"I just wanted to boost my performance." These are the words spoken by numerous athletes
who have been captured using steroids. The continuous stress and pressure on athletes to
perform well has caused some to breakdown and take steroids as an easy way to bulk up.
Steroids amongst athletes is not the only problem. Other reasons for taking steroids may
be to heal injury, improve appearance, or for various social factors. High School is
definitely tough on self-esteem for teenagers who look to fit in. Many simply desire to
improve their physical appearance, but they are too lazy, or do not have enough time to
work out. What do they do? They resort to the use of anabolic steroids.
Everyone has heard of steroids, but many people do not know exactly what they are.
Natural steroids play a key role in the body processes of living things. They are
naturally produced by plants and animals, and are used for various reasons. Steroids
include sterols, such as cholesterol, bile acids from the liver, adrenal hormones, sex
hormones, and poisons in certain toads. Sex steroids in humans give men and women the
characteristics that make up the sex, such as the type of voice, and the physical build.
Adrenal steroids, produced in the cortex of the adrenal gland in humans, regulate protein
and carbohydrate metabolism. Aldosterone, another steroid produced in the adrenal
cortex, plays a role in the mineral and water balance of the body.
Anabolic steroids are commercially produced by chemical methods from the male hormone
testosterone. Artificial steroids were first developed for medical purposes during World
War II (1939-1945) by the German army. The Germans gave it to their soldiers to make
them more aggressive in combat. After the war, doctors in Europe and the U.S. used
steroids to treat anemia, malnutrition, and to help patients recover faster from surgery.
Then, in the 1940s, artificial steroids began to enter the athletic world. Body
builders in Eastern Europe were taking testosterone in various forms. In the 1950s,
athletes used the anabolic steroids to improve their performance in international
competition. With the government's approval, coaches in the Soviet Union gave the
lab-produced steroids to their athletes, mainly of whom were weight-lifters and
shot-putters. When other athletes around the world noticed the Soviets' winning records
(Soviet weight-lifters won seven medals at the 1952 Olympics), athletes in many countries
began to experiment with steroid use.
In 1956, American doctor John B. Ziegler worked with a drug company to produce anabolic
steroids in the United States. Soon after, American athletes, particularly football
players, began using steroids as early as the 1960s. The health dangers of steroids were
not yet recognized, and athletes obtained steroids legally from their team doctors. When
state laws against steroid use were passed in the 1960s, a black market for the
artificial testosterone quickly developed. Steroids eventually found their way into
school athletics, at both the college and high school levels. During the 1980s, steroid
use spread outside the athletic world. Recently the use of steroids has been increasing
amongst non-athletes for various reasons. (See Chart)
Due to the harmful effects of anabolic steroids, the Federal and State governments have
established laws and regulations against the use of them. In 1988, Congress passed what
is known as the Anti-Drug Abuse Act. This act made the distribution or possession of
anabolic steroid for non-medical reasons a Federal offense. The penalty for distribution
to minors is a prison offense. In 1990, Congress made the laws even stricter, and
classified anabolic steroids as a controlled substance. The law also increased penalties
for steroids use and shipping. To stop the selling of steroids on the black market, the
law requires pharmaceutical firms to be strict with their production and record-keeping.
So far, over 25 states have passed laws and regulations to control steroid abuse, and
many other sates are considering similar legislation.
Steroids are beneficial in many ways, but along with the good there is always a negative
side. Some side effects in males include shrinking of the testicles, reduced sperm
count, impotence, baldness, breast development, difficulty or pain urinating, and an
enlarged prostate. In females some complications are growth of facial hair, deepened
voice, breast reduction, male patterned baldness, enlargement of the clitoris, and
irregular or cessation of the menstrual cycle. Growth can also be prematurely halted in
adolescents, which may prove to be disastrous to their social development in later years.
For more serious side effects, and how often they occur, see the graph above.
$$$ PRICES OF VARIOUS TYPES OF STEROIDS $$$
STEROID QUANTITY PRICE
Clomid 10 * 50 mg. $10
Cytadren 56 * 250 mg. $80
Deca Durabolin 3 * 200 mg. $50
Dianabol 100 * 5 mg. $30
Durabolin 10 ml. Multidose 100 mg. Per ml. $65
Nolvadex 30 * 20 mg. $10
Primobolan Depot per 100 mg. vial $10
PromoTeston Depot 3 * 1 ml. $30
Sustanon 250 per vial $10
Testosterone Cypionate 200 mg. $10
Winstrol (Stanozolol) 100 5 mg. tabs $30
Many people do not think about it, but steroids also have a negative effect on an
addict's financial standing. Because steroids are sold on the streets and across the
internet, there is a large price to pay. (See the chart above). However, people who are
badly addicted are willing to pay whatever price they must to obtain the steroid.
Steroids also have psychological and physiological effects on the user. Bigger muscles
can help increase a persons self-esteem, but the steroids that build those muscles can
lead to lowered self-esteem, depression, inability to think clearly, and a lack of
energy. Scientists are just beginning to investigate the impact of anabolic steroids on
the mind and behavior. Many athletes report "feeling good" about themselves while on a
steroids regimen. The downside, according to Harvard researchers, is wide mood swings
ranging from periods of violent, even homicidal episodes known as "roid rages," to bouts
of depression when the drugs are stopped. The Harvard study also noted that anabolic
steroid users may suffer from paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions, and
impaired judgment from feelings of invincibility. After reading the facts, one must
wonder, "Why would a person want to do this to themselves, especially when the negatives
clearly outweigh the positives?"
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