News / Health & Wellness
Drugs & the Olympics
Drug testing is getting more high-tech as Olympic athletes continue their quest for new (and often dangerous) ways to gain a competitive edge.
Many athletes were welcomed to Vancouver this month with a request for a blood or urine sample. Nowadays, drug testing begins before the games even start. It’s all part of modern sports.
Drug Test Improvements
Drug testing has come a long way in recent years, with more sophisticated detection methods giving officials the ability to detect banned substances better than ever. Despite the high-tech policing to keep clean athletes from competing against dirty ones, doping does still happen. In sports where it’s been a problem in the past, those athletes may even be required to test more than once.
Despite the risks, some athletes do still try to get an edge on the competition by using banned substances. While it’s hard to guess just how many go this route, experts estimate that anywhere from 2-8 percent of Olympic athletes are indulging.
It’s certainly not in the spirit of the Games.
Drug Addiction Treatment
If you or someone you love is battling an addiction, call La Paloma at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.
