Did you ever watch those documentaries about steroid abuse? I’m not sure if I had to watch them in school or I saw them afterward, but they were always scary.
If you somehow escaped these documentaries, steroid abuse is not rare, unfortunately. People sometimes use steroids because they think that the drugs will help them perform better in sports or look more muscular. But abusing these drugs can do more harm than good. Abusing steroids could produce a huge list of side effects, including
- Increases in LDL cholesterol (the “bad cholesterol” that can block your blood vessels).
- Decreases in HDL cholesterol (the “good cholesterol” that removes the “bad cholesterol” from your bloodstream).
- Elevated blood pressure.
- Gynecomastia, or swollen breast tissue in males. For men and boys who use steroids to get bigger, this is probably not what they intended.
- Changes in the reproductive system.
- Hair loss (for men) or hair growth (for women).
- Sleep problems.
- Skin problems, such as acne.
There’s also the debate regarding whether steroid abuse can cause “roid rage,” or overly aggressive behavior.
Needless to say, abusing steroids, like abusing other stimulants, can severely damage your body and how it functions. Many organizations have taken steps to prevent steroid abuse. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and other sports organizations have created rules to prevent the illegal use of drugs—doping—and have compiled lists of banned substances. We always hear of people suspended by this federation and that federation for the improper use of drugs.
Despite these sanctions, people are still using drugs for athletic reasons. They’re still using steroids and other drugs because they feel that the substances will help them lose weight, look more buff, or other cosmetic reasons. But you’ve seen some of these people—are that many muscles really that attractive? And given the side effects listed before, are those muscles really worth it? After all, what are good are muscles on a corpse?
