Abuse of Medication | Use of Prohibited Substances

Doping is “the intake of prohibited substances or the use of prohibited methods to increase or maintain – usually athletic – performance” (Wikipedia). Doping in competitive sports is a criminal offence, as enhancing one’s own performance disadvantages others. Beyond the unfair distribution of opportunities, doping also carries a very high risk of drug dependency with all associated side effects. In most prohibited substances, the addiction risk caused by long-term misuse can barely be controlled.

If you suspect that an employee, a sporting rival or a close relative is abusing medication, the IHK-certified private detectives of Kurtz Detective Agency Frankfurt will conduct investigations into consumption behaviour and procurement methods: +49 69 1201 8431.

Admired, Loved – Dishonoured, Despised

The Germans are a sports-loving people. Some take part actively, but the majority – Frankfurt being no exception – prefer watching sport passively at home on television. Whether it is a match of Eintracht, a Formula One race, Wimbledon or the Tour de France – the passive sports fan shares the excitement, the cheering and the suffering. Everyone has their very own “hero” whom they root for and celebrate victories with.

Let us take the famous cyclist Lance Armstrong as an example: At 21 years old, he became the youngest road world champion in history. At 25, he was diagnosed with cancer, underwent surgery, received chemotherapy – and won the greatest battle of his life: the battle against cancer. At 27, in 1998, he returned to cycling and won the Tour de France every year from 1999 to 2005. Millions of cycling fans celebrated him, admired his brilliant comeback to the sport and his triumph over cancer – the media joined in and showered him with praise and homage. Until the day Lance Armstrong was exposed for doping. Admiration turned into disgust and contempt, the media descended on him like wolves, and his wins and titles were revoked retrospectively from 1999 onwards.

Performance-Enhancing Substances are common even in Amateur Sports.

Doping is not only practised in media-famous sports or by well-known athletes; it starts in small gyms, sports halls and similar facilities nationwide and throughout towns and cities. The administration of substances promoting protein synthesis, such as growth hormones, selective androgen receptor modulators and anabolic steroids (known as anabolic agents or, in short, steroids), is primarily associated with strength and competitive sports. The side effects are manifold: from headaches, muscle cramps, bouts of restlessness or fatigue, difficulties concentrating and even loss of libido as early indicators. Worse still are the long-term consequences such as liver damage, infertility in women, poor sperm production in men, diabetes mellitus, increased cancer risk, cardiac weakness and arrhythmias, and in the worst case, heart failure. A visible hallmark is the well-known bodybuilder baldness.

Anyone practising sport competitively should be aware of the dangers of drug-induced muscle growth. One should also exercise care when choosing a sports club and/or trainer. Failure to comply with applicable standards and laws not only gives the athlete an improper, unsporting advantage over competitors but also poses a long-term health risk to themselves. Do not let it come to that if you know someone affected. Kurtz Private Detective Agency Frankfurt can help: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-frankfurt.de.