As the use of performance-enhancing drugs becomes increasingly popular among athletes, many of them do not understand the risks involved in taking these drugs. Many people are looking for a quick way to build muscle or get stronger as quickly as possible. Using these performance aids may very well be a quick fix for many athletes, but taking these supplements is unethical and dangerous. The use of special drugs to enhance an athlete's performance is degrading to the sport and to the athlete. The human body can produce the same substances naturally, without taking drugs, but people continue to fill up on these supplements such as creatine or androstenedione. If the athlete is patient and works hard he can achieve the same strength he would achieve using supplements. Athletes are trying to cheat by using unnatural shortcuts to gain muscle mass instead of spending long hours in the weight room. Athletes should not take these supplements because they are harmful to their health, to the sport, and to future athletes who follow their example using these dangerous substances. The popularity of these ergogenic aids is growing among young adolescent athletes who see big superstars taking certain drugs and expect their athletic abilities to be enhanced if they also take these drugs. On the contrary, taking these supplements is especially dangerous when administered to adolescents. The ergogenic aid called creatine is used to build muscle mass very quickly. Many people consume this supplement without even knowing the consequences or potential dangers when using this drug. It's true that creatine increases muscle mass in most people and works fast, but in contradiction to this it may not work for everyone and there are side effects that are just... middle of paper... .ks CitedEichner, E Randy, MD. "Ergogenic aids: what do athletes use? And why." 4 April 1997, n.pag.Online. World Wide Web http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/1997/04apr/eichner.htm October 14, 1998 Ford, Peter. "Don't mix sports and drugs." Christian Science Moniter August 5, 1998 n.pag.Fontenot, Beth. “The Creatine Craze: Such Ergogenic Promise But at What Cost?” Nutrition Forum March-April 1998:11Jones, Marion. "Mark McGwire's Muscle Pills: Supplements or Steroids?" 26 August 1998, page n. Online. World Wide Web. http://www.foxnews.com/health/082698/sluggerdrugs.sml October 19, 1998 Schrof, Joannie M. "McGwire Takes Pills: Muscle-Building Supplements Also Carry Serious Risks." US News & World Report September 7, 1998:53 Springen, Karen and Marc Peyser. “The New Muscle Candy: Experts Confront Creatine Questions.” Newsweek January 12 1998:68