{"id":1178,"date":"2014-10-14T18:31:39","date_gmt":"2014-10-14T18:31:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=1178"},"modified":"2016-08-14T23:35:50","modified_gmt":"2016-08-14T23:35:50","slug":"anabolic-steroid-use-is-not-just-about-bodybuilding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/anabolic-steroid-use-is-not-just-about-bodybuilding\/","title":{"rendered":"Anabolic steroid use is not just about bodybuilding"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Dominic Sagoe<\/a>, University of Bergen<\/em><\/p>\n

The use of anabolic steroids has been associated primarily with men. But over the past few decades, we\u2019ve been discovering more about different groups who use these drugs \u2013 including women and younger men \u2013 and why.<\/p>\n

With 3.3% of the world\u2019s population having used anabolic steroids at least once \u2013 a figure so high that their use has to be considered a serious global public health problem<\/a> \u2013 we wanted to learn more about the experiences that lead people to use.<\/p>\n

In a recent analysis, published in<\/a> Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, we gathered together information from qualitative studies featuring interviews with users, focus group discussion and case reports. Our findings provide a tapestry of use from the age of 14 \u2013 the youngest person we found to be using anabolic steroids \u2013 to the oldest, who was 54. However, most studies report that the majority of users start before the age of 30.<\/p>\n

Who starts using anabolic steroids?<\/h2>\n

Looking at the characteristics and history of people who start using anabolic steroids, most participated in sports \u2013 especially power sports like weightlifting and bodybuilding \u2013 had family and relationship problems, and psychological issues such as depression, negative self-image and body dissatisfaction. Many had abused other substances before they began using anabolic steroids.<\/p>\n

The most prominent feature in using anabolic steroids for the first time is participation in power sports \u2013 both recreational and competitive \u2013 because they help users bulk up muscle. Our study showed that for some, the use of anabolic steroids can begin less than a year after they take up the sport. Many also reported giving into pressure because coaches and officials didn\u2019t question how other teammates or competitors gained unusually huge muscles and strength.<\/p>\n

But sport isn\u2019t only to blame. Many persons also reported psychological and social problems before using anabolic steroids. These included depression, poor self-esteem, eating disorders, problems with parents or poor social support, and some even reported use following bullying, rape, or divorce. One study that investigated weightlifting and anabolic steroid use among female rape victims<\/a>, found five women who had previously thought anabolic steroid users were \u201cweak\u201d but later felt the need to use them to bulk up to give themselves a stronger sense of physical security, which they felt they couldn\u2019t achieve without help from steroids.<\/p>\n

Low self-esteem and body issues may explain why most users reported first using anabolic steroids to enhance their appearance or body image, gain more muscles or strength, as well as improving sports performance. This could also be related to some reporting using these drugs to be more successful in finding partners or to enhance their love life.<\/p>\n

Many people had also experimented with, or were regular users of, other licit and illicit substances such as alcohol, heroin, tobacco, marijuana, cocaine, and amphetamine before moving on to anabolic steroids. For instance, some heroin users indicated they started using anabolic steroids to deal with the weight loss resulting from heroin use. It was also a surprise to learn that some drug users were introduced to and started using anabolic steroids while receiving treatment for use of other drugs at addiction clinics.<\/p>\n

Working lives<\/h2>\n

In the studies we looked out, we found some people also started using anabolic steroids to enhance their performance at work. These were mainly in jobs that required some kind of enhanced appearance or muscularity, like modelling<\/a> and security work<\/a>\u2013 for example club doormen, police, and soldiers. Some even said anabolic steroids were an indispensable ingredient for success in their line of work.<\/p>\n

For some, but not all, social pressure such as media influence, peer influence, and sport or social norms also emerged as an important driver behind anabolic steroid use.<\/p>\n

Many users were aware of the long-term consequences of anabolic steroid use. Prior to starting, many sought information from various sources including health practitioners but nevertheless went ahead. Motives can also change with time. Some people start using anabolic steroids to enhance their muscle or strength and later move on to use for other reasons such as overcoming psychological problems.<\/p>\n

Most users first obtain anabolic steroids from a strong illicit trade, not just from the internet and dealers, but from coaches, and even clinicians or health workers (doctors, pharmacists, and veterinarians). Friends or teammates, gym employees and relatives, were also sources. However, in the most recent studies we looked at, the only sources of anabolic steroids were the illicit market, relatives, and friends. This may be due to the growing illegality<\/a> of these drugs since the 1990s. Nevertheless, the relatively easy availability of both legal and illegal substances, means that better interventions will need to be found to avert more people from using them.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Dominic Sagoe does not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has no relevant affiliations.<\/em><\/p>\n

This article was originally published on The Conversation<\/a>.
\nRead the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Dominic Sagoe, University of Bergen The use of anabolic steroids has been associated primarily with men. But over the past few decades, we\u2019ve been discovering more about different groups who use these drugs \u2013 including women and younger men \u2013 and why. With 3.3% of the world\u2019s population having used anabolic steroids at least […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":6218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[42,10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1178"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1178"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1178\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6219,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1178\/revisions\/6219"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}