Everybody wans to be stronger. For some, it doesn't matter what the cost is. Steroid use is especially prevalent in the sport of bodybuilding but is not limited to it or even sports in general. To be accurate, not all bodybuilders use steroids and not all steroid users are bodybuilders. Every day, non-athlete, weekend warriors, or whatever you want to call the general public that randomly workout; some of them are steroid users too.

I Don't Get It

What I’d like you to focus on with me is why I don’t understand what attracts people to use steroids.

Okay, I do understand that steroids can potentially help you build huge muscles, get really lean, help gain strength or even increase endurance. WOW! All of those effects sound fabulous, but to every action there is an opposite equal reaction. There is a down side to using these drugs.

Steroids are also used as medicine for many people with illnesses like asthma, skin irritations, allergies, some cancers and even AIDS. When used as a medication, steroids are a controlled prescription and can have a minimal amount of negative side effects. When used as a performance enhancing substance though, the dose of the steroid needs to be so high that the chance of negative side effects occurring is increased.

Some of the most impressive physiques I have seen are larger than life, massive, extraordinary physiques. But, every time I think about how these physiques were created it comes down to hard work in the gym supported by the use of one steroid or another. Some of the most popular names you hear about in bodybuilding and other sports are HGH, Anadrol, Clenbutural and of course Testosterone.

Now, like I stated above, these steroids can have some pretty impressive effects on the human body but what about the side effects?

Side Effects
    
Each steroid is going to have its own “effects and side effects” if that’s a good way to say it. Generally the effects are going to fall under categories like: muscle growth, strength increase, endurance increase, or body fat loss. These effects sound great! I recognize the romanticized attraction to these compounds that pulls so many people in, but what about the side effects? Are the side effects not severe enough to detour the users or are the effects just too good not to pass up?
    
Some of the most general side effects of steroid use are: inhibition of natural hormone production, kidney issues, liver damage, acne, Gynocomastia ( development of breast tissue in a male), baldness, and virilization (development of male characteristics in females). Those were just the physical effects, there are also psychological effects such as; confusion, sleeping disorders, euphoria, pathological anxiety, paranoia, depression and hallucinations.
    
Keep It Natural

I am a natural bodybuilder; I have never, and will never, use steroids.

Outside of the fact of steroids being illegal, I will not use them because I believe that the unwanted side effects of using these drugs far out weigh the positive effects such as muscle growth or body fat loss. I do use supplements that support my natural hormone levels but does not increase them or depress them. I use protein supplements to be able to consume all of the protein my body requires and I have taken products that help me lose body fat naturally. None of the supplements that I use have side effects like steroids and none of them have steroids or derivatives of steroids in them.

I choose to be a clean athlete to remain healthy. All of the negative side effects can have short and long term effects on a person’s overall health, and I want to avoid those.

In the End
    
I do not know that I will ever fully understand the attraction people have to steroids because I will never use them to test their effects.  I do appreciate that some steroids are used for medical purposes. I am getting ripped and huge without using drugs. You might consider doing the same.