Global Steroid Use and Abuse
Julius Christopher
According to The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), approximately 12 percent of teenage boys and two and a half percent of teenage girls use steroids (Charlebois). Over the years, the use of steroids by teenagers has become more of a public issue, and this is due in large part to the fact that public figures are using the illegal drugs. Teenagers look up to these public figures and their “perfect bodies” and believe that taking steroids will help them look like the bodybuilders they see on television. Young people, however, are often uninformed about the health risks of steroids, which can include heart disease, anaphylactic shock, and even death. The global community needs to be aware of the use and abuse of steroids by athletes so they can be proactive in helping to stop the problem. Overall, there is a direct correlation between the global use of steroids by teenagers and the use of steroids by public figures, and those public figures have a negative impact on the people who look up to them.
Steroids have been around for over seventy years. In
1936, a scientist named Ruzicks synthesized testosterone from cholesterol, which
was the first anabolic steroid ever created (Steroids.com). Later, during World
War II, “Nazi doctors gave steroids to their soldiers in an attempt to make them
more aggressive. The Soviet Union then decided to give steroids to their
athletes. Once the U.S. learned the Soviet’s secret, they also began giving
steroids to their athletes, beginning in the 1950’s” (Charlebois). In the years
following the 1960s, Steroids.com reported that another anabolic steroid had
been developed and used to treat short stature in children with Turner Disease
Syndrome. It was at this time that physicians began to take notice of steroids
and the effects that they had on the human body. Many tests were performed on
athletes who had taken steroids, and an attempt was made to reduce the number of
athletes using steroids in sports. It wasn’t until 1967 that the International
Olympic Council prohibited the use of any performance enhancing drugs. By the
mid 1970s, “most major sporting organizations had also banned [steroids]” (Steroids.com).
Before the side effects of steroids were known,
people began taking them as a quicker way to enhance their physique in a short
amount of time. According to Dixon, steroids are natural substances that have
many different side effects on the human body and“make the whole immune system
less active,” which increases the risks of becoming ill. The Office of National
Drug Control Policy mentioned that the use and abuse of anabolic steroids has
been associated with a “wide range of adverse side effects” which can vary from
“acne and breast development in men” to a decrease in their sperm count. Women
also experience unpleasant side effects, from an increased amount of facial hair
growth to an enlargement in their clitoris. The Office of National Drug Control
Policy continued by stating that most of the side effects can be reversed if the
abuser stops taking the drug, but some of the symptoms can be permanent.
According to Bethesda, “for teens, hormone balance is important. Hormones are
involved in the development of a girl’s feminine traits and a boy’s masculine
traits. When someone abuses steroids, gender mix-ups happen.” Not only do
steroids affect physical appearance, but people may also experience severe mood
swings. Bethesda claimed that high doses of steroids could cause “extreme
fluctuations in emotions, from euphoria to rage… Eventually, steroids can cause
mania, delusions, and violent aggression or ‘roid rage.’”
The danger of using and abusing steroids not only
involves serious side effects, but there are also many health risks. A few of
the more severe health risks involved in steroid use include liver cancer, heart
attacks, an increase in cholesterol levels, and even death. Williams discussed
the health effects and side effects that steroids have on teenagers. Some of the
side effects, such as acne and premature hair loss, are present in teenagers and
adults. On the other hand, a few of the side effects that are more common in
teenagers include: a premature stop in the lengthening of bones, fatigue, an
aggressive personality, induced gynecomastia and chronic gonadotrophin (HCG).
Williams continued by saying that teenagers who use anabolic steroids usually do
so without medical supervision or guidance.
The one exception in allowing the use of steroids is
if a doctor prescribes the drugs. The Office of National Drug Control Policy
stated that “the primary medical uses of [steroids] are to treat delayed
puberty.” Bethesda reported that doctors sometimes prescribe steroids to a
patient to help “with certain kinds of anemia and men who don’t produce enough
testosterone on their own.” Bethesda continued by stating that “doctors also
prescribe a different kind of steroid, called corticosteroids, to reduce
swelling.” Corticosteroids aren’t the same as anabolic steroids and aren’t
associated with the same dangerous effects. Another way to reduce the hazardous
effects that steroids have on the human body is by use of “sprays and creams,
which ensure maximum steroid dose where it is needed, and minimum levels in the
blood stream” (Dixon).
Even though the use of steroids has become illegal
unless prescribed by a doctor, steroids are still being used and abused. The use
of performance enhancing drugs is now considered a felony because of the
potentially dangerous side effects and because the drugs give the user an unfair
advantage. According to The Office of National Drug Control Policy, steroids are
most commonly purchased over the Internet and smuggled into the United States
from other countries, including Mexico and various places in Europe. Steroids
are now considered a Schedule III Substance, which, according to Charlebois,
means that they have potential for abuse and if they are abused, they can “lead
to physical and psychological dependence.” Charlebois continued with the
consequences involved in using or possessing steroids by explaining that “for
simple possession of steroids, the sentence is up to one year in prison, and a
minimum fine of 1,000 dollars.” If a person has a previous conviction of simple
possession, he or she may receive “up to two years in prison and a minimum fine
of 2,500 dollars.” If someone has two or more convictions of simple possession,
he or she may receive “90 days to three years in prison and a minimum fine of
5,000 dollars.” Charlebois added that a person convicted of selling steroids
“faces up to five years in prison, a 250,000 dollar fine, and at least two years
of supervised release.” A person found guilty for selling steroids during a
supervised release “faces up to ten years in prison, increased fines, and an
additional four years of parole” (Charlebois).
Although the penalties are severe if a person is
caught using or possessing steroids, a major problem that has evolved is that
almost every bodybuilder who uses steroids knows how to mask it. Since the
bodybuilders are able to hide their addiction, they normally do not get caught.
Law enforcers do not take lightly to the use of steroids, which Steroids.com
said carries the same consequences as the possession and/or distribution of
opium and morphine. Not everybody gets away with using steroids without being
caught. The Drug Enforcement Administration officials recently announced the
arrest of more than 120 people and the abduction of 56 steroid labs after a
global investigation that began at the border of San Diego, California. “Agents
seized 11.4 million doses of drugs . . . in a global steroid ring with
manufacturing roots in China and Mexico” (Californian). To stop the
growing trend of steroids, more needs to be done to promote the dangers and
risks involved in using the illegal drugs.
As more former steroid users are coming out to
discuss their battles with the drugs, steroid awareness is being spread
throughout the world. Greg Conigliaro, a former steroid user, explained that he
“was destroyed as much mentally as [he] was physically” from using steroids. He
continued by saying that “[using steroids is] like being an alcoholic. It’s a
habit you have the rest of your life. I believe steroids are as addictive, if
not more, than any recreational drug that is out there” (Charlebois). Steve
Karr, another former steroid user, talked about his health effects that were
involved with using steroids. He mentioned that his “liver and kidneys are
damaged, [he] contracted jaundice, is short of breath, has pale skin, and is
often nauseated” (Charlebois). Lastly, Steve Coursonadmitted to being an avid
‘steroid stacker’, someone who uses more than one type of steroid at a time. At
first, “Steve made quality gains. Now, he is in need of a heart donor” (Charlebois).
All of the previously mentioned steroid users now realize the toll that steroids
can take on the human body and the devastating effects that the drugs can leave
behind.
Throughout the past few years, the use of steroids by
teenagers has been decreasing due to stories being told of celebrities that have
used them and had their reputations ruined. Another explanation for the decrease
in steroid use by teenagers is the enforcement of random drug tests of high
school athletes. Williams said that decreasing the teenage use of steroids
should be done through “education and honesty.” He also stated that “teenagers
need help focusing on better ways to achieve a higher quality of living,” not
only from steroids, but also from “illicit drugs and alcohol . . . [and
teenagers need] to replace drugs and other harmful substances with healthy
alternatives.” A study in 2002, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse,
showed that “2.5% of 8th graders [have] tried steroids; only 3.5% of
10th graders [have tried steroids]; and 4% of 12th graders
[have tried steroids]” (Bethesda). Just five years later in 2007, results from a
study, conducted by the National Institute of Health and others, showed that
“1.5 percent of eighth-graders, 1.8 percent of 10th graders, and 2.2
percent of 12th-graders” had reported using steroids at least once in
their lifetimes (Office).
Although steroids may seem like a quick and easy way
to enhance strength and a person’s overall outer appearance, many people do not
realize the destructive consequences the drugs have on a person’s body. There
appears to be a direct correlation between the use of steroids by public figures
and the global use by teenagers, and this is because the bodybuilders and
athletes that teenagers look up to are forcing young people to believe that
using steroids is healthy and “cool.” Ultimately, more drastic measures need to
be implemented in stopping the use of steroids by young people. Otherwise,
according to Charlebois, teens “face dying in their 30’s or 40’s.” His research
indicated that taking steroids can be “very tough” on teens psychologically.
Even though young people use steroids because they see bodybuilders using them
and because they hope to gain popularity among their peers, using steroids at a
young age can have devastating results when the teenagers become adults. As
mentioned previously, the use of steroids by teenagers has decreased, but who’s
to say the rate will not rise again? It is imperative that further research be
conducted on this topic so the use of steroids may be stopped around the world.
Otherwise, the “roid mania” will only get worse instead of better.
References
Bethesda, MD (2007). Anabolic Steroids. Retrieved
January 23, 2008, from NIDA for Teens Web site: http://teens.drugabuse.gov
Charlebois, Derek Taking Steroids: What Could It
Hurt?. Retrieved March 15, 2008, from Teen BodyBuilding Web site:
http://www.teenbodybuilding.com/derek4.htm
Californian Opinion Staff, The, (2006).A threat to
our kids, on steroids. Retrieved January 28, 2008, from North County Times Web
site: http://nctimes.com
Dixon, Dr. Patrick (2007). Steroids- The Truth about
Steroids. Retrieved January 28, 2008, from Global Change Web site: http://www.globalchange.com
Office of National Drug Control Policy, (2007).
Steroids. Retrieved January 28, 2008, from Drug Facts Web site: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov
Steroids.com, (2007). Anabolic Steroids. Retrieved
January 28, 2008, from The World's Most Visited Anabolic Website Web site:
http://www.steroid.com
William, Taylor Effects and Warning Signs of Teen
Steroid Use. Retrieved March 15, 2008, from Teen Drug Abuse Web site: http://www.teendrugabuse.us/teensteroids.html
