Could the abuse of medicine prescribed to help treat Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) be compared with the use of illegal substances used to improve athletic performance, such as anabolic steroids? Some say no; however if the two situations are looked at more closely, both anabolic steroids and prescription stimulants are substances used to aid and assist in a particular activity or task. As the Center of Disease Control (CDC) states, anabolic steroids aid in the production and repair of muscle tissue at a quicker rate than our own body can actually perform (reference). On the other hand, prescription stimulants assist in helping the individual concentrate on the issue at hand, blocking out any distractions. Although the two are both a form of aid in the performance of an individual, prescription stimulants remain more accepted among our culture (Dodge, Williams, Marzell, & Turrisi, 2012).
Taking anabolic steroids and prescription stimulants without being prescribed these medications are both ways of abusing a substance. More importantly, they are two examples of substance abuse that are also considered a form of cheating in both athletics and academics, correspondingly. Some think that using either one of these substances constitutes cheating, but somehow our culture does not view stimulants in an academic context as cheating. Perhaps it is the outcome of the two actions. Using substances to improve one’s athletic ability results in only one win. Thus if the “cheater” wins, the victory is considered unethical. However, if a student takes a stimulant drug in order to achieve a better score on a test, he or she is not preventing another student from achieving better or the same on the same test (Dodge et al., 2012). Thus, the student’s success is not at the cost of others. Regardless of how our culture views the two actions, many researchers