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o   Steroids (Specifically Anabolic)

o   Performance and Image Enhancing Drugs (PIEDs)

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Steroids can be taken in different ways such as:
o   Orally as tablets- preferred route for users

o   Intramuscular injections- progress to injections when begin with oral tablets

o   Gels or creams

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o   Heart- Enlargement of the heart, blood clots, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, heart failure

o   Liver- Hepatitis, liver enlargement, liver cancer

o   HIV and Hepatitis from shared infected needles

o   Reproduction- reduced fertility

o   Growth- tendon ruptures, stoppage of growth in teens

o   Psychological- negative personality change, mania, depression, aggression, violence

o   Long-term Use:

-        Acne, cysts, oily hair and skin, thin scalp

-        Men developing feminine characteristics such as permanent breasts

shrinking of testicles, pain in urination, increased risk of prostate cancer

-        Women developing male characteristics such as breast size and fat reduction, enlarging of clitoris, deepening of the voice, growth of body hair, changes in menstrual cycle

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o   Physical:  Users report feeling powerful and energetic

o   Psychological: euphoria, hostility, irritability, anxiety, aggression, mood swings, manic symptoms like paranoia

o   High doses: nausea, vomiting, gastric irritation, fluid retention, trembling

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o   Supervised detox/inpatient rehab- range from 28-90 days

o   Comfort medication- synthetic hormones to balance testosterone levels, antidepressants, clonidine to reduce withdrawal symptoms, anti-inflammatory drugs for pain relief

o   Behavior Therapy

o   Outpatient Therapy: group, individual, family therapy

o   Anonymous meetings- Steroid Addiction Treatment, Narcotics Anonymous

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Steroids come in many different forms, shapes, types, and uses and all of them tend to develop a nickname for their use such as:
o  Arnolds

o   Gym candy

o   Roids

o   Stackers

o   Weight trainers

o   Juice

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32% of people who misuse become dependent

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o   Symptoms stronger around the 2nd week of user’s last dose

o   Abdominal pains

o   Nausea

o   Weight loss, joint pain, fatigue

o   Loss of appetite

o   Depression, irritability, mood swings

o   Insomnia

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o   Link: https://www.pbs.org/inthemix/shows/show_steroids_stories.html

“First Person: Matthew’s Story”

o   How drug affected person’s life

-        Mentally: aggressive, impatient, more anger, pick fights with co-workers

-        Physically: Pains in the side which he thought was liver damage

-        Affected personal and social relationships

-        Adjust feelings about body image as he became smaller in size

o   Have I ever heard about this drug

-        I have heard of steroid use and the effects of it from social media and news stories like baseball players whose records were affected once people found out that the athletes have used steroids.