The Dangers of Anabolic Androgenic Steroids

Abstract

Writer’s Statement
I discovered my passion for the gym during my senior year of high school. Resistance
training has brought me to the best physical health in my life and strengthened my mental
resolve. I was severely underweight for the majority of my life, but due to my efforts in the gym, I’ve gained significant lean muscle mass and I am now at a healthy body weight. My perception of self has also improved, my confidence has increased, and I am more capable of
accomplishing difficult tasks, in and out of the gym. Gym culture has a massive presence online. As a new lifter, I saw hundreds of Instagram Reels and Youtube videos, inundating me with vast quantities of information. This included different training styles, nutrition plans, as well as videos of users posting their physiques.

Many of these physiques were utterly astonishing, being those of professional bodybuilders. These individuals possess incredibly muscular, unbelievably lean physiques. However, those
physiques are rarely achieved without the use of steroids. Steroids, specifically androgenic
anabolic steroids, amplify skeletal muscle growth and allow people to obtain “more ideal”
physiques with less effort. These drugs are effective, but pose significant health risks.
As I consumed more gym related internet content, I noticed a concerning trend. Whether it
was for bodybuilding or for “looksmaxxing” benefits, I witnessed many people my age openly
admitting to the use of steroids on their social media platforms. This seriously concerned me,
and motivated me to write this paper.

My objective with this paper is to spread scientifically backed information regarding these
harmful substances to my readers. I want to show that despite the undeniable effectiveness of steroids, they carry an even greater health risk. Hopefully, the information I present can deter potential users, and prevent them from subjecting themselves to bodily harm.