In recent years there has been a lot of media coverage about the abuse of steroids. The most recent news of steroid abuse stems from disclosures made by a few professional baseball players. Admitting to such behavior has certainly cast a “shadow of suspicion” over the behavior of other baseball players and players of other professional sports.
Anabolic steroids are the most commonly abused steroids. Anabolic steroids are a drug made with a combination of synthetic and natural hormones, most notably the male hormone testosterone. Who abuses steroids? Men, women, and even high-school aged boys and girls who are into sports and body-building are the most common candidates who use and abuse steroids.
Steroids do have a “legitimate” medical purpose and doctors prescribe steroids to patients to help in the treating of many medical conditions and diseases. Steroids can help those suffering from the affects of cancer to “retain” weight that would otherwise be lost through such treatments as chemo-therapy, thus enabling vital organs to function. Steroids have also been used in diseases that cause muscles to “wither” to rebuild lost muscle mass. The medical uses for steroids are many. Doctor’s usually only prescribe steroids for a limited amount of time though because the affects of longer steroid use hasn’t been fully discovered yet.
Anabolic steroids are “illegal” to obtain without a prescription from a licensed medical professional, in the United States. Unfortunately though, it’s far too easy to get steroids without a prescription. If you’re found in possession of steroids not prescribed by your doctor you could face a jail-term as these are considered: Class III Controlled-substances. The possibility of doing a “stint” in jail should deter the abuse of steroids but thus far it has not.
Why would someone take an Anabolic steroid outside of medical need in the first place? Steroids build muscle mass beyond the body’s natural capacity for muscle building. The attainment of such muscle mass is especially popular among body builders because of the massive- definition steroids give to muscles and professional sports figures are attracted to the power and endurance that steroid use produces.
Some of the side effects of steroid use are the same for both men and women, while other side effects are gender-specific. But the nasty side effects associated with steroid use should be another deterrent to the abuse of steroids. Perhaps as more information about the short and long time affects of steroid use and abuse reaches more people, it will decrease the number of people using/abusing steroids.
Side effects of steroid usage that affects both men and woman include high-blood pressure, skin problems, high-cholesterol, and even heart attacks and other heart problems.
Women who use steroids can experience ‘irregular’ periods, or even stop having them altogether if the level of steroids in the body is too great. Women can also grow hair in “unwanted” areas such as the face. Women who use steroids will often experience a change in their voices as well (usually deeper in tone.)
Men who use steroids can expect to experience such “unwanted” side-effects as hair loss, erectile, fertility, and ejaculatory problems. Men who use steroids can also experience the over-development of their breasts.
With all of these known effects of using/abusing steroids and the fact that there are effects of steroid usage that are still unknown: why take such a risk with your health? Why take the chance of losing your freedom do to criminal charges or ruining your reputation among the people that matter the most to you: family, friends, and business associates? Is a bigger muscle to flex really worth the likely costs of using steroids?
