dealing with the stereotype
Sorry if this has been discussed some before, but I would like to start a thread here about how much flak you guys take for using AAS from friends and people you see/meet.
I know some of you don't care if everyone knows you juice and that is fine, but for those of you that do care about trying to keep it on the down-low, how hard do you find it to hide and do you try to argue with people who have no clue about AAS and think everyone who does "steroids" will have "no balls and no hair"...
Im a fan of the weaker and shorter cycles and may never even end up doing a cycle (only 19 yrs old right now), but if I do, i won't want everyone knowing about it... I live in a small town (5,500 ppl) and word spreads like wildfire.. so I know that if I did pack on even 10-15 pounds of meat, then ppl would begin to talk because Im already big for my frame (w/ low bf), and I don't want to be viewed the wrong way, when in fact, Im only considering very weak and generally safe cycles (anavar, primo depot, etc...), which would not be that big a deal to ppl who actually KNOW about AAS... :D
Dealing with Presuppositions
NightOp, you've asked an excellent question, and you're probably a great example of someone who might already get hassled. Follow me on this one . . .
You noted that you are 19 years old, and you profile indicates that you have had four years of training experience, two of which have been hardcore. Therefore, assuming you know what you're doing (and, from your post, my guess is that you do), you are probably in better shape than the average 19-year-old. So it's reasonable to assume that if you stand next to, say, a dozen of your peers and you all take your shirts off, you're the guy that people will most likely point at and say, "Yeah, he's doing roids."
Except that you're not doing roids. Which blows the entire stereotype.
If you were to check out various bodybuilding web sites, boards, and forums, you will see men and women that are ripped, bulked, buffed, lean, and mean. And if you were to take all of their photos and place them side by side in random fashion, chances are that you would not be able to tell which ones are juicing and which ones are not. (If anyone has doubts about that, check out some of the natural - non AS - BB sites. As much as we may support the intelligent use of AS, the "naturalists" believe there is no such thing, and they are vehimently against AS.) Or check out the builders who compete in natural competitions, especially the ones that test for AS use. You will find them just as developed as the lifters that do use AS.
We need to remember that there are two reasons that people will ridicule others on the basis of steroid use (whether or not the victim actually use steropids or not). The first is jealousy - if you're more ripped than the next person, you've obviously got something going for you that he or she doesn't. And that person will often be jealous.
Second, there is a lack of knowledge about anabolics on the part of the proverbial Ivory soap percentage. (Y'all remember that one? It's "99-44/100%" pure.) When you see the notion discussed on this board to the effect that most physicians don't even know much about AS, you can bet your butt that most lay people know even less.
So how do you deal with people who may even think that you are on AS? Well, I can give you three answers. The first comes from the great American philosopher Robin Williams, who said, "Joke 'em if they can't take a fuck."
More realistic - and far more common - is the concept of plausible denial (a phrase repopularized when Bill Clinton said, "I did not have sex with that woman"). Tell them you work out, tell them you use supplements that are available at any local GNC store, tell them you have a healthy diet, and convince them that you are very dedicated when it comes to your body. But don't tell them you're using AS, especially if it will result in hassles around your family, job, school, or the military.
Finally, you can admit it, recognizing that once one person knows about it, there is no preventing the word from being spread. Depending on your age and experience, you can be a mentor to younger guys and gals who are considering doing a cycle, especially since most people do not have someone they can talk to and get honest information from on these issues. (Face it, you can't walk up to a bulked-up stranger at the gym and say, "Howdy, bro! Do you juice?" It's considered tremendously, um, gauche.)
NightOp, you are already more of an expert on AS than many of the people who have actually tried AS - I can see that from the way you wrote your post. And you've adopted a sound strategy thus far - research, caution, more research, and more caution. You already know the bottom line - not to do a cycle until you are ready.
You're doing the right thing by considering the privacy issue now - and it is a privacy issue at heart, since this is the kind of thing people will talk about in a small town. In fact, the smaller the town, the more likely the local police department is likely to launch on the "scourge of psycho 'roid heads," even if there is only one AS user as far as the eyes can see. But don't think it gets any easier in a large city; even in the gyms I go to, AS is not a matter of general discussion and, although I'm open if anyone asks, I honestly can't tell you whether most of the guys at my gym juice or not.
So realize that you will be able to cover your butt by claiming the usual explanations (working out, supplements, good diet, etc.). Most people will never know - because, despite the proclivity toward gossip, they don't know a hill of beans about AS in the first place.
