Anabolic Steroids Used By More People

On 15th June Times Online published an article about body shaping, a dangerous new trend where people use anabolic steroids to get their body pumped up faster. The exact number of not known but the use has moved from professional athletes to ordinary people.

“Our best indication comes from syringe exchange schemes. We know that more people are engaging with them and that the profile is changing to people who are not competitive sportsmen. They’re doing it because of peer pressure, the media, and for some there’s an economic drive.

Some of the people interviewed for this story have a good job, don’t do any other drugs, and drink seldom. Still they do not care about the risks of anabolic steroids that give them a shortcut to have a muscular body. Since anabolic steroids are illegal the consumer can never be sure what it is in the bottle.

In London there is a service for people using anabolic androgenic steroids and other image and performance enhancing drugs. It provides information about safer injecting and needle exchange as well as information about the side effects of injecting drug use. The service - Smart Muscle - is fully free and confidential.

The problem with anabolic steroids is quite interesting since it is an illegal drug but the users do not belong to the same social group as most drug users. Most of them have jobs and do not commit other crimes. According to Dawson the current legislation regarding anabolic steroids is right, since it makes it clear that these substances should not be given to other people.