Teens And Steroids: Is It Bad To Be Buff?

Anabolic steroid use in teenagers is on the rise. Struggling with schoolwork and attending extra-curricular activities are merely a couple of reasons why teens turn to drugs. When my 16-year-old son started lifting weights and taking supplements one drug in particular raised a red flag. How bad could steroid use be?

Commonly, the most used type is the anabolic steroid. This drug is what most body builders and professional athletes use. “'Anabolic' refers to muscle-building.’ Steroids' refers to the class of drugs” (Focus Adolescent Services, 2000). ). Testosterone, a hormone found in males, encourages the growth of muscle. This is what steroids are made of. “During the 1930s, scientists discovered that anabolic steroids could facilitate the growth of skeletal muscle in laboratory animals, which led to use of the compounds first by bodybuilders and weightlifters and then by athletes in other sports” (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2000). Males that use steroids. That may not sound appalling because testosterone is already in their body, but today, steroids are classified as a Class III drug. This class also includes heroin and cocaine.

There are several ways that steroids can be introduced to the body. They can be taken orally, injected into the muscle or they can be rubbed into the skin in lotion or cream form. How they are used involves one of two techniques. One involves stacking. The user takes two or sometimes even three oral or injectable types at the same time. Users believe that if they mix different anabolic steroids, it will enhance the muscle building effects two fold. The doses taken by users can exceed the minimum used for medical reasons. In other words, use more of the drug, get results more rapidly. The other is pyramiding.

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“Often, steroid users also "pyramid" their doses in cycles of 6 to 12 weeks.

At the beginning of a cycle, the person starts with low doses of the drugs being stacked and then slowly increases the doses. In the second half of the cycle, the doses are slowly decreased to zero. This is sometimes followed by a second cycle in which the person continues to train but without drugs. Abusers believe that pyramiding allows the body time to adjust to the high doses and the drug-free cycle allows the body's hormonal system time to recuperate” (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2000).

If steroids are in the same category as other addictive drugs, how are they becoming available to minors? Of course, they are legally dispensed but only if one has a medical condition. “Adolescent pituitary malfunction in males are treated with injectable anabolic steroids when they reach the appropriate age for puberty. Anabolics given for four to six months in the proper dosing schedule cause the growth spurt and development of secondary sexual characteristics. After certain kinds of surgery and cancer, patients who experience loss of muscle tissue are given steroids, with exercise and diet, to build up muscle tissue”(Anabolics Mall, 2005). There are other conditions such as breast cancer, osteoporosis, and endometriosis that people have but benefit from taking anabolic steroids. One condition in particular, AIDS, has had positive effects from steroid use. “Anabolic steroids are especially helpful in the treatment of AIDS. In this case, they help rebuild muscle. They are also used in fighting HIV infections” (Sullivan, n.d.). Taking any drug without the purpose of treating an ailment is wrong and very dangerous. Why take steroids at an early age and risk the numerous side effects and damage to a body?

Many of today's teen athletes feel pressure to get bigger. Sometimes teens feel pressure from their parents, coach, friends, and themselves. They want to be buff, ripped, and chiseled. They want six-pack abs instantly.

“Steroids are appealing to teens because they come across as an easy way to overcome insecurities. A skinny kid can become the starting quarterback and a lean girl can whack a home run out of the park. During a time when their bodies are constantly changing, teens will do anything to achieve the look they want and the confidence they need to survive the high-school jungle” (Partnership for a Drug Free America, The, 2006). Today most teens are concentrating on looking like a movie star or the jock with big, bulging arms instead of worrying of what college they are going to attend. As parents we need to be more involved with the life of our teenagers. From knowing where they are and who they are hanging out with to what they are putting into their bodies.

Teens have a great deal of pressure put on them to stand out and be perfect. Just look at the anorexic television stars and pumped up professional athletes, these are the role models they have today? Just standing in line at the grocery store or walking into a bookstore can be fatal to any teen that is image conscious. Steroids seem as though they are a quick fix to scrawny muscles and flabby abs but how far are teens willing go? To the black market?

The majorities of illegal steroids are sold through the black market but are readily available through mail- order, internet, and drug dealers. If a person has the connections and the cash, the possibilities are endless. Knowing a friend or even a relative who can get their hands- on these illegal steroids is a godsend to the user. But for teens, over- the-counter supplements are the easiest forms of anabolic steroids to acquire. Vitamin or health store retailers sell supplements that mock the