Steroid Abuse Among Teens

Steroid abuse among teens is most prominent when they are athletes

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These drugs are used illicitly by weight lifters, body builders, long distance runners, cyclists, and others who claim that these drugs give them a competitive advantage and or improve their physical appearance.

The truth is... the use of this drug is a growing problem among today�s teenagers, who among other things get a large portion of their misunderstood information from the fitness industry and �muscle magazines�. While it is evident that there exists a growing use of this substance, there most definitely is no indication that the issue is going to fade away without some kind of intervention. It should be noted, that there are many obvious risks and side effects from teen abuse.

Several of these side effects include:

Sterility
Premature ossification (closing over) of growth plates in long bones (stunted growth)
Aggressiveness
Acne
Connective tissue injury - irreversible
Masculinization (among women)

Some users pop pills. Others use hypodermic needles to inject them directly into muscles. Many users take two or more kinds of at once. Called stacking, this is supposed to get users bigger faster. Some abusers pyramid their doses in 6-12-week cycles. At the beginning of the cycle, the user starts with low doses and slowly increases to higher doses. In the second half of the cycle, they gradually decrease the amount of the drug.

Steroids do make users bulk up, but the health risks are high. It's true, on these drugs biceps bulge; abs ripple; and quads balloon. But that's just on the outside. Users may be very pleased when they flex in the mirror, but they may create problems on the inside. These problems may hurt them the rest of their lives. As a matter of fact steroid use can shorten their lives.

Effects of Steroid Use:

Taken in combination with a program of muscle-building exercise and diet, steroids may contribute to increases in body weight and muscular strength.
Users subject themselves to more than 70 side effects ranging in severity from liver cancer to acne and including psychological as well as physical reactions. The liver and cardiovascular and reproductive systems are most seriously affected by steroid use.
Psychological effects in both sexes include very aggressive behavior known as "roid rage" and depression.

Signs of Steroid Use:

Quick weight and muscle gains (when used in a weight training program)
Aggressiveness and combativeness
Jaundice
Purple or red spots on the body
Swelling of feet and lower legs
Trembling
Unexplained darkening of the skin
Persistent unpleasant breath odor
Severe acne breakouts and oily skin

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.

Health consequences include:

In boys and men, reduced sperm production, shrinking of the testicles, impotence, difficulty or pain in urinating, baldness, and irreversible breast enlargement.
In girls and women, development of more masculine characteristics, such as decreased body fat and breast size, deepening of the voice, excessive growth of body hair, and loss of scalp hair, as well as clitoral enlargement.
In adolescents of both sexes, premature termination of the adolescent growth spurt, so that for the rest of their lives, abusers remain shorter than they would have been without the drugs.
In males and females of all ages, potentially fatal liver cysts and liver cancer; blood clotting, cholesterol changes, and hypertension, each of which can promote heart attack and stroke; and acne. Although not all scientists agree, some interpret available evidence to show that abuse- - particularly in high doses -- promotes aggression that can manifest itself as fighting, physical and sexual abuse, armed robbery, and property crimes such as burglary and vandalism. Upon stopping this drug, some abusers experience symptoms of depressed mood, fatigue, restlessness, loss of appetite, insomnia, reduced sex drive, headache, muscle and joint pain, and the desire to take more of it.
In injectors, infections resulting from the use of shared needles or non-sterile equipment, including HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, and infective endocarditis, a potentially fatal inflammation of the inner lining of the heart. Bacterial infections can develop at the injection site, causing pain and abscess.

Some of the reasons that teens use the drug:

Not making the sports team
Not meeting peer pressure and demands
Not getting �the girls�
Not being able to compete with others who are using steroids
Not looking as good as you could

Adults have a great impact on the actions of teenagers, so it is crucial that parents and educators be aware of the impact of steroids on teenagers. Teenagers also have a great impact on the actions of other teens! The only viable option is to educate adults and teens and to find alternatives to steroids so teens can opt for a less risky supplement.

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