Drug Types 25Sports governing authorities banned the use of anabolic steroids by com-
petitors. Some athletes ignore the ban in hopes of avoiding detection. Various
other drugs are prohibited as well, but in 1988 most of the failed drug tests
ordered by the International Olympic Committee revealed anabolic steroids,
the most common one beingnandrolone.^42 Below that elite level, athletic use
of steroids seems uncommon. In the 1990s a study involving 58,625 college
students found only 175 steroid takers to study.^43 That small group also had
a much higher consumption of other drugs, legal and illegal, than the average
student—suggesting that the steroid abusers were predisposed to use drugs
for coping with all sorts of life situations, not just sports. Similar association
of steroids with other illicit drug usage is found at the high school level.^44
High school steroid statistics are often based on the concept of “lifetime use.”
Lifetime use means a person has taken a steroid at least once, which is not
the same as regularly taking them. The number of regular users will be much
smaller than the number of “lifetime” users.
Anabolic steroids are related totestosterone. Most, if not all, are androgens,
substances promoting male characteristics. A female who uses those drugs
may develop facial hair and a deeper voice, along with unwanted changes in
sexual organs. In a young person who is still growing, androgens can pre-
maturely halt further growth and thereby cause a smaller adult stature.
Among persons of either gender and any age, androgens may alter blood
composition and increase the body’s retention of various minerals. That re-
tention is not necessarily good. For example, sodium retention promotes bloat-
ing and can be inadvisable for persons with heart trouble. Liver damage and
reduction of male fertility may occur due to anabolic steroids. Extended use
of the substance may worsen cholesterol levels, thereby narrowing blood ves-
sels, and such narrowing promotes heart attack and stroke years later. Steroid
abusers tend to take far higher doses than are considered medically safe, thus
further increasing the risks. Oral and slow-release under-the-skin implant for-
mats of anabolic steroids can be processed in ways that will physically permit
them to be injected. Such a practice is highly dangerous, as noninjectable for-
mats of drugs have components that are not designed for direct introduction
into the bloodstream.
Anabolic steroid dependence is reported with withdrawal symptoms that
can include weariness and depression. Use by a pregnant woman can per-
manently masculinize a female fetus.
For information about specific anabolic steroids, see alphabetical listings for:
boldenone, ethylestrenol,fluoxymesterone, methandriol,methandrosteno-
lone,methyltestosterone, nandrolone, oxandrolone, oxymetholone, stano-
zolol,testolactone,testosterone, andtrenbolone.
HALLUCINOGENS
Although various drugs cause hallucinations, some drugs are so notable for
such an effect that they are classified as hallucinogens. Controversy exists
about what a hallucination is. Is it a bluish tint to colors in a normal scene?
Is it wavy motions in a solid and stationary object? Is it shapes in fireplace
flames transforming into animal heads? Is it something that goes away if