The easier thing to write for this article would be a simple ‘no, you should not use steroids’. Steroids are dangerous and illegal and they are undoubtedly bad for your health so why would you use them?
But then that wouldn’t be particularly useful. Because for some people, the decision is not so clear cut. And in fact, if you dig a little deeper, it’s not even clear whether all of the above is actually true.
If you’re currently on the fence about steroids and you’re unsure as to whether or not you should use them, here are some things you might want to consider.
The Confounding Factors
So with steroids being illegal, why do some people still choose to use them?
One of the most obvious answers here is: to compete. After all, it’s pretty much common knowledge that you need to be using a wide range of colorful gear if you want to compete in IFBB and if you want to look like Ronnie Coleman or even Arnie in his prime then ‘roids are probably the only way that you’re going to get there.
Of course if you make this decision though, you are putting your health at risk. We know that steroids are bad for the heart, they can completely ruin your natural testosterone production and they wreak havoc on your liver.
But then again… so does alcohol. Alcohol does all these things and is also damaging to your brain, dangerous while you use it and highly addictive. And yet it’s perfectly legal and people still choose to use it regularly.
When you compare steroids to alcohol, they suddenly seem a little less ‘evil’, particularly as they actually provide some kind of positive effects (unlike alcohol). For some people then, this is a Faustian bargain and they make the conscious decision to risk their health in order to achieve glory in the shorter term.
And there’s still a very good chance that no harm will come of it – especially if you’re careful, if you take it slowly at first and if you use PCT (post cycle therapy) to fix your hormone levels.
But Then Again…
But that’s not the full story either.
Because while many of the risks of steroid use might be comparable to alcohol consumption, there are also a number of unique risks that can have stranger consequences. For instance, steroids can cause gynecomastia which means you develop breasts. Likewise, they can lead to hair loss, infertility and as mentioned – low natural testosterone. These are devastating conditions for most men and they’re not that uncommon. You might be wiling to put your health at risk but are you willing to gamble with your vrility?
Likewise, it’s crucial to remember that steroids are illegal and like it or not, this causes a number or additional factors. If you buy steroids you’ll need to get them from an illegal source which means there will be no regulation and no guarantee that you won’t put yourself in even more danger. Even just associating with the kinds of people who would sell illegal drugs can be dangerous in itself.
This also means you’ll likely be hiding the paraphernalia from your loved ones – not to mention the scars and all in all it means drastic changes to your lifestyle that may not be comfortable.
Alternatives
And remember that there are alternatives. The products that Crazy Bulk sell for example are designed specifically to mimic the effects of steroids by using natural ingredients that alter the body’s own natural production of testosterone. These are laboratory tested ingredients combined for amazing synergistic effect and they’re completely safe. Check out the bulking steroids and cutting steroids from Crazy Bulk that have been getting rave reviews.
Ultimately, the decision is of course yours. But hopefully you can see that it isn’t as clear cut as many people think.
