Some student athletes may feel pressure to take drugs for a variety of reasons; some emotional, some performance related. A student athletes may wonder about how drugs might help in winning (Axtheim and Clifton, 1988).

In such cases the student athlete should try to carefully define what "winning" really means. Is it only about putting more points on the board, or cutting seconds off a time? Careful examination of this issue may reveal to the student that "winning" also involves personal development on many more "fronts" than the action of kicking, catching, hitting a ball, or tackling an opponent.

Some student athletes may have the misperception that they have to take drugs in order to succeed in athletics. Student athletes need to be clear about the true meaning of success and gaining recognition. When a student athlete unfairly breaks the rules to "win", has he or she really won? (Tricker and Cook, 1990).