Steroid
abuse had been a cause for alarm in today’s society. The
pressure of competition, to look better, to become stronger, and the
drive to win have exposed that
steroid
abuse is less widespread than any other substance abuse.
Not all steroids are dangerous. Some are used for medical purposes
which is the original intention. The most common that factors into
steroid abuse are
anabolic
steroids. They are called by different names: performance
enhancing drugs, juice, gym candy. Those who are more
prone to steroids abuse are
weightlifters, athletes, gym enthusiasts, and people who have jobs that
require them to exert great amounts of strength.
What pushes users to
steroid
abuse is the drive to excel and to gain an edge in their
particular field. In professional sports for example, the pressure to
win every game force the athlete to take performance enhancing drugs
that build up their muscle strength. Drug tests among athletes
confirmed that most of them use
PEDs
especially in football, weightlifting and wrestling.
Non-athletes take steroid based
supplements to improve their personal appearance or to increase their
efficiency in activities that require the use of their muscles.
There are patterns to
steroid
abuse. It begins with the administration of low dosages in
regular or irregular periods. This is called cycling. The reasons why
users cycle is to reduce the side-effects of the steroid, to keep from
being detected, and to guarantee maximum performance. The second phase
of
steroid
abuse is the use of two or more types of PEDs. It can be a
pill with an injectable or a dose with short term effects together with
a steroid with long term effects. The third phase of
steroid abuse is the increase of
steroid dosage and using steroids which have more potent effects.
Steroid abuse is subtle.
It starts with the desire to be better: look better or for the case of
those in sports, run faster, swing harder, become stronger. When you
purchase your first batch of steroids there would be feeling of
nervousness and hesitation. But as soon as you have taken your first
pill or injected your first steroid you feel some sort of liberation.
Pretty soon your muscles become bigger, you feel stronger, and you play
better. Then you begin to beat the competition. This whets your
appetite to get more
steroids
and every time you look at yourself you don’t seem to be big enough so
you take more. And then your realize too late that you have been
snagged in the net of steroid abuse.
To arrest the problem of
steroid
abuse from spreading,
PEDs
were banned by professional sports organizations. They
have imposed sanctions for those caught using the prohibited
substances. They face suspension from their team, as in the case of
professional athletes, face jail term, or laid off from their jobs. But
not all of the offenders are rounded up. The
distribution of steroids
has gone underground in gyms, sports training facilities, and in the
internet.
This makes it
more difficult to control steroid abuse.
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