The use of Steroids in Weightlifting We have all heard about steroid use from the media but we are not really aware of how common it is. If you work out at a health club then chances are at least someone there is a steroid user. You may not be able to tell from their size yet, but their attitude will surely give them away. Anabolic-androgenic steroids act in the brain by simulating the male hormone testosterone and other growth hormones. The action is similar to that of an adolescent growth spurt. Elevated levels of testosterone have been associated with aggression and violence (Allnutt & Chaimowitz).
Anabolic steroids were developed in the late 1930s to treat hypogonadism, a condition where sufficient testosterone for normal growth, development, and sexual functioning is not produced by the testes (NIDA). It had also been shown around the time of World War II that malnourished people could build themselves up more rapidly if given testosterone.
Various anabolic steroids. Author: Wikidudeman (ta...
Numerous vials of injectable anabolic steroids, wh...
Several large buckets of anabolic steroid vials co...Anabolic Steroids can also used to treat some types of impotence, delayed puberty, and wasting of the body due to HIV infection or other diseases. Scientists soon discovered that use of these steroids could facilitate the growth of skeletal muscle in laboratory animals. The use of steroids became widespread in the sixties, especially since testing procedures were not developed until the 1970s (Ray & Ksir).
Bodybuilders and weight lifters began using steroids not long after their uses were discovered. Trends in drug use by athletes once involved only amphetamines and cocaine. Now they can get faster and bigger. One of the most common reasons given for abusing steroids is to improve performance in sports. Most users take them to increase muscle size and/or to reduce body fat. It is "estimated that hundreds of thousands of people aged 18 and older...