| What happens when high school kids tend | | | | no plans to stop using steroids. It has |
| to go the Arnold way... | | | | also been reported that many adolescent |
| The anabolic-androgenic steroids have | | | | users are either unaware or unconvinced |
| been used since the early 1950s for | | | | of negative effects of steroids, |
| medicinal purposes and to enhance | | | | physical and psychological effects. |
| athletic performance. The incidence of | | | | The growing evidence of habituation |
| non-medicinal use has been found to be | | | | among adolescent steroid users, and the |
| increased considerably in recent years. | | | | powerfully reinforcing properties of the |
| This is followed by a strikingly | | | | drugs, presents a very disturbing trend |
| increased frequency of their use among | | | | in our young society. Such alarming |
| adolescents & high school student | | | | teenage steroid use forces us to stop |
| groups in particular. | | | | and think about our own kids. Why do so |
| A 2001 CDC survey indicated that 5% of | | | | many young people continue to use them? |
| all high school students reported | | | | There can be many answers: |
| lifetime use of steroid without a | | | | - One answer is social pressures. |
| doctor's prescription. The survey also | | | | Many young men, for various reasons, |
| indicated that 5.8% of ninth graders, | | | | start feeling that they need to look |
| 4.9% of tenth graders, 4.3% of eleventh | | | | "masculine," that is, strong and |
| graders, and 4.3% of twelfth graders | | | | muscular and they fall easily for these |
| reported lifetime illegal use of | | | | so called "body-toners". |
| steroids. It has been estimated that at | | | | - There is more pressure to win and |
| least 700,000 high school students use | | | | perform in sports today than ever before |
| anabolic steroids and that at least two | | | | in history. Some student athletes feel |
| third of them begin use by 16 years of | | | | so pressured to succeed in their |
| age. | | | | respective sports that they resort to |
| Many users also engage in a practice | | | | steroids for help. |
| known as "stacking"; that is, using | | | | - Easy accessibility is also a major |
| several steroids at once. There have | | | | reason for the use of steroids and other |
| been reports of addictive behavior and | | | | performance-enhancing drugs among youth |
| habituation among both adult and | | | | today. Just a click over Google will |
| adolescent steroid users, as well as | | | | display thousands of vendors selling |
| reports of affective and psychotic | | | | "booster" doses and thus procuring such |
| symptoms, often characterized by | | | | steroids is never a major hassle! |
| impulsive, aggressive and violent | | | | Need for Steroid Testing: |
| behavior. | | | | In such a situation, the need for |
| Adolescent steroid users appear to be at | | | | steroid testing at various levels arise |
| special risk for many of the adverse | | | | manifolds for many reasons. You wouldn't |
| psychological and physical consequences | | | | want yourself or your kids to fall prey |
| of steroid use and most of them strongly | | | | to enormous side effects of such |
| believe that steroids produce the | | | | potentially devastating drugs. |
| physical effects they desire, and have | | | | |