Essay, Research Paper: Steriods 2

Are steroids a drug? Yes, they are considered drugs and some types are illegal. These types of steroids are very controversial because they help body builders to bulk up fast and they make the body builder gain weight and loose fat in a short period of time. But on the other hand steroids also destroy the body. It causes different anatomy parts to either shrink or swell depending on whether the user in male or female.
The main type of steroid abused is anabolic steroids, and they are the governments main concern. Anabolic steroids are mainly used by weight lifters, body builders, long distance runners, cyclists and others who think that steroids will improve their appearance.
Although you only hear of the professional athletes using steroids, in recent reports it is shown that 5 percent to 12 percent of male high school students and 1 percent of female students have used anabolic steroids by the time they were seniors. Realizing the affects of the steroids, congress in 1991 placed anabolic steroids into Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act(CSA).
The CSA defines anabolic steroids as any drug or hormonal substance chemically pharmacologically related to testosterone (other than estrogens, progestins, and corticosteriods), that promotes muscle growth. Most illegal steroids are sold at gyms, competitions and through mail operations. For the most part, these substances are smuggled into the country. Those commonly encountered on the illegal market or "Black Market" include: Boldenone(Equipoise), Ethesternol(Maxibolin), Fluxoymesterone(Halotestin), Methandriol, Mehtandrostenolone(Dianabol), Methltestosterone, Nandrolone(Durabolin, Deca-Durabolin), Oxymetholone(Anadrol), Stanozolol(Winstrol), Testosterone, and Trenbolone(Finajet). Along with that there are lots of more counterfeit products sold as Anabolic Steroids.
A small number of Anabolic Steroids have been approved for medical and veterinary use. The main use for humans is for the replacement of inadequate levels of testosterone resulting from a reduction or absence of functioning tests. In veterinary practice, anabolic steroids are used to promote feed efficiency and to improve weight gain, and appearance in their hair coat. They are also used in veterinary practice to treat anemia and counteract tissue breakdown during illness and trauma. In some dairies steroids are used to boost hormones that produce more milk.
When used in combination with exercise training and high protein diet, anabolic steroids can promote increased size and strength of muscles, improve endurance and decrease recovery time between workouts. Steroids can be taken orally or by injection with a needle. Users concerned about drug tolerance often take steroids on a schedule called a cycle. A cycle is a period of between 6 and 14 weeks of steroid use, followed by a period of abstinence or reduction in use. After a user becomes dependent on the steroids they may tend to "stack" the drugs, which means using multiple drugs concurrently. Although the effects of doing this are not good for the body, most users feel that cycling and stacking enhance the efficiency of the drugs and limit their side effects.
Another form of taking steroids is called "pyramiding" in which users slowly escalate steroid use (increasing the number of drugs used at one time and/or the dose and frequency of one or more steroids), reaching a peak can vary with different types of training. Body builders and weight lifters tend to escalate their dose to a much higher level than do long distance runners or swimmers.
On the down side of taking steroids that many users don't take into consideration are that there is increasing evidence of serious health problems associated with the abuse of these agents, including cardiovascular damage, liver damage, and damage to reproductive organs.
I have learned that steroids are very bad to use, not only because they are illegal but also for the fact that they ruin your body, inside and out. Plus your cheating yourself by using them and the people that really work for something without using steroids.