Andrew Harrop
Ms Owen
English 12: D Block
4 May 2018
The cost of Steroids in Teenagers
Anabolic steroids have been a topic of controversy ever since they were first used by the Soviet Olympic weightlifting with a muscle gaining intention, and especially when they became commercially available in the United States in 1958. Soon after the drug was available to high preforming athletes, the general public became aware of its potential and the number of users worldwide has only increased.
A dynamic perception of the masculine body has been prevalent throughout the past 6o years, and as the image becomes progressively larger and more muscular, a percentage of men will attempt to replicate the image, usually doing horrible things to their bodies in the process. Any single side effect alone should be enough to deter almost anyone, but still an average of 0.5 percent of the adult population in any given country are using steroids for recreational purposes and an alarming 2.6 percent of teens are using steroids averaged from four studies (Pallesen et al 1706). Widespread access to internet has made it easier than ever to view the leanest and most muscular of the fitness world, drastically changing what today’s youth see as an ideal physique.
Media finds its way into our lives in all shapes and forms. With modern media comes tv shows, films, magazines and websites depicting males that look too good to be true. This probably all started back in the 1970’s when bodybuilders like Arnold Schwarzenegger received worldwide attention for their incredible lifestyles. When these giants appeared on movie screens, advertisements and magazine covers, they instantly became role models portraying superheroes, warriors and other action heroes. The image of masculinity changed throughout these years, likely influenced by such media and overly exaggerated cartoons and toys of these figures, showing even the youngest of audiences that the more muscular you are, the more you are distinguished as masculine and influential. All throughout childhood large, lean men are seen through sports, commercials, shows, movies and toys. Eventually the image of what masculinity should be is seared into the child’s mind and this picture follows them throughout their early life. In the later years of youth, access and use of social media is increasingly common, and teens can average up to an astonishing nine hours a day accessing various media types, making viewing unrealistically muscular bodies a daily event. A study of American teenagers showed that out of 4237 males between twelve and eighteen years old, 61.9 percent (2623 teens) participated in strength training, 12.3 percent used products to improve their body shape or build muscle(520 teens) and 0.7 percent(30 teens) used anabolic steroids or growth hormones for purpose of muscle growth or enhancement of appearance(Field et al 216).
Out of all the steroid users worldwide, it is speculated that use is predominantly influenced by one, two or all of the following reasons. (Note that all these reasons are based off the fact that the user has the intention to become more physically fit and would like to enhance their ability to grow muscle or lose fat). The first is for athletic performance, a statistic that is hard to measure (due to the lack of testing and a low percentage of athletes/users willing to admitting use out of fear of being banned from sports and activities) but surveyed to be around six percent with a much higher prediction. Some athletes “think that steroid use is their road to success” (Werdo). Steroids allow athletes to recover and grow at unnatural rates, allowing a mediocre athlete to become the strongest, fastest and most powerful athlete on the field. This comes at a heavy price because if the athletes use is discovered, severe penalties and bans almost always occur, and in some cases performance is diminished. A solid example of this is MLB player and steroid user Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez’s batting average slowly dropped showing a declining level of performance but this was countered by a jump in the number of home runs achieved,
Fig.1 Alex Rodriguez home runs over the span of his career. He admitted to using steroids from 2001 to 2003 as well as from 2010 to 2012. There is also some evidence that he used for the 2007 season. Notice the jump in number of home runs from 2001-2003 and in 2007 (Gaines).
“jumping to” “52 per season, compared with 36 during his first four seasons” (Hazandy). High School athletes may also see the drug as lucrative because high levels of performance in varsity high athletics can lead to scholarships for post-secondary education and popularity among peers and fellow athletes. The second is peer pressure. This may be through friends, fellow athletes or in some cases even a coach. The third and probably most concerning is internal pressure. In high school and adolescent life, peer pressure with steroids is similar to the pressure into doing harder drugs such as ecstasy and cocaine. The pressure is very dependent on the economic status of the neighborhood or region of the school as well as the country you are in because of the relatively high prices of the narcotic. This can be a result of a past of insecurity, abuse or bullying and can also be the most dangerous realm of steroid use because the user is more prone to developing mental disorders and ultimately harming their body to the point of no return.
Any use of anabolic steroids is dangerous. Much like any illegal drug, steroid manufacturing is not regulated, so almost any steroid obtained from an illegal source may contain a diluted substance, a mixed substance, or a completely different substance than expected. The product may have also been produced in unsanitary conditions; cases of deadly diseases being transferred through steroids needles and products are common. The cost of steroids alone may deter some considering the drug, with beginner cycles (a cycle is a period of steroid use and can take anywhere from 4 to 14 weeks with even longer cycles recorded) costing anywhere from $500 for a basic cycle to $1500 for an advanced cycle with strong recovery drugs (blog post). More problems arise during the use of the product. Known and expected side effects include severe acne, premature hair loss, liver abnormalities, blood clots, organ enlargement, spontaneous angry and emotional outbursts (due to hormone imbalances), and in some cases hallucinations, psychosis and visual impairments. These side effects have a greater impact on the younger users as they are still developing and could lead to permanent damage later in life (FISH). Another side effect that is subtler is the dependence developed while taking the drug. The muscle growth is astonishing in many users and once they see results either in their appearance or performance, it becomes an addiction; almost as if the user is trying to see how strong, fast or powerful they can become. One cycle may turn into two and eventually an unhealthy lifestyle of unnatural supplementation is bestowed upon the user. There are serious withdrawal symptoms that become noticeable to most users as well, including fatigue, strength and weight loss, infertility and low blood pressure. Teenagers may experience flawed or stunted growth because of their still developing bodies(Davis). These symptoms give an avid user all the more reason to continue use in order to avoid the withdrawals.
Use of anabolic steroids have a destructive effect on a user’s mental health as well as academic performance. The academic field is seldom researched and the effects of steroids on academic and activities requiring basic functions of the brain such as memory or learning are not well known. A handful of studies have conclusive evidence showing “that use of anabolic-androgenic steroids has a significant detrimental impact on an individual’s everyday memory and ability to remember” (Hefferan). The excessive time spent on eating, working out and focusing on one’s body will also clearly take time away from academic assignments and tasks. High schoolers may experience a decline in academic performance as a result, and although not researched and surveyed, this could lead to lower attendance of post-secondary education by students who use steroids in high school. Unlike academic performance, a tremendous amount of research has been complied through magazines, books articles and cases studies on the effect of anabolic on mental health. All users have different experiences based on their genes and a wide variety if controls. A commonly observed mental disorder in steroid users is Psychosis. The user will feel a disconnect from the world and their surroundings, leading to overconfidence. It has been proven that psychosis in users leads to violent outbursts known as “roid rage” (Hooley). Depression is commonly noticed as well and “can be so severe that it even leads to suicide” (Hooley). The obsessive attention a user pays to their body can develop into a mental disorder known as muscle dysmorphic disorder or MDD. Although MDD can develop in anyone, is very common among those taking growth hormones with intention to improve muscle growth and physical appearance.
The mental disorders associated with steroid use can develop early, sometime after only a few weeks of use. For adults that have a stable income, this can be somewhat manageable, but for the younger user, the mental turmoil will likely become uncontrollable, possibly leading to mental complications that carry on throughout their whole life. The human brain does not stop developing until around the age of 25, and what happens in these years is critical in later years. The teen brain is “shaped by experience” (), and if a teen experiences the hormone imbalances causing strong emotional outbursts and mental instability that is a result of taking anabolic steroids, they will become used to is and carry on those traits into their employment later in life, possibly destroying careers and making the user a hostile and difficult person to work with.
Anabolic Steroid use in adolescents has been a troubling and disturbing topic for decades. Their potential to create an enhanced athlete comes at an immeasurable price, damaging everything from the user’s body, their brain, even their social life. Influnces and pressure to take the narcotic can come from social media, friends, advertisments, and in some cases toys and media that were presented to the user in childhood and early stages of life.
Works Cited