Written by Rick Collins, J.D.
09 October 2006

Teens And Testosterone

 

            Q: What are your thoughts on the epidemic of teen steroid use?
            A:  According to the widely accepted Monitoring the Future studies of eighth, tenth and twelfth graders, the percentage of eighth graders who reported using steroids at least once in their lives went from 2.5 percent in 2002 down to 1.9 percent in 2004. Among tenth graders, the figure went from 3.5 percent in 2002 down to 3.0 percent in 2003 and then down again to 2.4 percent in 2004. Among twelfth graders, the decrease was from 4.0 percent in 2002 to 3.5 percent in 2003 to 3.4 percent in 2004. These statistics are not intended to minimize in any way the societal problem presented by teen steroid abuse or teen drug abuse in general. However, it's dishonest for self-serving professional alarmists and sensationalistic journalists to create unfounded hysteria.

            This isn't to say we don't have a problem. Obviously, any non-medical adolescent steroid use is a big problem. (So is adolescent cigarette and alcohol use, and the statistic that 8.1 percent of twelfth graders have used cocaine). The steroid health risks for teens are greater than those for mature adults. Steroid use can close the growth plates of the long bones and prevent the adolescent user from growing to full height. Further, in a black market riddled with foreign veterinary steroids of questionable content, teens are more likely to be scammed by shady dealers with dubious and potentially dangerous products. Teens are typically less inclined to admit their steroid use to disapproving physicians, leading to an increased risk of health consequences for failing to monitor liver and cardiovascular health markers. They may be more likely to use steroids in excessive dosages. The kids who start juicing without having built any natural foundation may get big fast, but then shrink just as fast when the cycle ends, resulting in a reluctance to ever "come off" the juice. And of course, teens also face the legal risks associated with engaging in activity deemed criminal under federal and most state laws (as fully described in my book, Legal Muscle). Getting a call from the precinct that Sonny-boy's been busted never sits well with parents.

            Let's face it: Insecure, impatient and eager for fast results, many teens are less focused on the distant future, including possible health consequences many years ahead. Yes, some teenagers are very responsible. But typically, maturity doesn't come overnight. The teen years for most of us are colored with recklessness, sporadic irresponsibility and a pervasive feeling of invincibility.  Mine were. "The bad stuff will never happen to me" is the common mindset- which can lead to some very poor choices. 

            Although the risks for teen steroid users are higher, the potential benefits are lower. Teenagers should note that their natural testosterone levels are really high. Steroid use shuts off natural testosterone production. Studies have shown that testosterone levels of teenage boys can jump as high as 2,000 nanograms per deciliter of blood- about two to four times that of your typical adult male. Hey, how can you justify not taking advantage of the highest natural testosterone levels you'll ever have in your life?! 

            Many teens ask for steroid advice from Internet bodybuilding boards, providing the perfect opportunity for mature board members to talk them out of it. Even in countries where steroids can be legally obtained without a prescription, the choice to use them for physical enhancement should only be made by mature, informed adults with a pre-established dedication to serious weight training and under the supervision of a physician. If you knowingly sell juice to teenagers, you've screwed everybody in the muscle community. You've validated all the reasons why non-medical steroid use is criminalized and perpetuated the perception that ours is a seedy subculture of immoral outcasts. If the moral guilt trip isn't enough, think about this: Federal law and the laws of most states make it an enhanced crime to sell steroids to minors or to involve minors in steroid distribution. 

 

SAME BIO.