Drugs in sport: Negative impact on current and future health.

The idea

Doping harms health now and later. Current effects can include raised blood pressure, disturbed heart rhythm, liver and kidney strain, hormonal disruption, mood swings, aggression, insomnia and increased injury risk. Future effects can include heart disease, stroke, some cancers, organ failure, infertility, dependence and lasting psychological problems such as depression. Some risks are immediate, such as anabolic steroid-related liver damage or stimulant-related cardiac events; others accumulate silently over years of use. The same substance can act now and later, so classify each effect by timing as well as by body system. Learn to separate current from future harm and to link each example to a named substance class where the option allows.

What earns the marks

• Current health effects: raised blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmia, liver and kidney strain, hormonal disruption, mood disturbance, aggression, insomnia and greater injury risk.
• Future health effects: heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, organ failure, infertility, dependence and lasting psychological problems such as depression.
• Timing matters: some harms appear during or soon after use, while others accumulate over years and may only emerge after retirement.
• Different drug classes carry different risks, for example anabolic steroids and liver or hormonal damage, stimulants and cardiac events, so the option must match the substance.
• Health harm applies to the individual performer and can also affect others through contaminated or shared supply.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Listing only immediate effects such as raised blood pressure.

  Put it right: Future consequences such as heart disease, infertility and dependence must also be recognised.

• Assuming all drugs carry identical risks.

  Put it right: Anabolic steroids, stimulants, diuretics and narcotic analgesics each have distinct short- and long-term dangers.

• Treating health harm as purely physical.

  Put it right: Psychological consequences such as depression, aggression and dependence are also part of the negative impact.

• Believing that stopping use removes all risk.

  Put it right: Some damage, such as organ or cardiovascular change, can persist after the athlete stops.

Exam tips

• Check whether the stem asks about current, future or both types of harm, then eliminate options that only cover the other time frame.
• Match each option to a plausible drug class; an option linking a stimulant to liver damage or a steroid to sudden sedation is likely to be wrong.
• Prefer options that name a specific body system or condition over vague statements such as 'it is bad for you'.