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