Drugs and alcohol are common products widely used and, in most cases, abused in the world. While some people take them for recreational purposes, others consume some of these products to “free their minds” from the stress of the world. One category of people however, sometimes take drugs and alcohol a completely different reason: athletes.

In some cases, they take drugs to boost their metabolism so they can perform better in competitions.

While some drugs may actually activate athletes and improve on their performance in competitions, there has hardly been any evidence of such impact from alcohol. Taking drugs and alcohol for the purpose of increasing your body’s interactivity to enhance performance in sports is forbidden by the law. Yet, many athletes continue to be suspended for doing exactly that. Sometimes, athletes take certain drugs for recreational purposes but end up still being suspended. Let’s look at four athletes who got into some sort of trouble for consuming drugs and alcohol.

Michael Phelps (Olympic swimmer)

Michael Phelps is one of the most decorated Olympic Champions in the world of swimming. A gold medalist in four out of five Olympic appearances, the American superstar has had his fame dwindled with court cases accusing him of involvement in drugs and alcohol. Phelps has been arrested on several occasions for driving under the influence of alcohol. He’s also been caught on camera taking marijuana at a college party. His actions cost him not only arrests, but withdrawal by some of his sponsors. He was banned from joining the US swimming team in the 2015 World Aquatics Championship.

Darryl Strawberry (Renowned Baseball player)

Strawberry was a remarkably successful baseball player in the 80s. He was voted to the All-Star Game for 8 conservative years and was set to reach the skies in the world of baseball. The American star had his dreams short-lived, though, when his personal life started taking a toll on his career life. At 29, Strawberry’s cocaine abuse became glaring to the public, and his struggles with drugs and alcohol came to put a dent on fame he had been enjoying for a while. He was arrested for criminal assaults and tax evasion and was suspended several times from the Major Baseball League. 

Dwight Gooden (Baseball player)

Gooden is another baseball sensation whose journey to fame was jeopardized by drugs and alcohol. Like Strawberry, he started his career on a good note in the 80s. At the very tender age of 19, he received his first call to serve in the Major League. Just like Strawberry, he landed himself into trouble with drugs and alcohol. In 1994, he tested positive for cocaine and this led to a 60-day suspension from the game. And even before he could finish this term, he tested positive a second time; something that kept him out of the following season entirely.

Len Bias (Basketball player)

Bias may not have been so famous in the world of basketball, but his name will forever be engraved in sports around the world. In 1986 when he was ready to get and shine in the basketball world, Bias died as a result of abusive cocaine use.  He was just 22. His death actually caused the US Congress to pass a law in his name; the Len Bias law, which continues to be enforced till date ensures that minimum sentences are meted out on people who distribute drugs

These four athletes had the chance to make something out of their sports abilities; but they blew it up with their abusive intake of drugs and alcohol.