Steroid Abuse

[Doug]

Article from The Enquirer Newspaper (North West. UK)

Steroid abuse rife among teenagers
by Anne Arnold
_____________________________________
Published on Sep 07 2006 YOUNG people of 16 are injecting anabolic steroids as bodybuilding drugs look set to overtake the use of heroin among North West men.

Needle exchange points in Cheshire and Merseyside reported more new cases of anabolic steroid abuse than heroin last year, due in part to the increasing pressure on men to have the perfect body.

The UK’s leading expert on steroid abuse says the current figures are just “the tip of the iceberg” and even short-term abuse could have serious health implications for users and the NHS.

Personal trainers say teenagers are buying steroids from backstreet gyms and from the Internet, while drugs workers in Wirral say young men are injecting steroids developed solely for animal use.

Baldness


Once injected, steroids can cause acne, baldness, decreased sperm levels and the development of breast tissue, but the real dangers of long-term use lie later in life.

Recent research in the US suggested the steroids could cause permanent changes in teenagers’ brains, while long-term users can suffer from mood swings, hallucinations and paranoia, an increased risk of heart disease, stroke and some forms of cancer.

There is also an increased risk of liver damage and high blood pressure.

According to the latest figures from North West Public Health Observatory, 924 new anabolic steroid abusers presented themselves to needle exchanges in Cheshire and Merseyside in 2004. That brought the total to 1,838, compared with 847 injectors of all other drugs, including opiates and stimulants.


Figures for 2005 have not yet been published but experts say the trend is continuing.

Tip of the iceberg


Jim McVeigh, from the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University, said: “An increased number of steroid abusers are presenting themselves to needle exchanges, and it could be the tip of the iceberg.

“It is an issue which seems to be growing, and no-one knows the long-term impact because the problem has only been around for 15 to 20 years. There is an emerging picture of increases in steroid use among young people. Previously, we have mainly seen people in their late twenties but looks like it is now changing.”

The Centre for Public Health at John Moores is the only unit in the UK to monitor every needle exchange transaction in a specific area, but the figures are thought to be similar across the region.

The last survey of steroid users across the North West took place in 1996, with experts interviewing 386 abusers. One third of users start abusing steroids in their teens, with the majority being aged between 25 and 35.

Competitive sport


Almost all drug abusers were men and only two per cent of those interviewed were engaged in competitive sport. So-called “life-style” gyms with aerobic equipment had a lower number of steroid users, while traditional weight-lifting gyms had more users.

In the past three years there has been a 69 per cent increase in the number of people injecting steroids in Wirral, many who fall into the 17 to 22-year-old age group.

Experts at Birkenhead’s Harm Reduction Centre said the majority of teenagers were buying steroids developed for animal use from the internet.

Legitimately produced


McVeigh, reader in Substance Use Epidemiology, added: “The majority of men are on steroids which are not legitimately produced.

“Some are veterinary products or produced illicitly in the UK or overseas, which means there are issues over sterility and the active ingredients in the products.

“There has only ever been one national study as steroids are not seen as a priority of the national drugs strategy because it is not associated with acquisitive crime but there are huge social, physical and psychological impacts.”

Boys use cut-price websites for a quick fix

PERSONAL trainer Colin Southern has seen a huge rise in the number of boys buying steroids from cut-price websites in their quest for physical perfection.

Southern, 36, now refuses to train men at his one-to-one studios in Skelmersdale, West Lancashire, if they admit to taking the controlled drug.

“For the younger generation of lads, those who are 16 and 17, taking steroids is an easy short-cut to looking good like their role models, the wrestlers on TV,” said Southern. “The WWF Wrestling champion The Rock is a prime example, but he’s seven foot tall and 20 stone. They want to look like him straight away.”

Southern said many bouncers in Wigan and Liverpool use steroids, with the drugs’ character-changing attributes prompting cases of so-called ‘roid rage.

“The drugs are easily available on the web and in America; a lot of blokes go over there and simply fill their suitcases with the stuff. It’s also available in a lot of the meathead gyms. It’s to do with society these days; people are lazy and they want instant results.”

My advice..If you value your health and life....Dont even think about it, as damage to the body starts from the first injection

[ssslayer]

Who should be blamed for this?


This phenomena is no different from the anorexia kind of problems being experienced by females.

[nba1341]

i wonder how bad steroids among kids is in the US.
I have heard stories of high school football kids taking them but not sure if its true

[Doug]

Originally Posted by ssslayer

Who should be blamed for this?


This phenomena is no different from the anorexia kind of problems being experienced by females.

I totally disagree with the statement made about steroid use is no different than anorexia kind of problems experienced by females. Anorexia is a psycological illness, steroid intake is by lazy people looking for the easy option to building muscle, most and I mean most steroid users do not (a) train properly or (b) them that do train properly do not pay particular attention to their nutritional intake. Both A & B are very important in the goal for muscular development.

There has recently been a report on sky news with regard to steroid use by teenagers striving for a perfect body but without giving the body time to reach its genetic potential. And most of these teenagers DONT even do any form of weight/resistance training. People who use steroids just to look good in a T-shirt standing by the bar having a drink in my opinion are a waste of space.

Steroid users give the excuse that "it is only abuse that does damage". That statement is total Boll**ks, the doses used in medical situations is only a fraction that people who take steroids use, and in medical situation patients are closely monitored and have their bloods carefully monitored.

Anyone who thinks that steroid use does no harm to the body has the "ostrich mentality" (burying their heads in the sand and hoping it wont happen to them) meaning people think oh f**k it I want to look big and if it does me any harm then I will worry about it at the time....what a totally sad way of looking at the future (if they have any)

The medical profession is now coming face to face with severe problems with steroid abuse...and I know first hand because my partner is a medical doctor, and I also know of a lot of people who are steroid users with medical problems ranging from the mild to severe problems, One person I know who has severe problems has been told by an endocrinologist that he has changed every cell in his body......and yet he is still taking steroids even though he has been seriously ill in hospital

My philosophy is "build the muscle yourself, not out of a syringe" as an ex-competetive natural bodybuilder who twice reached the national championship level before an accident in work stopped me from competing. I am totally against steroid use in any sport. If people want to harm themselves by taking steroids (or even recreational drugs) then that is their personal choice. The UK is now looking at making steroids illegal to be in possesion of (as is the US) and this time has been a long time coming and I agree totally with it, the sooner the better.......

[ssslayer]

Oh damn, I didnt put it correctly.

This condition of Anorexia in females ... why does it occur?
This steroid taking in young males ... why does it occur?

Its all influence of media.

[Russ]

Originally Posted by Doug

People who use steroids just to look good in a T-shirt standing by the bar having a drink in my opinion are a waste of space.

I second that one buddy.

This is another sign of how lazy our country is getting. 1:4 boys and 1:3 girls are over-weight, people are choosing to eat out rather than stay at home and cook for themselves, and now people are looking for the shortcuts to get bigger.
Attitudes like that really do my head in. Our nation is getting stupidly lazy and at an alarming pace.

Russ.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by Russ

I second that one buddy.

This is another sign of how lazy our country is getting. 1:4 boys and 1:3 girls are over-weight, people are choosing to eat out rather than stay at home and cook for themselves, and now people are looking for the shortcuts to get bigger.
Attitudes like that really do my head in. Our nation is getting stupidly lazy and at an alarming pace.

Russ.

Nice one Russ.

Good to see someone has the same opinion on this subject as me....lol ! mind you I have just finished my Chinese takaway..pmsl

[Russ]

Also another thing to add to my original post; just seen an advert about plastic surgery - that's another thing that gets on my t*ts.
Instead of working hard to decrease the amount of fat they are carrying, they'd rather pay to have it sucked out. What the f*ck?

[Doug]

Originally Posted by Russ

Also another thing to add to my original post; just seen an advert about plastic surgery - that's another thing that gets on my t*ts.
Instead of working hard to decrease the amount of fat they are carrying, they'd rather pay to have it sucked out. What the f*ck?

Lol !!!

With regard to liposuction....just a thought if the girlfriend stopped giving oral sex does that mean that my d**k would get fatter...pmsl

[Damien]

Yep, the world is getting lazier and it's only gonna get worse. Personally, I feel good when I know I've just spent 45 mins really busting my ass the gym. It's a natural high (well, sort of - Im not a hippy!!) hahaha