Anabolic/androgenic steroids are drugs that are obtained from the male hormone, testosterone. Anabolic steroids are used for muscle-building and strength gain[1] for cosmetic reasons as well as for performance-enhancement in athletics and bodybuilding. Anabolic steroids work in many ways by increasing protein synthesis in the muscles and by eliminating the catabolic process (the process of breaking down skeletal muscle for energy). It is common for teens and adults to use steroids as they stimulate and encourage muscle growth much more rapidly than natural body building.
Statistics
editIn Australia, many people are encouraged to use steroids due to the body image expectations created by society. In secondary schools, 3.2% of boys and 1.2% of girls are using steroids.[2] Many Australian bodybuilders visit Bangkok and Pattaya in Thailand because the pharmacies there sell some steroid brands ten times cheaper than they available on the Australian black market. Australians were also purchasing their steroids in other countries to avoid a possible criminal record at home. Australian Crime Commission[3] statistics have shown that there was a 106% increase in the last[which?] financial year of "performance and image-enhancing-drugs", showing 5,561 border detections.
Notable events
editIn the first 3 months of 2008, 300 AAS seizures were reported by the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Kicman, A T (1 June 2008). "Pharmacology of anabolic steroids". British Journal of Pharmacology. 154 (3): 502–521. doi:10.1038/bjp.2008.165. ISSN 1476-5381. PMC 2439524. PMID 18500378.
- ^ Dunn, Matthew; White, Victoria (1 January 2011). "The epidemiology of anabolic–androgenic steroid use among Australian secondary school students". Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 14 (1): 10–14. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2010.05.004. PMID 20619732.
- ^ "Australian Crime Commission". www.crimecommission.gov.au. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ Kanayama, Gen; Hudson, James I.; Pope, Harrison G. (1 January 2008). "Long-term psychiatric and medical consequences of anabolic–androgenic steroid abuse: A looming public health concern?". Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 98 (1–2): 1–12. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2008.05.004. PMC 2646607. PMID 18599224.
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