Ryan Braun Steroid Case Overturned

February 23^rd, 2012 was a day that Ryan Braun will never forget. After the reigning National League MVP was notified by Major League Baseball last October that he had tested positive for performance enhancing drugs, he responded by spending the last four months in the appeal process trying to clear his name from under the dark steroids cloud. Though all of the evidence isn’t available to the public at this point, it appears that there was some kind of tampering or misuse concerning Braun’s urine sample that led to an arbitrator overturning the 50 game suspension that he was facing for testing positive for performance enhancing drugs—elevated levels of testosterone to be specific.

Just as it appeared MLB had broken through the steroid wall of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, they had a scare with Braun’s ‘positive’ test last fall. Naturally there are going to be a few desperate minor leaguers and major league journeymen who will test positive for steroids each year, but Braun is one of the superstars and a face of Major League Baseball. This is a huge story for Major League Baseball and Braun because this case marks the first time that any drug test ruling has been overturned. This story is also very important for the young kids out there that are so heavily influenced by the superstars of our professional leagues. It’s a relieving resolution to a case that would have proven that steroids are still a major part of baseball—but thankfully it appears that they aren’t. In a statement released February 24^th, 2012 Braun claims that “we provided complete cooperation throughout, despite the highly unusual circumstances. I have been an open book, willing to share details from every aspect of my life as part of this investigation, because I have nothing to hide. I have passed over 25 drug tests in my career, including at least three in the past year.”

Some people, both athletes and non-athletes, abuse anabolic steroids in an attempt to enhance performance and/or improve physical appearance. Steroid abuse can lead to serious, even irreversible health problems. Some of the most dangerous among them include liver damage, jaundice (yellowish pigmentation of skin, tissues, and body fluids), fluid retention, and high blood pressure. It’s important for adolescents who are thinking about using steroids to know that the superstars in MLB don’t use them, and it’s important to get help if you are already on steroids. Supportive therapy combined with education about possible withdrawal symptoms is sufficient in some cases of steroid abuse. Also sometimes, medications can be used to restore the balance of the hormonal system after its disruption by steroid abuse. Seabrook is an internationally recognized drug rehab and alcoholism detox treatment center that offers individually inspired programs that focus on each patient’s unique recovery needs. At Seabrook, we are committed to providing quality addiction treatment for the physical, emotional and spiritual illness of chemical dependency and there are programs offered for steroid abusers. Seabrook has rehab facilities located in New Jersey (NJ) and Pennsylvania (PA) and also an outpatient office in New York (NY). If you or a loved one at risk of falling into a dangerous life of steroid abuse the treatment programs at Seabrook can help you get on the right path.