STEROIDS

What are steroids?

Steroids are drugs that are similar to the male sex hormone testosterone.

Why does anyone use steroids?

• Steroids increase muscle growth and other male body characteristics, at least initially (but see the consequences, below).

• Some people take steroids to improve their athletic performance or physical appearance.

• People with vigorexia, which is an addiction to exercise, may combine body building work with the use of steroids.

• Teens wanting to look good or to become better athletes may be offered steroids at gyms, or in sports teams, or at other places where they exercise.. Don’t let this confuse you!  Just because you are offered steroids in a healthy environment or by adults in positions of authority (such as sports coaches) does not mean steroids are good for you!  They can cause you a lot of harm.

What are the consequences of using steroids?

• A person may become dependent on steroids because they think it makes their body look good.

• Steroids can alter your mood and make you irritable.

• For men, consequences can include shrinking testicles, reduced sperm count, infertility, increased risk of prostate cancer and baldness

• In women, consequences can include facial hair growth, baldness, deepened voice, menstrual abnormalities and enlarged clitoris.

Are steroids addictive? 

There is some evidence to show that steroids can lead to addiction:

• In animal laboratory experiments it has been shown that if they have the opportunity to self-administer the drug (for example, by pressing a lever), they do. This shows that animals learn to like or come to need it.

• Among humans, people often continue taking steroids even if they are experiencing physical and social problems as a result of using them.

• A person who wants to “look like a superman” can become addicted because he keeps trying to achieve an impossible ideal.

• Addiction can also be caused by depression due to failing to achieve this physical ideal. 

YOUR BODY IS AMAZING.  IF YOU WANT TO LOOK BETTER, THEN EXERCISE IN A HEALTHY WAY.  Do not risk taking a drug to look better and then getting sick or harming your body by using it!  IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE USE OF STEROIDS OR SOMEONE CLOSE TO YOU DOES, seek help and more information.

Information adapted from:

http://www.drugabuse.gov/InfoFacts/Steroids-Sp.html

For more information related to this topic click here:

Exercise

Vigorexia