STEROIDS

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STEROIDS

• FACTS AND CONSEQUENCES
• BY
• DAVID ROMAN
• Substance Abuse Counselor
• Cherry Point MCAS

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WHAT ARE ANABOLIC STEROIDS

• Anabolic steroids are the synthetic derivatives
  of the naturally occurring male anabolic
  testosterone.
• Anabolic meaning to build and androgenic meaning
  masculinizing. They are taken primarily to
  increase muscle mass.

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Fact

• Steroid use is in violation of Marine Corps Order
  1700.24B. Article 112A any substance that is set
  to increase muscle mass without a prescription
  from a license physician in the United States is
  illegal.
• Many of our Marines and Sailors come back from
  IRAQ with an average weight loss of 15-23 pounds.
  This weight loss effects our bodybuilders,
  weightlifters and power lifters seriously. For
  some of these athletes they do not want to wait
  for their body to catch up to them.
• They want instant gratification and they want it
  NOW. So they result to steroid use.
• Regardless of the consequences.

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Some possible Consequences

• Men who take steroids may experience
• 1. Reduce Sperm Count
• 2. Impotence
• 3. Development of Breast
• 4. Shrinking of the Testicles
• 5. Difficulty or Pain when Urinating
• 6. Kidney damage
• 7. Liver Damage
• 8. Premature Heart Attacks
• 9. Rapid Weight Gain
• 10. Legal problems, Loss of pay, reduction in
  rank, brig time and other than honorable discharge

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Some possible Consequences

• Woman who take steroids may experience
• 1. Facial Hair Growth
• 2. Deepened Voice
• 3. Breast Reduction
• 4. Menstrual cycle changes
• 5. Rapid weight Gain
• 6. Premature Heart Attacks
• 7. Elevated Cholesterol Levels
• 8. Legal problems, Loss of Pay, Reduction in
  Rank, Brig Time and other than Honorable
  Discharge

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HOW ARE STEROIDS TAKEN

• Steroids can be taken orally or they can be
  injected.
• Side effects have associated with the oral form
  were discovered to be more dangerous to the
  liver.
• But the injectable steroids are not free from
  side effects.

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WHO TAKES STEROIDS

• It use to be just the athlete or only men.
• In 2004 research found an alarming increase in
  high school students 5-12 males and 1 female
  adolescents use steroids before their senior year
  in high school. In 2005 2.6 of high school
  seniors have admitted to using steroids at least
  once ( male and female).
• All linked by the desire to hopefully look,
  perform and feel better about oneself, regardless
  of the dangers.
• Some adolescents abuse steroids as part of their
  high risk behaviors such as drinking and driving,
  carrying a gun, not wearing a helmet on a
  motorcycle and abusing other illicit drugs.
• In a series of interviews we have found that 25
  of male weightlifters reported memories of
  childhood physical or sexual abuse compared to
  those men who did not take steroids. Some women
  lifters taking steroids reported being raped or
  sexually assaulted so they would increase their
  size by being bigger and stronger to discourage
  further attacks because now they look
  intimidating and less attractive.

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WHAT ARE THE HEALTH HAZARDS OF STEROIDS

• Some are Physical, others are psychological.
  With unsupervised steroid use, megadosing or
  stacking (using a combination of different
  steroids), the effects can be irreversible or
  undetected until it is too late.
• Also if steroids are injected, transmitting or
  contracting HIV and Hepatitis B through shared
  needle use is a real concern.

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WHAT ARE THE HEALTH HAZARDS OF STEROIDS

• Unlike almost all other drugs all steroid based
  hormones have one unique characteristic-their
  dangers may not manifest for months, years and
  even decades.
• Therefore long after you give them up you may
  develop side effects.

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WHAT ARE THE BEHAVIORAL SIDE EFFECTS

• Anabolic Steroids can cause severe mood swings.
  
• The steroid user will experience bouts of
  depression or extreme irritability to feelings of
  invincibility and outright aggression, commonly
  known as ROID RAGE.
• This is a dangerous state beyond mere
  assertiveness.

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BEHAVIORAL SIDE EFFECTS FOR ADOLESCENTS

• Adolescents who use steroids can halt their
  growth prematurely.
• What happens is that steroids closes the growth
  center in adolescents bones once these growth
  plates are closed, they cannot re-open so
  adolescents that take steroids for a long period
  of time may end up shorter than they should have
  been.
• Over twenty-four states have a prevention and
  education program on Steroids.

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ARE STEROIDS ADDICTIVE

• Recent evidence suggest that long-time steroid
  users and steroid abusers will experience the
  classic characteristics of addiction.
• It will be psychological and physical depending
  on the length of use
• They will have cravings similar to those of
  Methamphetamine withdrawal and detoxification,
  difficulty in stopping steroid use and withdrawal
  symptoms.

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Withdrawal Phase

• They experience withdrawal stomach pains when
  they stop taking the drug so they start up again
  and the pain goes away. Some users begin using
  opiates as a result of their depression from
  steroid use and use opiates intravenously.
  Steroids has now become their gateway drug.
• They have difficulty stopping even though they
  know that it is bad for them.

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TESTING

• Navy drug labs do not test for Steroids, these
  urine samples have to be sent to a different lab
  at a cost of 245.00 a sample.
• Steroid users have found ways of beating the test
  by buying STEROID CLEANSE KITS.
• These kits come in a three part system
  consisting of Pre-cleanse pills, a regiment of
  fluids and the suppliers anti-toxin solution.
• They have proven to be 100 safe and effective.
  These kits remove ALL traces of steroids from the
  urine in three days and have proven to beat the
  EMIT and GC/MS confirmation drug tests performed
  by drug testing labs.
• If a Marine was going to be tested for Steroids
  he must be tested right there on the spot, DO NOT
  GIVE THE MARINE TIME BEFORE THEY TEST.

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STEROIDS TODAY

• Last year we reported over two dozen types of
  steroids that our Marines may have access to.
  Today it is three dozen Here in California the
  Marines can go to Mexico and purchase them, some
  of the pharmacies give them different brand names
  to camouflage the contents and keep up with
  supply and demand and to avoid detection of sale.