Steroid abuse is a growing problem among teenagers today. The most effective way to keep your child away from steroids is educating him about its
side effects. Here is some more information about this problem.
Earlier, steroids were
something you only read about in the sports pages of the newspaper.
However, steroids have come a long way from only being used by
athletes. More and more ordinary people, especially teenage boys, are
experimenting with steroids for a variety of reasons.
What are steroids?
Steroids are essentially hormones. They can be of many types and some are even used for medicinal purposes. Steroids used by teenagers usually come under the category of anabolic steroids. These synthetically produced hormones are similar to the testosterone hormone naturally produced in the body.
What do anabolic steroids do?
Similar to testosterone, anabolic steroids primarily help in increasing muscle mass. Anabolic steroids may be injected, taken orally as pills, or applied on the skin in the form of gels or creams. Some athletes believe that muscle mass enhances their performance on the field. Teenagers who participate in competitive sports may use steroids to give them an edge over their rivals.
Why do teenagers use them?
The media has a big influence on teenagers. Newspapers and television are filled with images of people with 'perfect' bodies.
Teenage boys aspire to be like models with bulging biceps, a washboard
stomach, and six-pack abs. Girls go for the lean, muscular look that is
popular nowadays. Teenagers view steroids as a shortcut to the perfect figure. However, they do not understand the risks involved.
How do they harm the body?
All people have both testosterone and oestrogen hormones
in their body. Depending on the sex of the person, the male or female
hormone will be in higher amounts in the body. When a person consumes anabolic steroids, it upsets the balance between testosterone and oestrogen in the body.
As boys are more likely to use anabolic steroids, their effects on males have been well documented. Anabolic steroids
cause boys to develop breasts. It also causes premature baldness and a
rash or acne, especially on the back. Mentally, the steroids cause
aggression, mood swings, and paranoia. Long-term use of anabolic steroids causes shrinking of the testicles and a reduced sperm count, often leading to infertility. It also increases the chances of prostate cancer.
The effects of anabolic steroids use among girls is similar to that of boys such as balding and acne. In addition, females also experience breast shrinkage and develop deeper voices than normal.
are also said to destroy brain cells. This increases the risk of
neurological diseases like Alzheimer's. The steroids also cause damage
to the liver. Since the compound is synthetic, it cannot easily be
broken down into its components by the liver. This results in the liver
having to work harder to remove unused parts of the steroid from the
What are the signs of steroid use?
Luckily, steroid use has some visible signs. If you suspect your child is using steroids, look for these characteristics.
A sudden increase in weight and muscle mass in spite of eating the same food as before
Aggressive tendencies towards other people, suddenly getting into physical fights with peers or elders for no reason at all
Symptoms of jaundice, wherein the skin and eyes become a pale yellowish colour
Red or purple spots all over the body
Swelling of the lower leg regions, especially the feet
Unexplained darkening of the skin
Oily skin and several breakouts of acne
Sudden onset of persistent bad breath
Unprovoked changes in mood on a regular basis
Anabolic steroid use
is a problem that has not received much publicity. The best way to
prevent your child from using them is to educate him about their
Hi. I would think that buying steroids is similar to buying drugs. Drugs are illegal but still people are capable of buying them for use. There must be someone to contact if you want to get the steroi...