Wrestlemania 29 was tonight, and many people all over the world tuned into their televisions and computers to watch the action. I didn’t watch Wrestlemania 29, haven’t watched wrestling for many years, but when I was a teenager and even into young adulthood, watching wrestling was something I did religiously with my younger brother. He loved watching wrestling so much, and I loved spending that time with him, joking around and teasing each other over our favorites and who would win the matches. He loved Jake “The Snake” Roberts, I loved The Undertaker and we even got to go see some professional wrestling live when I was a teenager and he was a small kid.
When he was just a young boy, my brother wanted to be a professional wrestler when he grew up. This was a thing for him for a while, he would pretend to wrestle, we would wrestle, he would wrestle with his friends and our dad. He was really into it and watched religiously, he could tell you all about professional wrestling and the athletes, who was winning matches, who everyone hated and why…He could fill you in on the whole story. What a fun thing for a kid to have to do…Watch professional wrestling.
But in reality, it can actually be a fairly unhealthy thing to be so interested in for a few reasons. The main one being the incredible amount of steroid abuse that happens in this sport. So many professional wrestlers have tested positive for steroids. Just in the line up for Wrestlemania 29, I see at least 3 wrestlers who have tested positive for illegal steroid use. This isn’t a healthy message that is being sending to impressionable young people who look up to and admire these athletes. Not to mention the steroid scandals involving the WWE in the past.
Steroid abuse is dangerous. It can result in a number of health problems such as but not limited to: neurological issues, ligament and joint injuries, aggression, weight problems, stunted growth, cardiovascular issues, liver failure, HIV from sharing needles, balding, liver malfunction, enlarged prostate, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and acne. If you or someone you know is abusing steroids, contact Steps to Recovery to see how we can help.
If you watched Wrestlemania 29 with your kids, did you take advantage of the moment and use it as a teaching opportunity? If you didn’t and the chance arises next year, will you talk to your kids then about steroid abuse?
