an increase appeared to take place in

Some common words found in the essay are:
Division III, DB Hough, Huntingdon College, , Christian College, Apparently Ritalin, Darrel Strawberry, Division II, III II, Hough NCAA, drug testing, student athletes, baseball players, division iii, percent baseball players, peer pressure, drugs alcohol, alcohol drugs, drug abuse, division ii, percent baseball, random drug testing, baseball players polled, rr anderson wa, ca mckeag db,
Approximate Word count = 3387
Approximate Pages = 14 (250 words per page double spaced)