AN Amazing ACADEMIC JOURNAL artical on why WE use steroids. READ IT!

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Hey guys, i came accross this academic journal article done for the journal of drug issues. Fall 2008, Volume 38, Issue 4. P1187-1205 - Titled - GETTING HUGE< GETTING RIPPED: A QUALITATIVE EXPLORATION OF RECREATIONAL STEROID USE .

Ill post it here for you to read. But im not gonna post every source the guys used, it will takeup WAYYYY to much space. If u want to see the refrences, lemme know.
About the authors

Matthew Petrocelli, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Studies at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. His academic credentials include a BS from the United States Military Academy (West Point), an MCJ from the University of Colorado (Denver) and a Ph.D. in Justice Studies from Arizona State University.

Trish Oberweis, P.h.D is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Studies at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. She received both her Masters and Ph.D. from the School of Justice Studies at Arizona State University.

Joseph Petrocelli, MS is a commander and deputy sheriff with the Passaic County (NJ) Sheriff's Department. He holds master's degrees from Rutgers University (Criminal Justice) and Seton Hall University. He is an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice at Passaic County Community College and Caldwell College.

INTRODUCTION( n1)

Steroid use is only now being recognized as a national epidemic. Although American athletes have been using anabolic steroids since the 1950s, it was not until the 1980s that athletic governing bodies began to monitor and sanction illegal supplementation. It is easier to understand why paid, professional athletes might partake in steroid use; keeping up with the competition, sustaining or improving abilities, salary incentives and endorsements based on performance are but a few reasons. But it is more difficult to understand why adult nonprofessional athletes would eagerly flout the law and put their health at risk. Academic research into steroid use has largely ignored this populous group, instead focusing on professional, college or high school/ adolescent athletes. Through semi-structured interviews with 37 recreational steroid users, this paper seeks to fill that void by exploring their motivations, knowledge, and attitudes toward illegal anabolic steroids . The findings are discussed in terms of their policy implications.

Steroid use has exploded into our national consciousness. As a nation, we slowly began to realize that illegal supplementation had infiltrated athletics in the late 1980s, when Olympic sprinter Ben Johnson was stripped of his gold medal after testing positive for a banned steroid. Since then, it has been impossible to ignore the massive muscular gains and record shattering performances of men and women across the athletic spectrum. NFL players grew to gargantuan proportions, track and field athletes redefined the limits of human speed and endurance, and baseball players not only began to resemble bodybuilders but also started hitting tape measure home runs at a frenetic pace. Indeed, St. Louis Cardinal Mark McGuire captured the imagination of the sporting world and single-handedly rejuvenated interest in our "national pastime" in 1998 when he chased and eventually broke one of the most heralded records in baseball: the single season home run record. His 70 home runs, 9 more than the 1961 record held by Roger Maris, marked an astounding athletic accomplishment. Yet skeptics raised their eyebrows and questioned the validity of McGuire's accomplishment. It was impossible to ignore how his physical dimensions had changed in the twilight of his career. McGuire began his career as a tall, lanky infielder weighing about 200 lbs; by 1998, at the age of 35, he had added 50 lbs. of solid muscle to his frame. Like other athletes who exhibited such phenomenal growth, he scornfully denied using steroids, instead attributing his physique to scientific improvements in weight training and dietary regimes, along with legal nutritional supplements.

That explanation began to unravel on September 3, 2003 when agents from the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the San Mateo (CA) Narcotics Task Force raided the Burlingame Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO). Scientists at the Olympic drug-testing lab at UCLA had discovered new and powerful steroids in some athletes and forwarded that information to the Department of Justice, which tracked the new drugs to BALCO. Owned by Victor Conte (a former rock musician of some notoriety in the 1970s), BALCO's client list read like a veritable "Who's Who" in American sports. Clients included members of the Miami Dolphins, All Pro NFL linebacker Bill Romanoski, track and field gold medalist and world record holder Marion Jones, baseball All Stars Jason Giambi and, most notably, Barry Bonds (who broke McGuire's record in 2001 with 73 home runs and who, like McGuire, had added 40-50 lbs of muscle to his frame late in his career).

The fallout of the BALCO investigation was both telling and troubling. Although no athlete was arrested or prosecuted, several were summoned to appear before a federal grand jury. The confidential testimony of Giambi, Bonds and outfielder Gary Sheffield were illegally leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle. On December 2, 2004, that paper ran an article entitled "Giambi admitted taking steroids" that reported that between 2001-2003, Giambi verified he took HGH (Human Growth Hormone ), Deca -Durabolin (an anabolic steroid) and undetectable BALCO performance enhancing drugs (Fainaru-Wada & Williams, 2004a). On December 3, 2004, that same paper ran an article entitled, "What Bonds told BALCO grand jury," which asserted that Bonds and Sheffield admitted using undetectable BALCO performance enhancing drugs, although both claimed they had been duped into doing so because they believed the substances were legal (Fainaru-Wada & Williams, 2004b). In March of 2005, Congressional hearings were held to determine the extent and prevalence of steroid use in baseball. Among the ballplayers called to testify were Mark McGuire and All Star Rafael Palmeiro. Under oath, McGuire adamantly refused to discuss whether he had used steroids and Palmeiro angrily denied the charge. In August, 2005, Palmeiro received a 10 day suspension for testing positive for steroids. In January, 2007, Mark McGuire, previously considered to be a lock for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, was snubbed by sportswriters and did not receive enough votes for baseball's highest honor; most speculate that his career statistics will forever be tainted by steroid suspicions. Moreover, recent investigations and research into national steroid use has begun to demonstrate that these drugs are widely used by athletes of all ages and at all levels of competition (Goldberg et al., 2000). The present study explores the use of steroids by amateur body-builders.
LITERATURE REVIEW

Although we are only now recognizing the prevalence of steroid use in professional athletics, these drugs have been part of the American sporting culture since the 1950s when synthetic testosterone was first produced and marketed (Rashid, 2000). Early academic research into the efficacy of anabolic steroids did much to damage the credibility of medical doctors and scientists as these "experts" made claims that steroids did little or nothing to improve athletic performance (Dawson, 2001; Hoaken & Stewart, 2003). Of course, steroid users learned from direct experience that steroids were effective at enhancing strength and muscle mass and thus began the entrenched belief that neither the government nor the scientific community could be trusted to reliably report the positive or negative effects of anabolic steroids (Kutscher, Lund, & Perry, 2002).

Recent research has attempted to rectify past shortcomings and studies have concentrated on medical evidence of effectiveness, trends, and patterns of usage among adolescent and high school students, college athletes, and professional competitors. In terms of the medical literature, scientists are universal in their agreement that anabolic steroids can lead to a host of ill-effects including acute acne, hypertension, blood clotting, jaundice, tendon damage, reduced fertility, the development of breasts in male users (technically known as gynacomastia but crudely referred to as 'bitch tits' in the vernacular of steroid users) and a myriad of psychiatric and behavioral problems (Boyadjiev. Georgieva, Massaldjieva, & Gueorguiev, 2000; Karila, Hovatta, Seppala, 2004; Mottram and George, 2000; Nudell, Monoski, & Lipshultz, 2002; Pope, Kouri, & Hudson, 2000; Sirois, 2003; Taylor, 2002). More controversial studies have made the case that protracted steroid use is fatal (Parssinen and Seppala, 2002; Thiblin, Lindquist, & Rajs, 2000).

Studies of adolescent and high school steroid users focus on their motivation to use the drugs and their intended and unintended consequences. Most studies are in agreement that 3-12% of American youths have experimented with steroids (Labre, 2002). Their inspiration of these steroid users largely stems from either a desire to better their athletic performance or improve their body image (termed the "Adonis complex," Congeni and Miller, 2002; Yesalis and Bahrke, 2000). In males specifically, teenage steroid use has been attributed and linked to poor self esteem, elevated rates of depression, attempted suicide, poor knowledge about health, a desire to participate in sports that require great strength, parental concerns about weight, and higher rates of eating disorders (Irving, Wall, Neumark-Sztainer, & Story, 2002). Increased rates of violent behavior have been noted among these users (Pedersen, Wichstrom, & Blekesaune, 2001).

Additionally, some researchers conclude there is a "gateway effect" associated with adolescent steroid use. Namely, there is evidence to suggest that these steroid users are significantly more likely to use other illegal drugs (including inhalants, cannabis, hashish, PCP, sedatives, amphetamines, cocaine, heroin and opiates), tobacco and alcohol. Moreover, addictive and compulsive behaviors relating to gambling, vehicular risk taking, sexual activity, and violence have been reported (Bahrke et al., 2000; Estroff, 2001; Goldberg et al., 2000; Miller et al., 2002; Pedersen et al., 2001; Wichstrom and Pedersen, 2001). On the brighter side, there is at least some support for the notion that drug intervention strategies are successful in stemming steroid use in this subset (Congeni and Miller, 2002; Goldberg et al., 2000).

Studies centering on collegiate and professional steroid use demonstrate similar findings. Along with verifying the litany of detrimental side effects noted in clinical trials, the same gateway effect has been found in mature steroid users. Specifically, adult use was significantly associated with higher rates of psychotropic drug use and overall substance dependence, particularly with opiates (Boyadjiev et al., 2000; Kanayama, Pope, Cohane, & Hudson, 2003; Togna, Tonga, Graziani, & Franconi, 2003). Additionally, male bodybuilders exhibited an abnormal incidence of eating disorders and obsessive dietary tendencies (Marzano-Parisoli, 2001). Motivations for this group focused on the desire to obtain strength, muscular mass, muscular definition, or a combination of the three (Peters and Phelps, 2001). Interestingly enough, anger management problems and uncharacteristic violence (so called "roid rage ") are largely discounted in the literature (Christiansen, 2001; Hoaken and Stewart, 2003; Pope et al., 2000).

It is clear that steroids pose risks to the users that have been identified by experts. Yet the black market for steroids is estimated to generate somewhere between $400-500 million a year (Rashid, 2000). It seems unlikely that high school students, collegiate athletes, and competitive bodybuilders comprise the entirety of that marketplace. Thus, it is logical to assume that there is a group of steroid users that remains unidentified and unstudied by researchers. We hypothesize that a significant portion of this segment of the steroid using population are recreational weightlifters, or individuals who bodybuild as a hobby. Indeed, in our review of the literature we found only two studies that broached this virtually untapped population; one that examines steroid usage among gym users in Trinidad (Maharaj et al., 2000) and another that essentially examines justifications for steroid use (Monaghan, 2002).

The problem, then, is that there are no studies examining the motivations, knowledge, and attitudes of recreational steroid users. From a social scientific standpoint, we know little to nothing about this potentially large group of steroid users in the United States. Thus, the significance of the present study is apparent. It is much easier to understand why professional or Olympic athletes would take steroids--namely, to gain a competitive edge, for the glory of victory, and for the enormous monetary compensation tied to performance or endorsement deals. However, it is much more difficult to understand why someone who lifts weights as a hobby would risk arrest and felony conviction, along with a host of medically verified detrimental side effects. The need for social scientific analysis of recreational steroid users is crucial to round out our understanding of the entire spectrum of steroid users and thus to foster policies that address the entire problem of illegal steroid use, rather than just one subgroup or another.
METHODS

This project entailed the use of semi-structured interviews and snowball sampling techniques in gyms in California, New Jersey, and Illinois. In order to tap into the steroid subculture, we trained at gyms rumored to have steroid access. These were not fitness clubs but rather more dingy structures that catered to the hardcore weightlifting crowd. There were massive amounts of free weights, very few (if any) women, blaring music, and larger than average men. Our access to our original research subjects was facilitated by the fact that two of the authors are lifelong weightlifters (Petrocelli, M. was a fairly successful collegiate power-lifter and Petrocelli, J. was a nationally recognized powerlifter); we could hold our own in the gym, knew the repartee, and gradually built a good rapport with most other lifters. Over time, as jocular insults and training tips were exchanged, we broached the subject of steroid use with likely research subjects (chosen for their noticeable strength, size, muscularity, and approachability). Despite our familiarity with both the subject matter and with the potential interviewees, developing a rapport with any individual interviewee took a long period of time.

Initial interviews took place in the gym, usually after a training session. By that time, most gym members knew we were academics. When we approached our initial subjects we further identified ourselves as researchers interested in discussing various aspects of steroid use, promising complete confidentiality.

The interviews themselves were semi-structured, asking specific questions about types of steroids used, dosages, ingestion methods, motivations, access, side effects and concerns about legal ramifications. The subjects were given free rein to build upon those questions and themes. More often than not, the user was quite open and seemingly honest about such issues and provided even further insights and clarifications. After completing an interview, we would request that the subject direct us to another user (at either that gym or another), making appropriate introductions and assisting us with assurances of confidentiality. While we did have a snowballing effect, not all interviews produced additional interviewees; thus, our sample developed quite slowly.

Over the course of four years, from 2000-2004, we collected 37 interviews. Most interviews took place in a private area of the gym (out of earshot) or in the parking lot and lasted approximately one hour. Each interview was recorded (audio only) and later transcribed for analysis.

Our sample proved fairly homogeneous for key demographic variables. All the respondents were men. In terms of race, approximately 90% were white, and all were employed in essentially blue collar or public service related professions. Approximately 60% were married with children, 30% were divorced, and the remainder were unmarried. Ages ranged from 19 to 43 years old.

Analytically, we relied on a grounded theory approach. By definition, "grounded theory is an inductive method of theory construction where observations [in this case, interviews] are examined to find underlying and recurring patterns that suggest particular theoretical explanations" (Maxfield & Babbie, 2005, p. 36). Our analysis of these interview data reveal several themes related to steroid use by this particular group of men.
ANALYSIS

MOTIVATIONS FOR USE

In stark contrast to the motivations espoused by adolescents, collegiate athletes, or professional steroid users, we found that frustration seems to be a primary motivator for the recreational steroid user. Essentially, these employed, adult men report having grown up reading muscle magazines their entire lives. They believed what they read and thought that a good diet and hard workouts would get them a "magazine look" (competitive bodybuilder appearance). Naturally, they were bewildered that years of weight training had not yielded that dividend. This quote is typical of their epiphany:

I grew up idolizing Arnold (Schwarzenegger, former bodybuilding champion and Governor of California) and Lou (Ferrigno, another champion bodybuilder who starred in "The Incredible Hulk" television series). I used to train in my basement with my brother and friends all the time. Monster workouts. Dieted like crazy and everything the magazines said, and after five years my build wasn't even close. I couldn't understand it. Finally, I started going to a gym where muscle heads trained and learned what everyone on the inside knew: You gotta use if you want to get huge.( n2)

Nearly every research subject we interviewed mirrored this sentiment. They entered into the bodybuilding subculture thinking they could rely on the information presented in professionally produced and endorsed periodicals. They reported feeling duped and subsequently disgusted that their idols had sold them a bill of goods. When dieting, training, and legal supplements all failed to produce the magazine-like results, respondents realized that they would need illegal supplements to achieve their goals. Now, as individuals who had insider knowledge, they reported feeling obligated and compelled to pass on the secret to aspiring weightlifters. As one subject put it:

If I see a kid training hard, doing all the right things and asking questions about why he isn't making gains, I'm gonna tell him the truth. I spent too many years busting my ass in the gym like that. I don't tell anyone they should use, but I do tell them they can only get so far without using.

Another major motivation which surfaced in our interviews was the desire to "get huge." Although this is another motive that was almost universally asserted by our subjects, the meaning of "getting huge" varied from person to person. Some reported that they wanted to achieve, at least once in their lives, the kind of "comic book" size proportions they always dreamed of. A few reported having grown up small or being bullied and they wanted to build the type of size and strength that would forever alter those early perceptions or experiences. However, these were mostly men who were either naturally big or who had attained above average dimensions through years of weight training. Part of their desire to use steroids seems to stem from some sort of internal or external competitive obsession:

It's addictive….you can never be too big. There's always another guy with more size and you want to outdo him. And you think to yourself, 'If I can get this big doing this cycle, I'll be huge if I do that cycle.' So you up your cycles and train harder.( n3)

Another major motivation we found is the craving to "get ripped." This is a common term among weightlifters and bodybuilders, which has also become part of the popular lexicon. Being ripped means stripping away enough body fat so your muscles are clearly defined and vascular. Most of our research subjects reported the desire to get ripped but realized, like getting huge, they could only achieve their goal through steroid use:

You can only go so far with diet and exercise. Yeah, there's a guy here or there that has great genetics and has a good build. But most of us don't.

Still others reported that being ripped increased and enhanced their confidence and love life, as they claimed having a defined, muscular physique allowed them to meet and have sexual relations with more partners. Quite simply, most believed that they had become either more attractive to their partner or more desirable in a singles setting, or both.

Lastly, many subjects reported an odd blend of psychological and physical power, or "feeling strong." It seems that for these individuals, the development of material strength via steroids had a profound impact on their psyche:

When I'm on (steroids), I feel great. Unless you've been on, you don't know what I'm talking about. It just gives you a feeling that you can handle anything. You just feel so powerful and that makes you feel good about the rest of your life, like you can do anything.

This theme resounded among most of the users we interviewed, who claim a kind of raw, primitive strength and enthusiasm: "When I'm on, I feel like Superman."

USAGE PATTERNS

Most users in our study did two or three "cycles" a year. According to our subjects, cycles are tailored to achieve particular gains. For instance, a "bulking cycle," intended to build as much muscular mass as possible, entails using steroids designed for that purpose, lifting very heavy weights with low repetitions and eating tremendous amounts of food and protein supplements (as many as 6000 plus calories per day), whereas a "cutting cycle" is meant to achieve the ripped look. "Cutting up" involves using different types of steroids than would be used for "bulking up", as well as training with lighter weights and higher repetitions and eating a stringent, low fat, calorie conscious diet. Normally, a bulking cycle is followed by a cutting cycle. As mentioned, a cycle lasted approximately 12 weeks and our subjects were very quick to point out the importance of "cycling." This means doing a steroid cycle and then "cycling off," or refraining from steroid use for at least 12 weeks. The reasons for cycling were varied, but most subjects indicated that they had health concerns if they did not take a break between use cycles (e.g., "It gives your body a rest"). However, most held the belief that the bodybuilders who appeared in magazines never cycled off: "Those guys are always 'on.' They might taper their cycles after a competition, but they're always on."

Another popular reason for cycling on and off was the expense of steroids. All of our subjects made less than $77,000 per year (range: 23-77k), so cost was an issue. Steroid cycles varied in cost, depending on type and amount of steroids. Users reported that the amount of money they had on hand for a given cycle would primarily dictate the ingestion method, as steroid users can take steroids via an oral pill or through injections. There are pros and cons to each technique. Using pills is obviously easier in terms of intake. It is also easier to conceal your use in that it does not require the ritual of injection or any subsequent marks, and oral steroids are generally cheaper than injectables. The downside is that they are widely viewed as not being nearly as effective as "the darts." Most users believe that injectable steroids are superior to orals because they make you stronger, bigger, or more cut. The reported negatives to injecting steroids include having to learn to inject yourself, which can be painful:

Shooting yourself is tough at first. You have to learn the spot on your ass that is best for you, and then you have to learn not to shoot there too often. A lot of guys who start out keep shooting themselves in the same place and you can get like an abscess or something there. It feels like a hard, round golf ball. You can always tell the guys in the gym who have them, because they're always squirming when they sit down. It's pretty funny.( n4)

Interestingly, none of the users in our study mentioned any concerns about sharing needles. When queried about this, all those reporting injectable steroid use claimed that getting clean needles was the easiest part of the process, as they are normally sold in bulk by steroid dealers.

All users reported that if they had the money and resources, they would take both oral and injectable steroids in tandem, commonly known as "stacking." This is perceived to be the absolute best way to achieve maximum gains. But whether doing an oral cycle (at a cost of about $300-500), an injectable cycle (at a cost of about $600-800) or stacking (at a cost of about $1200-1500), the research subjects were unanimous in their approach to ingestion.( n5) Specifically, users employed a "pyramid" technique, in which small amounts are used in the preliminary weeks, increasing amounts in the middle weeks, maximum dosage at the midpoint, and then gradually decreasing portions until the final week where the amount is the same as the start of the cycle.

ACCESS

Most subjects reported that it is fairly easy to get steroids . A typical response: You go to a gym where you know the muscle heads go. You start training and get to know some of the guys over time. After awhile, you can start sniffing around. If everyone is sure you're not a cop or an asshole, then people will start talking to you. Usually, there are at least a few guys who are selling and they'll set you up.

Or, potential users would approach a friend who they know to be on steroids, who would then in turn make the appropriate introductions to his dealer and vouch for the new user. Interestingly, this dynamic mirrors some empirical findings concerning some market distribution systems for other illicit drugs (Adler 1985; Dorn, Murji and South, 1992; Rengert, 2003).

Alternatively, a few subjects reported receiving steroids through internet sites. Some of these sites are easily found through a Google search (example: "purchase steroids"), but most users reported a high degree of suspicion that these could be law enforcement traps set up by the DEA or the like, and eschewed this method. Still, subjects agreed that there are more reliable sites, but this is considered to be highly classified information known only to a few; even after multiple queries, none of the subjects would divulge the internet address(es). In short, most subjects reported that once a person becomes a known entity at a gym that houses users and dealers, steroids are in abundance, along with needles and all the homespun advice one wants about ingestion, stacking, or cycling.

HEALTH CONCERNS

Amazingly, the steroid users in our study were only minimally, if at all concerned about any adverse health risks stemming from their drug use. Their lack of anxiety stemmed from both their experiential reality and a type of adulterated agreement reality. In terms of their own experience, none of our research subjects reported ever having an ill health effect. When asked about such side effects as hair loss, infertility, acne, "roid rage." or liver damage, they universally assailed such empirical findings as unbelievable and intentionally manipulative on the part of the medical community and government. For example:

That's total bullshit I've been taking steroids for eight years and I have three kids and a full head of hair. As long as you know what you're doing, they are only going to help you, not hurt you. The government is just totally ****ed when it comes to drugs, so I don't pay any attention to their hype. And a lot of those side effect rumors come from Alzado.

Lyle Alzado was an NFL All-Pro defensive lineman for several teams during the 1970s and 1980s. After a career of renown for his size, speed, aggression and physique, Alzado was diagnosed with brain cancer in the early 1990s. Before his death in 1992, he went on record stating that he had used steroids constantly since 1969. He asserted that although they certainly helped him become the great player he was, they were also directly responsible for his cancer. Before his death, he urged athletes to stop (Alzado, Smith, 1991). Such as when asked about the life and death of Alzado, our research subjects dismissed his deathbed warnings:

Alzado was a brawler before he ever took steroids. I've never seen anyone snap because of steroids. I mean, look at Arnold (Schwarzenegger). That guy has been taking buckets of steroids since he was thirteen, and he has movie star good looks, kids, and great health.( n6)

Since none of our research subjects reported ever experiencing a significant negative side effect, coupled with the seemingly good health of well-known steroid users from the recent past, their fear was slight. They simply do not believe that steroids will hurt them. While hair loss, development of breasts and other potential side effects of steroids might be readily identified by users, other potential effects may not be obvious. "Rage" may be present but not attributed to steroids. Kidney or liver damage may go unknown to users for long periods of time. This is not to suggest that the users in our study suffered from these ill effects, but rather to point out that the lack of side effects is the subjects' perception.

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ILLEGALITY CONCERNS

Anabolic steroids have been classified as Schedule III drugs in the Controlled Substances Act since 1991. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration: Simple possession of illicitly obtained anabolic steroids carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a minimum $1,000 fine if this is an individual's first drug offense. The maximum penalty for trafficking is five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 if this is the individual's first felony drug offense. For a second felony drug offense, the maximum period of imprisonment and the maximum fine are doubled. While the above listed penalties are for federal offenses, individual states have also implemented fines and penalties for illegal use of anabolic steroids (http://www.dea.gov/concern/steroids.html).

Most users voiced at least some concern about getting caught, although it was clear that their apprehension was not enough to deter them. Users who were married were the most worried about getting caught, but almost all dismissed the possibility and repercussions:

It would suck to get arrested, but it's not like you're going to do time. Talk about a victimless crime. Why is everyone so worried if I take steroids? Why would anyone want to put me in jail for it? It's just stupid.

Others believed that steroid enforcement was such a low law enforcement priority that only either the very stupid or the very brazen need to be concerned. In short, our research subjects exhibited disdain for the laws banning steroids, did not fear law enforcement efforts, and were not particularly worried about receiving a harsh or unmanageable punishment.
DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

There are several key findings in our research and other ideas that merit further thought and discussion. Our study identifies average men of average means who are long time and dedicated steroid users. First, we found that a user's frustration with their lack of results using natural bodybuilding techniques was critical in terms of understanding their motivation for use. The source of this frustration seems to stem from an earlier belief that competitive bodybuilders are truthful when they assert in muscle magazines that certain diet and training techniques are the keys to their success. Our respondents unanimously believe that they are not. Although our results stem from a nonprobability sample, hence negating generalizability, it is noteworthy that our subjects hail from three different states in distinct regions of America (i.e., the West, the Midwest, and the East Coast) and this finding was consistent across that geography.

Moreover, our respondents clearly articulated their disenchantment with the magazines' advertisements for legal supplements. These, our respondents insist, did not produce the effects promised in words and pictures, while anabolic steroids do. Longtime dedication to the diets, the lifting strategies and the legal supplementation promising to produce a huge, ripped physique led our respondents only to disappointment and frustration. That frustration, in turn, was answered by anabolic steroids. We think one area for further research would be to examine the content of muscle magazines and scrutinize the text, the promises, and the images that are available. Indeed, we believe that such a study could shed light on an industry that is not known for its truth in advertising.

It was only with the use of anabolic supplements, our respondents suggest, that they were finally able to achieve their goals. They got huge. They got ripped. They got the added bonus of a sense of power that was part physical and part psychological, yet they did not report feeling the more well-known side effects of illegal steroids. No one reported uncontrollable anger, for example. Moreover, our respondents' accounts of their drug use did not include a concern over the health risks that may be associated with anabolic steroids. They did not demonstrate any anxiety over the possible side-effects, and they were only minimally worried about any legal ramifications, particularly if they were unmarried. Indeed, another direction for future research in this arena of study is an examination of our national steroid policy and possibilities for either more aggressive enforcement or reform.

Financial concerns posed a larger issue, though these were overcome by use patterns in which users cycled on and off of a variety of substances to obtain maximum benefits at a minimal cost. "Off" time, or a resting period between cycles, helped to ease the financial burden without compromising results. Friends were a major source of steroids for new users, although the internet was mentioned as a possibility as well. Already, some nonprofessional users have found a route to obtaining steroids legally through choosing medical doctors that specialize in "anti-aging" therapies. Essentially, these doctors measure testosterone levels in middle aged men, and then provide anabolic supplementation and HGH to bring these levels up to those commonly found in much younger men. As one research subject put it, "It's the newest scam. If you have the cash to pay the doctors, then you can be 'on' legally."

Our research suggests that like most street drugs in the US, steroids are easy to get and used by an array of individuals across the socioeconomic spectrum. It is hard to deny that they have become part of the American fabric. Competitive bodybuilding is obviously stacked with hardcore users who operate in the open. Professional sports teams are only now reluctantly acknowledging the rampant use that most fans and experts have suspected or known about for decades. Even the entertainment industry is under suspicion. While it is impossible to empirically verify Hollywood actors' use of steroids, strong suspicions, bordering on certainty, abound among recreational users:

Ever see Will Smith? Tall, skinny guy most of the time. But then he decides to play Ali (Former Heavyweight boxing champ Muhammad Ali) and he slaps on 40 pounds of muscles almost immediately. C'mon. Look at the difference in Stallone's body (Sylvester Stallone) from the first "Rocky" until now. He's got a better build today than he did 30 years ago.( n7)

Yet given all the national attention about steroid use , the subjects in our study were universally unfazed by the clamor; they are just getting huge and getting ripped.

Footnotes

( n1) This information is largely taken from Fainaru-Wada and Williams (2006).

( n2) From our experience in the gym, this is certainly true. As we trained with the steroid users in our sample, we noted amazing gains in their size, strength and muscular definition. Even among those users who asserted they were not deriving optimum results (e.g.; "The shit's not working great this time around"), we noted incredible development.

( n3) A "cycle" is traditionally a 12 week period in which you take various steroids, eat a strict diet, and train as hard as you can.

( n4) Anabolic steroids such as the ones being discussed are injected intramuscularly, not intravenously.

( n5) For most of the subjects who engaged in stacking, three or four separate steroids were normally used, thus accounting for the cost differential (Standora, 2005).

( n6) Arnold Schwarzenegger did affirm that he used steroids during the course of his bodybuilding career, before they were deemed illegal (Weise, 2008).

( n7) Stallone is 60 years old and in May, 2007 plead guilty to the illegal importation of Human Growth Hormone into Australia after a search by Australian law enforcement officials. Stallone, who was visiting the country to promote his new film 'Rocky Balboa' called the event a "minor misunderstanding" and will pay approximately $10,000 in fines.