Anabolic Steroids: A Discussion

I've always felt that alcohol, which I do partake in moderation, should be illegal if steroids and pot are. The side effects are much more damaging and it is hardly regulated. Of course there are side effects to steroid use, there are side effects to many legal supplements as well. My opinion as to why steroids are illegal, besides the obvious "partent state" position of the state/government, is it is viewed as an unnatural way to be stronger or "beefier". The PED issue in sports shows how irrational people are when it comes to "how" people have won or built their statistics. My personal opinion is steroids should be legal, taxed, regulated and pushed to be used under doctor supervision.

My viewpoint is simply - legal or not - where is the pride in building muscle mass via steriods. Building real strength by natural means does more for the self esteem in addition to knowing what you have built physically is yours and by your own efforts.

If there was a drug that would enable me to kick into a handstand easily, rather than face the fear of going upside down, the strength I need to build to hold a stable pose and the hours of dedication to the practice, I wouldn't take it - legal or no. Some things mean more when they are honestly earned.

Speaking strictly in terms of legality, I can't understand (at this point) how steroids harm anyone who does not use them, whereas alcohol use kills non drinkers regularly.

Having no personal interest in steroids, I'm actually not well educated on their safety or lack of.

Good post.

While it is true that alcohol does a tremendous amount of societal damage, it is a shame that the lessons learned from prohibition have not been applied to the war on drugs. Instead, we spend billions fighting various designated substances that will forever be readily available and in demand rather than educating, regulating and taxing. I remain cautiously optimistic that ultimately we will see more legalization over time. Like the OP, however, I do not use illegal drugs and have no desire to start. I do drink in moderation.

i can't speculate as to why steroids are illegal except by presuming that the government gets some type of benefit from the manufacturers of what harmful substances they allow to be legal that they do not get from the manufacturers of the illegal ones. cigarettes and alcohol are okay, but marijuana isn't. even though it doesn't kill anyone and is likely no more harmful than cigarettes, no more intoxicating than alcohol. somewhere, someone isn't making any money off of it. same with steroids, i'd bet.

I'm not arguing one way or another if they should or should not be legal. But I did find your friends comment a bit ironic, as I'll explain later.

If you work with the philosophy that if something only hurts the user it should be legal, then steroids should be legal. Unlike some other controlled substances, they do not have collateral damage to those around the user.

However, in society today, substances are also controlled that only damage the user for a variety of reasons. One of those is that enough users would fail to understand or not be able to understand the damage they are doing to themselves. Truthfully, your friends argument could be used in support of this.

“Why are they illegal? They don't make you intoxicated like beer. They don't really hurt you, compared to alcohol or crack. All they do is help you build muscle... which is f---ing healthy!! What's the issue? ”

No, they do more than help you build muscle. They have significant risk,. even when used conservatively. Some people, particularly younger ones, who see the positive strength and performance results can get lured into the "ALL they do is help you build muscle, with is healthy" attitude. Don't see the danger and the likelihood of using conservatively goes down, and the risk goes up.

Here are some of the risks, from the linked article below. Obviously these are not universal side effects, but possible damage.

Men - Although anabolic steroids are derived from a male sex hormone, men who take them may actually experience a "feminization" effect along with a decrease in normal male sexual function. Some possible effects include: •Reduced sperm count
•Impotence
•Development of breasts
•Shrinking of the testicles
•Difficulty or pain while urinating

Women - On the other hand, women often experience a "masculinization" effect from anabolic steroids, including the following:
•Facial hair growth
•Deepened voice
•Breast reduction
•Menstrual cycle changes

With continued use of anabolic steroids, both sexes can experience the following effects, which range from the merely unsightly to the life endangering. They include: •Acne
•Bloated appearance
•Rapid weight gain
•Clotting disorders
•Liver damage
•Premature heart attacks and strokes
•Elevated cholesterol levels
•Weakened tendons


Special dangers to adolescents

Anabolic steroids can halt growth prematurely in adolescents. "What happens is that steroids close the growth centers in a kid's bones", says Dr. Wadler. "Once these growth plates are closed, they cannot reopen so adolescents that take too many steroids may end up shorter than they should have been."



Behavioral side effects

According to Dr. Wadler, anabolic steroids can cause severe mood swings. "People's psychological states can run the gamut." says Wadler. "They can go from bouts of depression or extreme irritability to feelings of invincibility and outright aggression, commonly called "'roid rage. This is a dangerous state beyond mere assertiveness."


http://espn.go.com/special/s/drugsandsports/steroids.html

i know very little on the topic but i had a friend who was attempting to obtain a certain look and started using steroids and HGH to "cut" weight, i would imagine that these chemicals would put a lot of strain on your body. The human body needs time to adapt and to work up to certain things...

I believe that it is illegal because there are so many people out there who are always looking for "quick" fixes to obtain their desired goal. It is most likely because of these people who refuse to get educated and use these substances properly that the government is attempting to protect from their own stupidity.

I would never use them or put down another person who made the choice to use them but i definitely think that its not good for your body and if your goal is health... well then your doing it wrong....

Your friend has it twisted, steroids aren't healthy.

That said, I believe it's a personal decision for each individual person to make. Honestly don't see the point unless you plan on stepping on an IFBB stage and been reached your genetic potential naturally.

Congress banned steroids because of baseball

This.

The American AAS ban is purely because of sports and a few extremely outdated and fraudulent "studies". It was propaganda, nothing more.

I'm just going to answer the OP's question and not get all 'preachy' and long winded.

Like some of the friends you describe, I indulge in several vices...albeit moderately. However, I choose not to use anabolic/androgenic compounds, nor pro-hormonal compounds of any kind...simply for the satisfaction of being 'all-natural'. Have I used other products that would offer an arguer an angle to exploit contradiction? (whey protein isolates, nitric oxide and creatine enhancers) Absolutely, I have and probably will continue to supplement with in the future. But I think the bottom line for me comes down to taking my genetic potential to its limits...and learning to find contentment with that.

In closing. This thread was well phrased and executed, kudo's to you OP. May this not be completely desecrated by ignorant trolls, or fools of another variant.