Performance enhancing substances

BigCon

Do you believe that top players take performance enhancing substances?
Is it widespread? Maybe it doesn't happen at all?

p.s. I voted for 5-10%

kaimera

It has been said to me that yes, some players have taken pills proir to games and such.

is it widespread? 5-10% possibly :dunno:

gerire

Ive been playing GAA all my life up to senior Dublin Club level, and only hurling but I have never heard of prople at club people taking them nor have I seen it. I have seen very dodgy doctors on other teams where the question was put of them what was in the water bottles. But never of players. Id like to think it's less than 5%

Yavvy

apart from drugs Im wondering about these "sports" drinks and performance drinks that are available. coke's BPM scares me. I tried it once and it made my heart beat race and made me very uncomfortable...much the same way red bull effects me.

I have never played top level GAA but I have been in the gaa scene for a while now and Ive never seen anything other than bruphen taken without priscription.

I do think it goes on. My reason for that thinkign is because of the rife steroid abuse in local gyms around Ireland that I know for sure is a problem .

Trojan

Originally posted by Alany
apart from drugs Im wondering about these "sports" drinks and performance drinks that are available. coke's BPM scares me. I tried it once and it made my heart beat race and made me very uncomfortable...much the same way red bull effects me.

Anyone playing sports regularly would tell you that BPM is not a sports drink. It'd be lethal to drink that stuff on match day. It's designed more for people who drink too much and stay out too late and are falling asleep at their desks the next day at work.

Originally posted by Alany

I do think it goes on. My reason for that thinkign is because of the rife steroid abuse in local gyms around Ireland that I know for sure is a problem .

Agreed that there is some steroid use in local gyms, but I don't think it's "rife". Maybe I'm just naive

uberwolf

Originally posted by Trojan

Agreed that there is some steroid use in local gyms, but I don't think it's "rife". Maybe I'm just naive

By all accounts you can source EPO at your local enthusiasts gym, so its not difficult, meaning temptation is there.

GAA was one of the last sports to slow down on the on pitch cortisone injections which has long been recognised as an enhancer/dangerous. This suggests to me that the attitude may be lax at official levels

Waylander

It should be remembered that it is an amateur sport and this is bound to make things like this a slower process. But also as it is an amateur sport I think this would reduce the likelihood of there being a serious problem with performance enhancers. However, I would say that there is some element of this going on in the sport, but I would not know where to begin pointing any fingers. Is there no drug detection or random sampling done by the GAA.

leeroybrown

I voted 1% - 5%. I reckon that the deliberate usage of performance enhancing substances would be around the 1% - 2% mark, with perhaps slightly more having done it as a one off. I think most of those cases would be GAA players who use these kinds of chemicals are doing so for body building reasons (some may not even be doing it improve GAA performance).

On top of that few percent there is probably a sizable percentage (~5%) who have used or do use 'suplements' that would be considered borderline or usable in some professional sports.

The only real benefits a player could see from these would be some extra strength (something they might not be able to build naturally) and some extra fitness (something they should have from training anyway).

I'm not involved in GAA myself but know quite a few friends who are. I know one person who plays GAA (club level only) who in the past used some supplements/substances as part of a body building reigime (he was big into it at the time). I'm sure he gained quite some benefit in terms of strength on the pitch.