The Use of Steroids to Lose Fat and Build Muscle

The drugs strike back

One of the great symbols of the failure of drugs policy in developed countries is the continued usage of steroids. Despite the persistent outcry of the medical community, steroids are as popular as ever. I would go as far as saying that all the drugs policy has achieved is make them naughty and glamorous. I have lost count of the number of times someone at the gym has told me that the only way to lose fat and build muscle is to go on the steroids.

I then look at the person who is giving me advice and I decide to politely decline this invitation. If there is a devil, this is it. On outward appearances the person looks healthy and has a body that Tarzan would be proud of. You then start taking a closer look and the faults peer out like some fetid rats. You notice the horrendous breath, the terrible skin and then they break wind. All hell literally breaks loose.

It is obvious for even the most infatuated that steroids are not good for you. However they remain quite popular because they have been shown to make people bulk up and appear to be in great shape. What I have learnt over the years is that people tend to prefer illusions to reality because they help them escape impossible situations. If you can look as if you are healthy then everything is fine.

Taking steroids is no laughing matter. The heart attacks that it causes are nearly always fatal in the end. The long term damage to the body and interpersonal relationships is incalculable. The government advises are not always correct in their predictions and discussions but they are dead spot on in this case. You ignore them at your personal peril.

Any serious adviser would never recommend that anyone uses steroids to lose fat and gain muscle. The only proper method for achieving these objectives is to eat a balanced diet and to exercise regularly. As for the steroids, they seem to have an almost addictive grip on their victims who will continue to use them in the face of great opposition including criminal sanctions. Even the rapidly declining health is unlikely to persuade them to stop using the stuff. This leads me to the conclusion that the issues are more psychological than physical. Unfortunately for those victims the loss of fat and gain of muscle is a physiological task in most instances.