Why would teens do steroids?
The reasons given by teens who use steroids include: • Wanting to be in the team, making “first team”, or wanting to win an event. • Being inspired by their sporting heroes, who admit to using steroids. • Wanting to have an impressive masculine physique, in order to appeal to girls (or anyone else they’re trying to impress). • Adopting the “it won’t happen to me” approach if they hear about the risks, because they’ve heard about “amazing results” linked to steroids. • Pressure from sports coaches and parents who want young athletes to excel, and who downplay the risks of steroids. • Exalting those who are prepared to risk everything to win. These messages are absorbed by the aspirant teens and affect their decision-making. • Peer pressure from teammates, which is hard to resist, especially if a key match or event is involved, and if most of the team members are using steroids. Some of the risks Some of the reported risks linked to steroid use include acne; hair loss and balding (girls
