Banned steroids in use

January 20, 2007
 

Drug abuse has become the buzzword in Kerala as more and more young men are resorting to injectable steroids and are openly using it, which are banned in the country. Drug abuse is not only going unnoticed, but it is growing by leaps and bounds. Despite the surge in the use of such steroids, there hasn't been a single raid in any of the gyms and neither has there been any single arrest for the drug's sale.

Young men in Thiruvananthapuram, aspiring to be body-builders and athletes, are increasingly buying muscle power and better bodies over the counter. It's the quick-fix generation, the mantra of Gen-next. Why sweat it out when you can just pop a pill?

One of the bodybuilder, Rajesh, a participant in Mr Kerala and a Mr Trivandrum Runner-up spoke to TIMES NOW and said:"Indian steroids are not good for body builders. There are lot of side effects, however, if you consume foreign steroids, I think it is less harmful."

The moot question is what fuels the consumption of steorids. According to a fitness expert, Venugopal said:"What you achieve in 5 years in a normal way, you can achieve the same results in 2 years by consuming steroids. Thus, basically, no one wants to waste time. Moreover, the scarcity of qualified people, who can talk about the side effects caused by steroids is also one of the reason for the sudden surge in consumption of such drugs. In addition, Kerala is a hundred per cent literate state, so everybody can read or write and it's very easy to get information from the net."

We give you a peek as to what actually are Anabolic Steroids?

- These are scientifically referred to as Anabolic-androgenic Steroids

- These are synthetic derivatives of the naturally-occurring male anabolic hormone Testosterone

- Greek in origin, Anabolic means "to build" and Androgenic means "masculinizing"

- These drugs can be taken orally or injected or taken in liquid form

- They are taken primarily to increase muscle mass and strength

The biggest deterrent to curb the use of such drugs is the fact that the law against their use is not enforced. These drugs can be ordered even through the internet. Though, the use of steroids for such body building purpose is considered strictly illegal, the law is more or less limited to the books alone.

However, the authorities are clearly denying and are tightlipped on the issue. S M Thaaha, the State Drugs Controller said:"Actually, we are not getting any kind of complaints, however, if there are any complaints from anywhere, we can raid and catch people, who are stocking such steroids and using it illegally."

Shockingly, some of the Anabolic Steroids that are consumed are actually meant for Horses.

Commenting on the side-effects of such steroids, Dr Jayaram, Medical Officer, Rajiv Gandhi Sports Medicine Center said:"In the long-term, Anabolic Steroids in males can cause adverse effects on the liver, kidney, heart and testis, which implies that the consumption can lead to hepaterorial disease, heart disease, hypertension, sterility and abnormal breast growth."