Re: ROTFTMAO...Before/After pics of Merriman...
I played at a reasonably high level in the early 80s, not pros, and many guys used roids. A few guys I played with made the pros. A couple have already died.
It’s funny now as I live in Newton now and around 30% of the kids are on academic steroids, ADD medicine. Tons of parents have their kids take them to get an academic advantage as opposed to the 5% who statistically had ADD.
Actually, I dont think its parents trying to get their kids advantages, I think its the schools, teachers, and doctors, overdiagnosing. We are a country that loves to put a label on things, especially when it creates a comfortable excuse. There certainly are people with depression issues in this country, but it is being diagnosed and medicated at epidemic levels. Basically, anyone who has problems that fit a depression system is thrown on prozac, or the like, and probably gets worse. I am close with a person who basically is just really lazy. They have been on anti-depressants with no change, and consistently go to psychologists to feel better about their shortcomings by having a label and excuse put on it.
My son, last year, was 'diagnosed' by his teacher as being ADD. I've watched this kid sit for 2 hours straight without interuption and build a new Lego from start to finish, and do it perfectly. I watched him play football for the first time, and pay better attention to the coaches, instructions and drills that 95% of the other kids. He is a kid who jumps from activity to activity not because he cannot focus, but because he is so aware of everything going on around him, and finds MORE interest in something else than what he is doing often. I was adamant that I would not allow him to be medicated for ADD (there are many potential side effects) until I was sure that nothing else would work. His teacher would say "He is fine in group activities, but in individual activities, he has 5 good minutes of staying on the task" My opinion was before medicating him, we try to train him to have 10 good minutes, then 15, etc etc. There is a decent possibility that he just wasn't taking school as seriously as he should. Labelling him made him think that he had no control.
New year, new school, new teacher, he really likes his teacher (who really likes him) and she was shocked that they were labelling him ADD. Couldn't imagine anyone would think that about him. She admits, like his teacher last year said that he requires more of her attention than most kids. Last years teacher apparently didn't feel that should be part of her job.
