Alcohol as an Ergogenic Aid Essay Example for Free

Alcohol as an Ergogenic Aid Essay Alcohol, more specifically ethyl alcohol or ethanol, is a depressant that provides 7 kCal of energy per gram, and is the most abused drug for athletes and non-athletes in the United States. Prior to my research on alcohol, I assumed that alcohol abuse was not prevalent among college athletes, outside of the occasional partying that normal college students partake in as well. But according to Lifestyles and Health Risks of Collegiate Athletes, college athletes generally drink more heavily and are more likely to engage in binge drinking than non-athletes1, and contrary to my belief, in the psychologic realm, some have argued that alcohol before competition reduces tension and anxiety, enhances self-confidence, and promotes aggressiveness. Alcohol use exaggerates the dehydrating effect of exercise and places an athlete at greater risk for heat injury during exercise. Many athletes consume alcohol-containing beverages after exercising or sports competition and the bottom line is that alcohol-containing beverages impede rehydration. 2 Alcohol is a drug that is absorbed into the bloodstream from the stomach and small intestine. In the fasting state, the majority of alcohol will be absorbed within 15 minutes and a maximum blood level will occur in approximately 20 minutes, with 80-90% complete absorption achieved within 30-60 minutes. The rate of absorption of alcohol and subsequent appearance of alcohol in the blood is dependent on the rate of consumption, volume consumed, the proof of the alcohol, the presence of carbonation (which speeds up absorption), the presence or absence of food in the stomach, and if the user is taking any medication. It is broken down by the liver and then eliminated from the body, and while some alcohol metabolizes in the cells lining the stomach, most breaks down in the liver. Until the liver can break down all of the alcohol, the drug will circulate in the bloodstream, affecting all of the bodys organs, including the brain. There are limits to how fast the liver can breakdown alcohol and nothing can speed up this process, and when alcohol reaches the brain, the user will begin to feel drunk. Alcohol depresses the brain and reduces the ability to control your body and mind. This is what makes alcohol so dangerous and if you drink too much alcohol, your breathing or heart rate can reach dangerously low levels or even stop. Alcohol has been described as an athletic performance impairing drug. Exercise is a complex activity utilizing many of the bodys organ systems and alcohol exerts an effect on most of these systems, including the central nervous system, muscle energy storages and the cardiovascular system. Heavy alcohol intake over a long period of time can decrease exercise performance by slowing down the hearts response to exercise, muscle damage, weakness, inefficient heart performance, and decreased capacity to gain muscle. 9 Drinking the day or night of a competition hinders athletic performance and exercising with a hangover can decrease aerobic performance by as much as 11 %! 9 Alcohol has even been linked with asthma. Athletes who regularly consume alcohol are more prone to injury. The smartest choice for a collegiate athlete would be to avoid the consumption of alcohol, especially in high volumes. Some of the risks of drinking alcohol are vomiting, blacking out and not remembering what you did while you were drunk, passing out in an unfamiliar place or a place where your safety could be at risk, decreased inhibitions resulting in embarrassing and dangerous behavior, a hangover which includes: nausea, fatigue, upset stomach, headache, sore muscles, cotton mouth, lack of motivation, alcohol-related injuries resulting from loss of inhibitions and coordination and death by nervous system failure, injury and choking on your own vomit. The two most fatal risks of alcohol are drunken driving deaths, and alcoholism related deaths. There are over 100,000 alcohol related deaths a year and alcohol-related traffic collisions kill more young people between the ages of 16 and 24 than any other single cause. Alcoholism, or alcohol dependence, is a disease that includes strong cravings for alcohol and continuing to drink, despite repeated alcohol-related problems. Although alcoholism can be developed due to excessive consumption, a user is at higher risk when the disease runs in the family. The four main symptoms of alcoholism are craving, impaired control, tolerance, and physical dependence. 3,4 For most adults, moderate alcohol use is up to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women and older people. Obivously, the safest way to avoid alcoholism is to not drink at all. But if one must intake alcohol they should try to stay around the moderate alcohol intake. Are there any benefits of alcohol intake? Prior to my research I would have answered no. But moderate daily alcohol intake actually does have some benefits. 2 oz or 30 mL of 90 proof alcohol, or slightly less than three 12 oz beers reduce a healthy person’s risk of heart attack and stroke, independent of physical activity level. 5,6,7 In fact, alcohol affects HDL levels just about as strongly as any other lifestyle factor, and may cause a rise in LDL levels thus stopping a critical step in plaque formation in the arteries. 8 Alcohol is the most abused drug in the United States by athletes and non-athletes. After my research I was shocked to learn the seriousness of its effects in the short and long term. The Health effects of alcohol have been observed in nearly every organ of the body, and its consumption has been linked to more than 60 diseases. The effects of alcohol on health can be disease, accidents, and injuries. The effects can be just as immediate and apparent when they show up in athletes. Alcohol impedes hydration, and being dehydrated can cause many problems for an athlete ranging from injury to poor performance. Although those effects are only immediate and short term, athletes are not immune from contracting long term effects such as asthma, liver disease/failure, and heart disease. After learning about how alcohol is metabolized, I realized how long the process takes and all of the organs of your body it affects. Overall, alcohol does not have any ergogenic aid, and the smartest choice for an athlete would be to avoid the drug as a whole.

Alls Fair In Love And War Essay -- Argument Argumentative Morals Pape

All's Fair In Love And War The Political Realist's Argument Is war ever the right or wrong thing to do? Political Realists claim that war is just and permissible only when it is in the best interest of a state. Further, they argue morality has no place in determining the justifiability of war. In considering the legitimacy of war, I will first analyze one main argument in support of 'Political Realism', after which I will critique the argument, which I provided in support of political realism. Political Realists clearly state that war is acceptable once it is in the state's best interest to do so, and once embroiled in a war, a nation must employ all methods to ensure that victory is the end result (Morgenthau 14). They believe that "war is an intractable part of an anarchical world system ("War"). And that it ought to be resorted to only if it makes sense in terms of national self-interest. While political realism is an intricate and highly developed doctrine, Political Realists assert that its core propositions center on a strong rejection of applying moral concepts to the conduct of international relations (Ibid). Political realists denounce the idea of applying morality when discussing the justifiability of war for two main reasons. Firstly, political realists believe that only a superior and legitimate international authoritative body can impose a moral system upon all nations (Lauleta 2). Secondly, realists assert that there is no overriding international authority that enforces a common code of rules that apply to all nation states (Ibid) Therefore, by virtue of accepting these two main premises; realists contend that we should not use morality as a factor in considering the legitimacy of war. In arguing th... ... We can clearly see evidence of this whereby countries abide by international laws. Therefore, it is safe to say that we do not need a world government to determine universal morality because other world organizations are capable of establishing common codes of conduct and laws. We have explored two counter arguments. Firstly, a common sense of morality among states does not require authority as a common basic morality, despite cultural diversity, is innate in every human being. Secondly, states' participation in international organizations ensures that a common set of rules determining the justifiability of war can be applied to all states. Therefore, when states co-operate without a universal governmental body, they can arrive at some degree of commonality where international law is concerned. Therefore, in conclusion, we can evaluate war based on moral issues.

“Anak” reaction paper Essay

1. Based on the film Anak, what specific issues do OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) parents and their children face? Give three concrete examples. a. Unfamiliarity of family members and change in behavior i. In one of the first few scenes of the movie, Josie arrives in the Philippines. A friend and her children greet her but she does not notice her children right away. She gracefully greets her children the moment that she found out that it was infact them already all grown up. Since she was abroad for a very long time, her children didn’t know how to react to her gracefulness and felt a little awkward, especially for Daday, the youngest of her three children, whom she left at a very early age. So there is an unfamiliarity of the face and ofcourse in behavior. Children grow up and eventually get used to not being around their OFW parents so their behavior towards them also change. b. Struggle to reconnect to one another i. It was also evident in the movie that the children were struggling to be open to Josie, most especially Carla. Carla felt like her mother betrayed her by not coming back home and not calling them when she was gone. So she grew up not having a mother who would look out for her and teach her the good values that she needed. Carla ended up being influenced by the wrong people. When her mother finally came home, she felt like her mother was not part of her life anymore and just stopped caring about her. She never told her stories of what happened to her life. Also, Michael had a struggle to tell her that his full scholarship got voided, and Daday had a hard time being comfortable with Josie. All this is due to the experiences of Josie’s children that she missed. She wasn’t able to be there for her children during the times wherein they needed her the most. So the children lost their sense of security and struggled to get it back. c. Living in the Philippines i. As simple as it sounds, I believe that OFWs find it very hard to live in the Philippines again. Just like in the movie, Josie and her friends’ taxi  business was not that successful. It also affects the lifestyle of the children just like how Josie had to pay Michael’s full tuition fee for him to study in school. She used the business’ money to pay for that. Aside from the struggle to reconnect, this is an additional burden for OFWs so sometimes, like in Josie’s case, they go back abroad and just try to get a more decent job from there, and once again, away from the family. 2. How do transnational families (families with OFWs or migrant workers) challenge stereotypes or images of the traditional family? a. I think they just try their best to live a normal life. When it comes to communicating with the OFW parents, they see to it that they make use of any kind of communication like letters, phone calls, and in this current generation, we have video calling. They do this so that they feel like their parents’ are with them and their connection with them won’t be broken. In the movie, it was seen the Josie’s bosses hindered her from talking to her family at home and also from going back home to the Philippines when her husband died. So, the connection between Josie and her children got broken ever since that happened. 3. What other issues confronting the family were present in the film? Justify your answer by giving concrete examples. a. One of the issues in the film is Carla’s involvement with illegal substance and teenage pregnancy. She does this to cope with her tough experiences. She mentioned in the movie that she was like that because she never had a mother to tell her not to do those kinds of stuff. She never had a mother’s security that’s why she felt like she can single-handedly do stuff without the permit of anyone. b. Another issue is the struggle to keep up with local business. This was seen when both of Josie’s friends backed out of the taxi business due to financial problems. This, and family issues, left Josie no choice but to just go back to Hong Kong and work there again. 4. Give two concrete recommendations to solve problems confronting transnational families and/or other family-related problems that were present in the film. a. There should always be communication between the OFW parent and his or her family members. With this, they are updated about each other’s lives and they are connected. Also, the children will still somehow feel the security of the  parents even though they’re not physically with them. b. Try to visit as much as possible. Even though there is communication, seeing a loved one personally is still better. There is more shared experienced when an OFW parent is physically with his or her children and therefore, there is a stronger bond among them.

The Goal For Punishment Is Justified - 956 Words

Scenario #2 The goal for punishment that I have for this offender is retribution. She believes that drugs are victimless crimes and I want to show her otherwise with retribution because I want to inflict punishment on a person who has infringed on the rights of others and she does deserve to be penalized. Also this will serve as reminder to the general public of the rules and values of law, which may help my reelection as well. Also another goal for punishment is deterrence but I will only pursue this goal if she was not under the influence and that she thought before she acted. Since she believes that this is a victimless crime she will most likely commit the same crime again. So I would like to impose specific deterrence and impose a punishment on her so that she would be discourage to commit this crime in the future. Also pursuing this goal of specific deterrence I am also pursuing general deterrence. By showing the public that I do not take light of drug offenses and that if individuals com mit this crime I will want them to believe that they will be caught, prosecuted, and that there will be punishment. Also by pursuing the goal of deterrence allows myself to be viewed positively in the public eye showing that I am doing my job to the best of my ability and it also shows my opponent that I take my job seriously as well. I will also pursue the goal of rehabilitation. I believe that if she was under the influence of cocaine she may need to receive help from a treatmentShow MoreRelatedJustification And Justification Of The Penal System1171 Words   |  5 PagesPunishment in general can obviously be justified (in the traditional sense of the term) on utilitarian grounds. Nevertheless, usually its justification is not asked for. Because justification of punishment, in general is unnecessary. It is the justification of particular infliction of pain (or punishment) that can be enquired of. 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