Most people when they hear the word “steroids” think that it means things that athletes and bodybuilders take to improve their performance, and think that all steroids are dangerous to one’s health. Actually, steroids are things that you can find in some painkillers, anti-histamine injections, or even the ordinary eye drops. Steroids are not like cocaine or crack meant to produce a high to the user. Steroids don’t give you a high, (unless you win the Olympics), and are mostly legal. Doctors prescribe medications that may contain some amount of steroids when the situation demands it. It’s only when a user starts overusing steroids, or uses them for purposes other than the ones they were intended for, steroids become problematic and dangerous.

Athletes, body builders, professional wrestlers, sportspersons, and nowadays even movie stars and models use anabolic steroids to get into shape faster or to enhance performance. These people take the shorter and often dangerous route because they want faster results and immediate gains that are otherwise very difficult to achieve. Nowadays, it’s not unusual to see college kids taking steroids on the advice of their gym seniors when they first start out pumping iron in their lives. Call it peer pressure , or bad role model selection; these kids start out on the fast track to get results that are immediate but are never long lasting. The only things long lasting about steroid abuse are the complications that they encounter in the later stages of their lives. It’s a normal thing these days to see gyms selling supplements that range from protein powders, creatine powders, nitric oxide pills, fat burners that contain ephedrine, to hardcore anabolic pills and injections.

For the professional athletes, movie stars, models, sportspersons, body builders, weightlifters, and wrestlers, it’s a case of professional demands, money, success, and fame. Faster gains and immediate success are the driving forces behind drug abuse. Even grownups like them face peer pressure, and succumb to the temptations of the shorter route to success. Although, there are a number of steroids that are available, the most common ones are drostanolone, decadurobol, nandrolone, oxymetholone, and dianabol. Most steroids work by increasing testosterone to unnatural levels in the body. Testosterone is the hormone responsible for muscle growth and endurance, and users of anabolic steroids find sudden increases in their muscular growth and performance levels. Users generally start by taking one steroid, and then work their way up on the abuse ladder and end up taking a concoction of steroids.

Compared to anabolic steroids, supplements like protein powders and creatine salts are harmless. But, it is advised that even these harmless supplements should be taken in short periods called cycling. Anabolic steroids are dangerous, sometimes fatal, and definitely addictive. Some of the lesser side effects of steroid abuse are hair loss, pimples, skin problems, insomnia, unnatural sex drive, aggressiveness, low glucose tolerance, and testicular enlargement in men. However, prolonged use of steroids can seriously damage the kidneys, liver, heart, and can be the cause of a heart attack or liver cancer. The case of a Ben Johnson or a Marion Jones doesn’t deter newcomers, or the experienced ones who are well too aware of the harmful implications of steroid abuse in terms of the damage to their health and reputations.

So many deaths have been reported of celebrity sportspersons and athletes due to steroid abuse, or due to the after-effects of continued steroid usage. Some famous wrestlers who have died due to the implications of steroid abuse are Yokuzuna, Eddie Guerrero, Owen Hart, and Chris Benoit. This is just a small list of the number of professional wrestlers who have died due to steroid abuse. Deaths that could have been avoided by friends or coaches pushing for them to attend drug rehab. Steroid abuse is also rampant in professional baseball according to Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees, who himself had openly admitted to taking performance enhancing steroids for three years from 2001 to 2003.

Although, all sports and athletic organizations are opposed to drug abuse in sports, and have enforced stringent measures like compulsory testing, and punishment for the guilty, many drug users still continue using them and have their own methods of avoiding detection. If only testing was done on movie stars, models, and even the common person, we will know the real extent to which this drug epidemic has spread. Steroid abuse is dangerous and could be fatal; if only the users realized this and started working harder to get the results they deserve, life can be healthier for them, and the world a level playing field for everybody. The first place to start to get rid of illegal drugs would be the local gym in your area. If you’re a high school kid just starting to lift weights, or the seasoned pro with the gargantuan biceps and the six-pack tummy, be informed and stay clear of steroids from this instant.