Taking advantage of a November Tuesday evening free for coursework deadlines, you head down to Ethos to the gym. You’re in decent shape, feeling good about yourself, and you’re satisfyingly still just about able to hit the same maxes that you could in the summer when you were working out every day. But then you look over at the guy working out next to you. He’s ripped as hell; his biceps are bigger than your head, his abs could be used to grate cheese, and he’s got the deepest V you’ve ever seen. You instantly feel inferior, your arms now feeling weedy and weak, and you vow to work out every day until you’re hench, the way you ought to look. After all, who’s gonna look at you twice like this?

So you start hitting up the gym on the reg, knocking back the protein shakes, and doing more and more reps in the hope of those sweet, sweet gains. You start to bulk up, muscles building and tightening, and people are impressed, checking you out wherever you go. But the gains are disappointing: you keep looking over at this other guy at the gym and he’s still way bigger than you. You ask yourself how you could get this built; you’re never going to be good enough for anyone until you’re a big as him. And then you think to yourself: steroids may be the answer.

What exactly do steroids do, though? And what’s the harm?

Anabolic steroids are effectively synthetic testosterone that stimulate the growth in muscle and bone tissues, which are taken by many people to improve their athletic performance and to stimulate faster muscle growth. Steroids are often seen as as bit of a miracle drug, and we would be kidding ourselves if we pretended that they’re not being taken widely both in professional sport and amateur peacocking.

There are dozens of common types, that are usually injectable or taken orally, although patches and implants aren’t unusual. These steroids are usually prescription-only drugs, bought online, and used illegally, often in periodic cycles. They all have two things in common: they do boost muscle growth and repair, and they have some pretty nasty side effects.

As these drugs affect a sex hormone, they affect men and women in very different ways. Both men and women are prone to paranoia, mental health problems, and bursts of anger (roid rage is real), with women being significantly more prone to these effects around menstruation. And steroid addiction is no joke. After long term steroid use, natural testosterone production ceases, making you effectively dependent on a supplementary source. One consequence of this is atrophy of your no longer required gonads – shrunken testicles really is a thing. As if that weren’t bad enough,in men they also increase growth of breast tissue, stop sperm production, kill libido, and cause erectile dysfunction. These are not things to play with if you prioritise your sex life, let me tell you. In women, they do kind of the opposite. Clitoral enlargement, excess hair growth, and lack of menstruation are all common consequences, and well as an enhanced sex drive.

Both men and women will experience some level of acne, balding, and steroids are known to cause liver and kidney disease, heart disease and enlargement, blood pressure problems, and a reduced immune system. If you’re using them to build muscle, you’ll get less athletically fit, and your eyesight may suffer.

And they’re pricey as fuck too – that’s your entire social budget blown. But that’s okay, because when you’re this into sculpting the perfect physique, you don’t have time to be going out partying anyway. And it’s all worth it for that glorious bod, right?

…

Although women do take steroids, the stereotype of the typical user is usually a man, because using steroids to enhance a muscular physique is a very male dominated thing. The physical image of masculinity is generally very desirable in men, while women are socially pressured to avoid masculine traits in favour of the desirable femininity. The images of stacked men that we’re bombarded with as the ideal are not realistic, with steroids no doubt playing a significant role in producing this aesthetic.

Men are under a huge amount of pressure to conform to this masculine ideal. So many men that they feel that they need to bulk up to be seen as attractive, manly, or to be taken seriously, and steroids provide a route out of this insecurity with a shortcut to self-esteem. Steroids certainly work if your goal is to get big, but are they really worth it?

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