More Ordinary People In The UK Using Steroids For Image Enhancement
More Ordinary People In The UK Using Steroids For Image Enhancement
Most people know steroids as athletic performance enhancement drugs or something that bodybuilders and doormen use .However, a new trend is surfacing throughout the UK, a growing number of ordinary citizens are now using steroids to achieve slim and appealing figures. Due to recent research confirming a heightened rate of obesity in the UK, average people are using the drug to avoid gaining weight.
Many young men especially are using steroids to build muscle and meet image standards created by the media, as well as pop culture. Studies show that normal citizens using the drug for purposes of vanity are as young as 16-years-old. Most users purchase steroids legally online without prescription, or from illegal drug dealers who have the substances imported from countries such as Thailand.
Steroids are now categorized as class C drugs. One specific type of anabolic steroid is clenbuterol. Clenbuterol, and other anabolic steroids similar to it (HGH for example), increase the normal amount of testosterone found in the body, which provides muscles with the capability to absorb more protein and grow. Users of anabolic steroids inject the drug directly into their body using a needle, or orally consume pills. The drug is legal to have in possession; however, it is illegal to sell. Normal side effects include mood swings, increased aggression, balding, depression, abnormal breast growth, liver damage, HIV or hepatitis (due to dirty needles), heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems, as well as infertility.
In 2007 it was confirmed that the use of steroids in the UK was officially on par with heroin. Researchers estimated that atleast 250,000 people were using steroids in the UK, and the estimate has only been increasing since.
Younger people using the drug to increase their physique aren’t willing to quit anytime soon for several reasons. First, users are perceiving that steroid use is a healthy lifestyle. They believe it’s normal, and even medically recommended, due to the quick and effective results they experience. Second, these young users are not turned off by side effects because they haven’t used steroids long enough to experience them yet, or because the appealing effects of the drug outweigh the bad ones.
The most frightening reason that users aren’t quitting is that steroid addiction has been officially related to eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. Users of the steroids keep using because even if they have met their original image goals, they still see themselves as the same or even worse than before they started using. They continue to make more intense body goals, which can lead to serious health issues .
Despite the staggering increase of steroid users in the UK, much less is known about steroids when compared to any other controlled substance. Even though the drug is banned under the same constrictions as other drugs such as cocaine or heroin, users don’t view themselves as addicts because of steroids association with health and nutrition. And because the selling and purchasing of steroids is not related to serious criminality, little action is being taken to cut off imports of the drug from other countries.
Stephen Dik is author for Steroids Direct UK Blog