Posted on September 15, 2016 by Jenny Cromack
The use of anabolic steroids is often a taboo subject in the health and fitness industry, with many not wanting to discuss it because of it’s seedy and immoral nature. For me, this is part of the reason so many individuals will misuse these substances and cause themselves unnecessary harm due to a lack of understanding. This article by no means is condoning the use of steroids but simply helping people understand a) what they are, b) the incidence of their use, and c) the motives for their use.
What Are Anabolic Steroids?
Anabolic steroids are synthetic substances derived from male hormones that promote muscle growth such as testosterone. They are legitimate treatments for various medical conditions that may induce muscle tissue wastage. However, some healthy individuals will self-administer these substances to enhance performance or their physique. The administration of these drugs is commonly done orally or via intramuscular injection. Oral administration has often been linked to more kidney and liver problems due to the ingestion and processing of the chemicals. The dosages often used by these individuals exceed medical dosages by over 100 times. Individuals will also often stack various forms of steroid or other enhancing substance to maximise their “gains”.
How Common Are They?
The use of such substances to improve performance can be traced back centuries to ancient Greek times to boost courage and libido. In the 30’s and 40’s they were introduced as therapeutic substances, and even reported in World War II to make troops more aggressive in battle. It wasn’t long before elite athletes discovered the benefits of steroids for increasing muscle mass and thus performance. From the 1950’s various reports and cases of steroid use have been reported within elite sport.
Today however, recreational users are the most prolifically growing group due to their effect on improving functionality and body aesthetics. Various surveys provide different statistics with one showing that since the early 1990’s the use of steroids in US secondary school students has increased up to 50%. Others have shown that 3 to 12% of males in Western societies express lifetime or present use of steroids. In the UK alone, Wales in particular, have reported up to 70% usage rates within gyms.
Motives For Steroid Use!
So why do people use them?
- The glorifying of steroids with the use of “on steroids” to promote various products
- Pressure to perform and be competitive within a sporting arena
- The endorsement of hypermasculine images, and the idealisation of muscular physiques within the media
- Physical strength improvements for daily or occupational activities
This first part of the article introduces the use of steroids and next week’s follow up will look at the portrait of a stereotypical user, some of the more “real life” motives for the use of steroids, and the physiological and psychological side effects of their use.