Former Miss South Dakota Alexandra Hoffman spread the word about the dangers of performance-enhancing substances during her reign last year.

And she's still delivering the message that the drugs are not worth the risk to athletes' mental and physical health.

Hoffman talked about the substances this past week in a speech at Mount Marty College.

Hoffman, a South Dakota State University student, is an athlete. She has taken part in swimming, basketball and cross-country during her high school and college years.

She says athletes use drugs to build muscles, stimulate their bodies, lose weight or relax. But, in her words, "The bottom line is, it's cheating."

Hoffman says the drugs provide a short-term gain -- but can do harm over the long haul.

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