Steroids Blog

According to results of a national survey published in the June issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals, more and more teenage girls are using steroids.

The survey noted that usage of steroids among girls is not just limited to those participating in competitive athletics. It was also noted that this was primarily influenced and associated with a cluster of other health-harming behaviors, including smoking and taking diet pills.

From Sciencedaily.com:

In 2004, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 7 percent of ninth-grade girls reported ever using anabolic steroids, according to background information in the article. During the 1990s, three national surveys indicated dramatic increases in the prevalence of teen girls using steroids. Previous analyses of female steroid use have focused on older women and found an association with competitive athletics and bodybuilding.

Diane L. Elliot, M.D., of the Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, and colleagues assessed anabolic steroid use among teen girls using a nationally representative sample of U.S. high schools completed in 2003. A total of 7,544 female students in grades nine through 12 completed the survey, which included questions about sports participation as well as steroids, ecstasy use and other illegal or unhealthy behaviors.

A total of 5.3 percent of the participants reported prior or ongoing steroid use. “Participating in team sports was negatively related to anabolic steroid use, such that those who were members of sports teams were less likely to self-report prior or ongoing anabolic steroid use,” the authors write.

The authors concluded that the findings hinted at important associations among girls who use steroids.

The never-ending debate about advantages and disadvantages of steroids seems to just go on. With more and sportsmen and people using steroids to deliver dramatic performance on and off the field, there is little respite for those who condemn steroids. This is simply because steroids do not prove to be bad companions, if used under qualified medical guidance and as per prescribed instructions.

The fact that steroids alone cannot offer advantages to the users unless complemented by dedicated efforts and strenuous exercises says it all.

From Huffingtonpost.com:

Are steroids cheating? They sure will give an advantage. But so do many things. Caffeine is a drug that will increase focus and endurance. And it can be purchased by children! Is Tommy John surgery cheating? Aren’t supplements and modern training techniques an added benefit? Sports Illustrated stands on its high horse inducing scare tactics about sports remaining “natural” yet its highest selling issue is the swimsuit issue filled with silicone, collagen, botox and yes, the possible use of drugs — from diet pills and diuretics and even low doses of steroids to produce a leaner, harder body. (Incidentally, this year’s Covergirl was born in 1990. Now, that is scary.)

Of course, steroids won’t improve athletic skill, but extra strength can turn a fly ball into a home run. Thus the debate becomes more an issue of ideals. Isn’t it time we shed this notion that athletes are sterling examples of responsibility, or even good sportsmanship? While we’re at it, let’s not put past champions on too high a pedestal. They simply didn’t have the option. I’ll bet if Ty Cobb had the chance to use steroids he’d be juiced to the gills. Knowing his erasable personality, Ty would most likely be a perfect example of “roid-rage“, which is equivalent to being a “nasty drunk.” It’s not the booze that makes someone nasty. it just brings the nastiness out. The same goes for rage from steroids. They make you feel powerful.

The above statements clearly suggest that the use of steroids brings positive benefits to the users and there is no reason for any one to spread a bad word about it. After all, they just help and do not entirely make sportsmen. Steroids are here to stay, accept it or not, it does not matter.