Steroid Abuse

Steroid Addiction Treatment for Steroid Abuse

If you use steroids and have a steroid addiction there are steroid abuse treatment centers ready to help you NOW. Your steroid addiction is slowly destroying your body and mind. You need help for your addiction to steroids, which are taking over your life, hurting those closest to you and stealing your dreams. You have tried to stop using steroids, but can't stop. You have always returned, worse than before. We know, we've been there and couldn't do it by ourselves either. Call Recovery Connection® NOW for help. Call 1-800-99-DETOX.

Prescription Steroids

Steroid abuse starts innocently enough. Steroids are prescribed for a number of conditions and are controllable when prescribed by a physician.

Anabolic-androgenic steroids are man-made substances related to male sex hormones. "Anabolic" refers to muscle-building, and "androgenic" refers to increased masculine characteristics. "Steroids" refers to the class of drugs. These drugs are available legally only by prescription, to treat conditions that occur when the body produces abnormally low amounts of testosterone. Steroid abuse occurs when steroids are taken without medical prescription.. Steroids are prescribed for conditions including delayed puberty and some types of impotence. They are also prescribed to treat body wasting in patients with AIDS and other diseases that result in loss of lean muscle mass. Steroid abuse and steroid addiction however, can lead to serious health problems, some irreversible.

Steroid Abuse and Addiction Can Become an Athlete’s Nightmare

Today, athletes and others abuse anabolic steroids to enhance performance and improve physical appearance. Anabolic steroids are taken orally or injected, typically in cycles of weeks or months (referred to as "cycling"), rather than continuously. Cycling involves taking multiple doses of steroids over a specific period of time, stopping for a period, and starting again. In addition, steroid users often combine several different types of steroids to maximize their effectiveness while minimizing negative effects (referred to as "stacking").Prolonged use of steroids can lead to steroid abuse and steroid addiction.

Steroid Abuse Health Hazards

The major side effects of anabolic steroid abuse can include:

Liver tumors
Cancer
Jaundice (yellowish pigmentation of skin, tissues, and body fluids)
Fluid retention
High blood pressure
Increases in LDL (bad cholesterol)
Decreases in HDL (good cholesterol)
Kidney tumors
Severe acne
Trembling

Steroid Abuse: Gender-Specific Side Effects

For men - shrinking of the testicles, reduced sperm count, infertility, baldness, development of breasts, increased risk for prostate cancer.
For women - growth of facial hair, male-pattern baldness, changes in or cessation of the menstrual cycle, enlargement of the clitoris, deepened voice.
For adolescents - growth halted prematurely through premature skeletal maturation and accelerated puberty changes. This means that adolescents risk remaining short for the remainder of their lives if they take anabolic steroids before the typical adolescent growth spurt.

In addition, people who inject anabolic steroids run the added risk of contracting or transmitting HIV/AIDS or hepatitis, which causes serious damage to the liver.

The Effects of Steroid Addiction on the Psyche

Scientific research shows that aggression and other psychiatric side effects may result from anabolic steroid addiction and steroid abuse. Many users experience the following:

Feeling good about themselves while on anabolic steroids
Extreme mood swings including manic-like symptoms leading to violence
Depression when steroids are stopped that may contribute to dependence on anabolic steroids
Paranoid jealousy
Extreme irritability
Delusions
Impaired judgment stemming from feelings of invincibility

Research also indicates that some steroid users turn to other drugs to alleviate the negative effects of anabolic steroid addiction. For example, in 1999, a study of 227 men admitted to a private treatment center for dependence on heroin or other opioids, found that 9.3% had abused anabolic steroids before trying any other illicit drug. Of these 9.3%, 86% first used opioids to counteract insomnia and irritability resulting from the anabolic steroid abuse and addiction.

If you believe you or someone you know needs help with steroid abuse, or for immediate assistance finding drug rehab centers that specialize in steroid abuse and steroid addiction treatments, please call Recovery Connection® now at 1-800-99-DETOX. Help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Don't wait - GET HELP NOW!

Back to Drug Information

Steroid Abuse and Steroid Addiction Treatment Centers:

If your state doesn't appear on this list, please call Recovery Connection® at 1-800-99-DETOX and we will be happy to assist you.