So What Are Anabolic Steroids?

So, what are anabolic steroids? When you see those huge muscle bound body builders and weight lifters, I’m sure you’re thinking what I’m thinking. How do they get so big, so fast? (And is their junk really small?). I’m sure that many of them work real hard in the gym. And follow a very strict diet. Blah, blah, blah. But let’s get real for a moment. Many of them take anabolic steroids. Let’s have a look…..

Introduction: So What are Anabolic Steroids?

Anabolic steroids are a man made or synthetic variation of the male sex hormone testosterone. Anabolic refers to the muscle building qualities. The proper name for these compounds is anabolic-androgenic steroids. The first part refers to the muscle building properties and the second to increase in male sex characteristics. Normal use is to treat hormonal issues like delayed puberty for example. But many athletes use them to gain mass and boost performance. In fact all sports games you can bet on with GTbets, have someone who’s on steroids.

Steroid Misuse

But the vast majority of those who misuse the drugs are young men who are trying to reach the unnatural and unrealistic standards set by professional weightlifters and body builders, showing off on their Instagram’s. It’s a short cut to a certain look. From online sports books news sites in the US we can learn that the street names for, what is essentially an illegal drug, are Gear, Juice, Roids, and Stackers.

Pull Down Your Pants and Bend Over

There are any number of ways to take anabolic steroids. Most people simply take them orally. You can also apply some directly to the skin as a cream or gel. And finally, for all you hardcore users, you can inject then directly into the muscle, but never the vein. Oh…and into your buttocks. Then there are a number of systems/programs:

• Pyramiding—slowly increasing the dose or frequency of steroids, reaching a peak amount, and then    gradually tapering off to zero
• Cycling—taking multiple doses for a period of time, stopping, and then restarting
• Stacking—the combination of two or more different steroids and mixing oral and/or injectable types
• Plateauing—alternating, overlapping, or substituting with another steroid to avoid developing a tolerance

The Good Stuff

The main potential benefits that come with anabolic steroids are the following:

• An increases in muscle tissue due to better protein synthesis
• A decrease in percentage of body fat
• An increase in muscle power and strength
• Better recovery from injury and workouts
• An improvement in the mineral density of the bones
• Much better muscle endurance
• An increase in red blood cell production

Well that doesn’t sound too bad. I’ll have 100 doses in the butt please!

The Bad Stuff

According to online sports books news in the US, we should take care as anabolic steroid misuse can lead to serious or even permanent health problems such as:

• Kidney problems or failure
• Liver damage and tumors
• An enlargement of the heart, high blood pressure, and changes in blood cholesterol, all of which
• Increase the risk of possible stroke and heart attack, even in young people
• An increase in the risk of blood clots

Mental Effects

The misuse of anabolic steroids can lead to serious mental effects. These can include:

• Paranoid (extreme, unreasonable) jealousy
• Extreme irritability and aggression (known as “roid rage”)
• Delusions—false sense of beliefs or ideas
• Impaired judgment
• Mania or manic behavior

Let’s Get Real

Now here’s the thing. Notice that I say “can lead to”. You could quite happily reverse that to “cannot lead to”. This make my elbow itch. There’s a lot of misinformation doing the rounds. It tends to be loud and only focus on the perceived negatives. Generally it’s normally disguised as harsh medical advice or anti-drug message. We all know that anything taken without limit could potentially end badly. And it’s the same for steroids.

Gender Specific Issues

• In men:
  • Shrinking testicles
  • Decrease in sperm count
  • Hair loss or baldness
  • Breasts development
  • Increase the risk for prostate cancer
• In women:
  • Growth of facial hair or excess body hair
  • Decrease in breast size
  • Male-pattern baldness
  • Changes about or stop in the menstrual cycle
  • Enlarged clitoris
  • Deepening of the  voice

Possible Withdrawal Symptoms

Though they are not recognized as being addictive in the same way that recreational drugs might be, some people might experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop using them. There’s also the added danger of depression. These symptoms may include:

• Fatigue
• Restlessness
• Loss of appetite
• Sleep problems
• Decreased sex drive
• Steroid cravings

What are Anabolic Steroids? Wrong Question!

Yeah, your junk might get smaller. Yeah, you might fall into a depression. And you might get HIV from a contaminated needle. Or you might get run over by a runaway truck. I wouldn’t bet on any of those things. (If I did, I’d use GTbets!). The problem with these peeps who want to draw awareness to the downside, is that by exaggerating it, they lose credibility. The question should not be what are anabolic steroids, but rather, what are they not?

Calm Down Everyone

Then there’s all the talk about addiction. Well, here’s the rub: it’s not addictive! Anabolic steroids do not give the same dopamine rush as, say, methamphetamine or cocaine. Like everything in life, it’s as addictive as you choose. I know a girl addicted to buying shoes. Some peeps are addicted to internet porn. As with all things, moderation is the key. Everybody calm down. You’ll be just fine.