What are steroids?
Anabolic androgenic steroids are
synthetic derivatives of the male
hormone testosterone that are taken
to build muscle, enhance
performance, and improve
appearance
 help the body retain protein

Slang terms for steroids
Gym Candy
 Pumpers/Stackers
 Weight Trainers
 Rhoids
 Juice

Who uses steroids?
The majority of steroid users tend to be
young, male athletes
 Adolescents may use them to quicken
the onset of puberty and maturation,
 male and female models may take them
to improve their body image.
 Those in certain, physically demanding
occupations, like law enforcement,
bouncers, or military personnel

How are steroids used?

Taken orally in tablet form or injected
intramuscularly
 Users rely on hearsay and gossip to
determine dosage levels that may not be
safe
How are steroids used (Cont’d)?
Individuals abusing steroids take
megadoses of hundreds of milligrams
per day, whereas doctors prescribe only
1 to 5 mg. per day for legitimate medical
uses
 Users often take steroids in “cycles”
where they use steroids for six to 12
weeks at a time punctuated by periods
where they do not take steroids.

 Steroid users do this to avoid building up a
tolerance.
Steroids and other drugs

Steroid users may combine steroids
with stimulants, depressants, pain
killers, anti-inflammatory drugs, and
other hormones to offset steroid side
effects
Where to get them…

The majority of steroids are illegally
manufactured or traded on the black
market which eliminates any quality
controls.
 Steroids may be contaminated,
mislabeled, or bogus.

Doctors prescription
Legal steroids
Used medically for some forms of
anemia, some breast cancers,
osteoporosis, endometriosis, and
hereditary angiodema (a swelling
disorder)
 Doctors prescribe a small, controlled
amount to the patient

Signs someone is on steroids
Rapid weight gain and muscle
development
 Acne flare up
 Fluid retention
 Jaundice (yellow tinge to eyes and
skin)
 Mood swings and depressed moods
 Aggressive behavior
 Premature balding

Side Effects
Enlargement of the heart
 high blood pressure
 heart attack
 permanently damage the liver

 Causes cancer, jaundice, bleeding, and
hepatitis.
 Steroids can impair the kidneys leading
to kidney stones and kidney disease.
Guys v. Gals

Men experience prostate
enlargement, sterility, sexual
dysfunction, baldness, breast
enlargement, and testicular atrophy.
 excess testosterone is converted to the
female hormone estrogen which causes
the development of female
characteristics
Guys v. Gals

Excess testosterone in females has
the opposite effect, causing
menstrual irregularities, deepening of
the voice, baldness, fetal damage,
hair growth on other parts of the
body, sexual dysfunction, sterility,
reduction of breasts, and genital
swelling.
Why try Rhoids?
feel peer pressure
 overly concerned with their body
image
 believe their competition uses
steroids
 they don’t believe that steroids are
dangerous to use

Treatment/Help
Contact your local Drug and Alcohol
Abuse Commission hotline
 Recommend alternatives (legal
protein and vitamin supplements)
 Seek medical attention ASAP

Legal Consequences
Because of negative side effects and
the potential for abuse, anabolic
androgenic steroids have been
classified as controlled substances with
severe penalties for trafficking,
possession, or use.
 Most athletic associations, including the
International Olympic Committee, test
athletes for steroids, and penalize those
in whom steroids are detected.

What are they?

There are four main types of
inhalants:
 Volatile solvents
 Gases
 Aerosols
 Nitrites
Volatile solvents
liquids that become a gas at room
temperature
 Some examples are:

 paint thinners and removers
 Gasoline
 Glues
 felt-tip marker fluids
Gases

Medical gases
 ether, nitrous oxide

Household or commercial
products
 butane lighters, propane
tanks, whipped cream
dispensers that contain
nitrous oxide, and refrigerants
Aerosols
Some of the most prevalent inhalants
in the home
 They include:

 spray paint, deodorant and hairsprays,
vegetable oil cooking sprays, and static
cling sprays.
Nitrites
Include cyclohexyl nitrite, amyl
nitrite, and butyl nitrite.
 On the street, they're called
"poppers" or "snappers."

 They're found in some room deodorizers
and capsules that release vapors when
opened.
How people take Inhalants

People inhale chemical vapors in
several ways, including:
 sniffing, snorting, or spraying the
inhalant directly into the nose or
mouth
 putting it into a bag or other container
and then inhaling from there
 putting the vapor onto a rag
 or inhaling nitrous oxide from
balloons.
Side Note:

Because the high from inhalants only
lasts a few minutes, some people
may inhale over and over again for
long periods of time to maintain the
high, increasing the amount of
dangerous chemicals entering and
damaging the body.
Effects on the body
Once the vapors enter the body,
some are absorbed by parts of the
brain and nervous system.
 All of the inhalants (except nitrites)
slow down the body's functions,
similar to the effects of drinking
alcohol
 can sometimes take up to 2 weeks for
the chemical to completely pass from
the body

A- Normal Brain
 B- Brain after 2 months of inhalant use

Short term effects
increased heart rate
 hallucinations or delusions
 losing feeling or consciousness
 nausea and vomiting
 loss of coordination
 slurred speech

Long term effects





brain damage (toxic chemicals may
make people become slow or clumsy,
have trouble solving problems or
planning ahead, suffer from memory
loss, or become unable to learn new
things)
muscle weakness
depression
headaches and nosebleeds
loss of sense of smell or hearing
How inhalants kill

"Sudden Sniffing Death" — This is
the most common cause of death
from inhalant use.
 The heart beats quickly and irregularly,
and then suddenly stops (cardiac arrest).
 This can happen even the first time a
person tries an inhalant and is
experimenting.
Signs of inhalant use











mood swings
extreme anger, agitation, and irritability
exhaustion
loss of appetite
frequent vomiting
hallucinations and illusions
facial rashes and blisters
frequent runny nose and cough
dilated pupils
glazed or watery eyes
extremely bad breath
Getting help
talk to your doctor, school counselor,
or nurse
 the two main categories of treatment
are:
 behavioral

 helping a person change behaviors

pharmacological
 treating a person with medication