Introduction:
The farther and farther I begin to sink my teeth into understanding the reasons for anabolic steroid use in America the more frequently trends begin to prevail. Some of the most obvious reasons for steroid use come from athletes who chose to take them because of the competitive sports industry and the need to be the strongest or fastest in their sport. However steroids are also being taken for cosmetic purposes along with some occupational reasons. Some people just want to be the best at their job and we cannot blame them for this but is taking steroids really the best way? Looking into the reasons behind occupational steroid use such as working as a policeman or security worker I can see even these people are in competitive job industry’s that call for being stronger than the average person. On the other side of things Anabolic steroid use has many down falls with health risks. Dependence can come from the daily steroid use but people seem to just shrug this off and in the past 61 years AAS (Anabolic androgenic steroids) use has only increased in the U.S and in the around the world. “Prevalence of AAS use has risen dramatically in the last twenty years and vastly spread in society (Graham et al., 2008). For example, there are signs showing that use of AAS might be high in the UK (Williamson, 1993) and in the US (Stilger and yesalis, 1999; Yesalis et al., 1990), this is due to the fact that supraphysiological doses of testosterone increases body mass, muscle size and strength.” Alright we all understand that AAS use can help us all out in being the best we can be in the world today but personally I am still unconvinced that the pro’s of steroid use overpower the cons. In the next upcoming segment I will be conducting interviews with not only steroid users but also steroid sellers to try and fully understand why they chose to keep steroids in their lives. All of these subjects are taking steroids for different reasons but most of them take them because they want to be ahead of their competition. “The author conclude that fierce competition in the world professional sports, along with an overall societal idealization of lean, muscular physiques, have made steroid and nutritional supplement use a popular option” Nutritional supplement use may be a popular option but when do morals, ethics and the fact that you are cheating yourself come into play?
In my search to find the reason behind steroid use I came across data analysis document written by Bruce Maycock, and Peter Howat called “The barriers to illegal anabolic steroid use”. In this issue Maycock and Howat conducted in depth interviews with steroid users in Perth, Western Australia. The average age of subjects followed was 31 but ranged anywhere from 15-42 years of age. Be advised that these interviews come from “A total of 98-in depth interviews with 42 anabolic steroid users and 49 interviews with 22 illegal distributors and dealers of anabolic steroids were conducted.” Not only are these subjects risking their lives with health risks involving steroid use but they also their freedom as well. In Australia anabolic steroid substances are restricted and violators are severely punished. “Western Australia generally has the harshest penalties with up to 25 years jail or $100,00 fine for possession of S4 substances )Australian Sports Drug Agency, 1992). Needless to say these subjects must really think anabolic steroid use is something special to use steroids knowing the severity of the punishments.
The first interviewed was Fred who is a 31 year old male who has been using steroids for around 7 years of his life.
Fred was asked:
How big is too big? You have been taking steroids for about 7 years now do you ever think you will be big enough to feel comfortable with yourself?
Fred’s response:
“The idea of being big, was attractive, being big was a deterrent by itself. I wanted to get as big as fast as possible, the bigger the better. (Fred, aged 31, started anabolic steroid use aged 24, for safety and personal security reasons)”
Now our friend Fred here does not seem to be taking steroids for the right reasons. He claims that he is a frequent steroid user because of safety and security reasons however most people would approach this situation differently. For examples there are numerous ways to feel safe and protected without ever having to take steroids. One way to feel more protected may be to get a license to carry a firearm or have one at home for protection. Another way Fred could feel safe is if he took a protection class for example some type of karate or defense class would help him feel safe. Fred is using his insecurities as a reason for taking steroids but ironically he claims the real reason is protection. Fred is a perfect example of a person who chooses to take steroids but is using them for the wrong reasons which could in turn lead to the abuse of these drugs.
The second interviewee is Andrew who is 26 years old who runs track and field.
Andrew was asked:
What are the reasons behind your decision to start taking steroids?
Andrew’s response:
“I trained my butt off and watched others I used to beat make bigger improvements. I knew they were on gear, if I wanted to compete I needed gear. (Andrew aged 26, track and field athlete)”
Andrew is stuck in a world where cheating is the norm and using steroids were the only way Andrew could keep up with the competition. I am not saying that Andrew has valid reasons for his steroid use but I believe outside factors have pushed and pressured Andrew into believing steroid use was the only way to stay competitive. In today’s society if you are not the absolutely the best at something people take it as if it’s the end of the world. I feel as if that social pressure was not present in Andrews life he may not have felt the need to take steroids.
The third interviewee was Simon who is 40 years old and who started using anabolic steroids when he was just 25. Simon is also a previous nation level power lifter.
Simon was asked:
Now Simon, out of all our subjects you are one of the few who have been taking steroids for the longest time. You are now 40 years old and have taken steroids for nearly half your life how have you changed?
Simon’s response:
“You are talking to a guy who was little with freckles at school. Everybody who is weight training was little once, or they wouldn’t be doing it. When I was 21 I was still 68 kg. I chipped way for 10 years, 3kg a year. Most people still have the small man inside, all the time. .. . (Simon, aged 40, started using anabolic steroids aged 25, previous national level power lifter)
Simon has an interesting way of looking at his steroid use because Simon strongly believes that as he has begun to get stronger on the outside he has also built confidence on the inside. Simon seems to be very proud of his steroid use and would most likely go back and do it all over again. I feel sorry for people like Simon because his life seems to revolve around the substance of steroids. People like Simon depend on steroids to be happy and to sleep at the end of the day. I would say Simon is not only addicted to steroid use but will probably use the rest of his life until his organs rote and wither from steroid use.
The last interviewee was Tony who is a steroid distributor with over 35 clients.
Tony was asked:
Tony you could possibly be killing people by distributing steroids have you had any clients complain about side effects?
Tony’s response:
“Marathon runners get blisters and shin splints, body builders get shrunken testes and acne, so what! (Tony, dealer, aged 40 with over 35 clients)”
Tony is your typical drug dealer who is not worried about his client’s health as long as he is getting his cut. The last thing you want is to be surrounded by people who don’t care about you or your health. I feel like taking steroids can lead to a lonely life but is better expressed by Mad another interviewee who said “It is not the type of thing you go telling people because they don’t understand, particularly women. You will never convince a woman what you are doing is for a constructive reason . . . you just don’t talk about it, and if it comes up and they ask you, you just deny it. It is just best kept in the confines of the boys’ locker room. (Mad, doorman/kick boxer aged 23, started using at 16 years of age) Through all of these interviews we have seem that steroids can build confidence or even take it away. The way Mad described his secret life and not being able to tell women about his steroid use shows he is ashamed of it.
Conclusions:
It surprises me that people although ashamed and must hide everyday life events from every still chose to use steroids. This leads to me the conclusion that steroids must be addictive and people depend on them eventually to survive. Dependence is the feeling that you must have a substance to live and carry on with normal behavior. Many of these subjects interviewed seemed to have problems which lead them to steroid use and one way to know you have a problem is not being able to admit to it. Although some interviewees did not beat around the bush they made it quite clear that they use for certain reasons and don’t always want to share that with people. These users also feel that people who don’t take steroids are cannot relate because they have never tried steroids. Mayocks recommendation at the end of the interviews consisted of this statement “The development of monitoring mechanisms at non-elite-level sport may help to alleviate this issue.” If people were tested for anabolic steroids regularly we would see a decrease in use around the world and especially in the United Sates. Regulating tests would be simple to do with yearly doctor checkups to see who is taking steroids without a prescription.
