The explosion of increase in steroid use over the past few decades is a result of the roles they perform in the body. They imitate the predominately male hormone testosterone by producing both the androgenic and the anabolic affects that are associated with the hormone. The androgenic effects include masculine characteristics such as deepening of the voice, growth of facial hair, and the maturation of sex glands. The more desirable anabolic effects include the growth of body tissue and assi

The second problem deals with the pressures outside of the athletic arena. Our media has set extremely high standards when it comes to physical appearance. While the pressure to use steroids because of media is not very high for women, it is for men, and increasingly so. Men are portrayed in our popular media with wide shoulders, defined abs and bulging chests and arms. We are constantly reminded of the importance of body image in our society. As a result of this, more and more steroid users are turning out to be non-athletes looking to improve their physique.

All of these problems occur on the individual level making it quite disturbing that so many people still choose to use them. Is it the pressure to impress peers or the desire to be physically successful? Maybe it is the American dream of many little children to become professional athletes, or maybe it is because our media portrays men as strong and muscular, making anything less a failure. Perhaps they just want to get girls or to be able to look good at the beach. I did some research of my own to find out.

How much of an effect do the images around us influence steroid use? In 1992, U.S. News did an investigation to find out. They reported that fifty-seven percent of the teens who admitted to using steroids said that seeing the huge bodies in muscle magazines played a large role in their decision to use. Forty-two percent of admitted users claimed that seeing famous athletes who looked like they had used steroids was their reason for starting use. 6

Our desire to be the best and our willingness to win at all costs gives us a history of poor judgment and tragic results. The first real notice of drug problems in sports occurred in 1886. A cyclist from England overdosed and died on trimethyl, causing the sporting world to question some of the steps being taken by these athletes. At the time several coaches reportedly gave their cyclists a mixture of heroine and cocaine which supposedly could enhance endurance levels. Even as late as 1959, amphetamines were being called performance enhancers by the American Medical Association. We now know that all of these products are quit harmful and they are, in our culture and in our sporting world, considered unethical. 5 How, then, even with all of the research showing the harmful effects of steroids, can they still be viewed neutrally by much of our society?

1 Corinthians 6:15-20 Modern KJV

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