All drugs can be used and abused and the same is true with steroids.
According to the law, there are legitimate, approved medical uses of
steroids and other, non-legal uses of steroids are often considered
abuse by most people. While people who use steroids illegally might be
abusing them, this is not necessarily the case. |
All drugs that have positive side effects along with their therapeutic,
medical effects have the potential to become addictive and, therefore,
abused. There are many different definitions for drug abuse, but they
all follow the same premise that excessive use of a drug for
non-medical or non-therapeutic reasons constitutes abuse.
When it comes to the case of anabolic
steroids, the definition of abuse is vague enough that there
are many different interpretations as to whether or not it’s abuse.
Anabolic steroids have been approved for prescription to treat various
different types of medical conditions including delayed puberty,
impotence, testosterone replacement therapy, osteoporosis, chronic
wasting and even breast cancer. Steroids have many positive effects
when they are used in moderation and with proper supervision of medical
professionals to ensure that the users are not experiencing serious
health problems due to the use of steroids. Very few people would say
that these types of uses for anabolic steroids are considered abuse.
Steroids do have great effects in the treatment of medical conditions,
but possibly even more popular are their use for their “side effects”
of building lean muscle mass and, therefore, improving both appearance
and the potential for athletic achievement. Because of the drastic
change steroids can cause to a person’s body and because they are often
(but not always) used to enhance strength and athletic performance many
people see any steroid
use as abuse. Consequently, these same people often see
steroid use as cheating in the athlete’s respective sport.
There is a whole range of how steroids can be used for these purposes,
but generally they are used illegally as opposed being used as a
prescription from a physician. In the middle of the abuse spectrum are
the people who moderately use steroids without a prescription. These
people use steroids and use them successfully. They will tell you that
there are ways to use steroids without experiencing the negative side
affects that are often associated with them. They’ll also tell you that
the way they use the drugs is not abuse, but carefully planned and
orchestrated use.
At the other end of the spectrum from steroids used as prescriptions,
are people who use steroids excessively and recklessly (i.e. without a
plan and without careful monitoring for signs of serious health
damage). Even people at the middle of the steroid abuse spectrum often
see this type of use as abuse.
Another characteristic of drug abuse has to do with the addiction
factor. Anabolic steroids can become addicting and anyone who wants to
bulk up and increase their lean muscle mass and has seen the effects of
steroids on these characteristics can easily become addicted to the
effects and the ability to quickly change their appearance for the
better. Because of the addiction factor, many people see the use of
steroids as abuse.
Other, more refined definitions of steroids say that any use of an
illicit drug is considered drug abuse. In this case, any
non-prescription steroid use would be considered abuse.
Whether or not you consider steroid use abuse, it is illegal to use
them without a prescription and it’s punishable by law. It’s important
to remember, however, that people who become addicted to steroids need
more than just a legal punishment to break them of their habit because
addiction is a medical condition.
Article Research provided by:http://www.steroid-abuse.org/
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