Download Bulking Up: The Dangers of Steroids

Bulking Up: The Dangers of Steroids
Objectives
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To explain the medial and non-medical uses
of steroids.
To document the short-and long-term risks
associated with taking steroids.
To counter the assumption that any risks
associated with steroid use are outweighed by
benefits.
heart condition, which threatens his life, is linked to the
use of steroids.
The program shows conclusively that
steroid-enlarged physiques are no bargain. There is
just no way of knowing what quantity of the drug will
set off serious, irreversible side effects. Steroid use is
not a simple shortcut to muscle—it’s a chemical game
of Russian roulette.
Questions to ask before viewing
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Background for the discussion leader
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Synopsis
We live in a society that enjoys instant
gratification: we want results, and we want them now.
It’s not surprising, then, that many young men and
women, looking for ways to increase strength and
muscle tone, take a shortcut with steroids. But the cost
of “meat” may be higher than they think.
People often think that steroids are relatively
harmless substance, or that their benefits far outweigh
their risks. But they’re wrong. These drugs can cause
serious side effects that may prove fatal.
Hosted by Olympic medallist Bruce Jenner,
this program looks at the consequences of anabolic
steroid use. Together with U.S. Olympic trainer Dr. Gail
Weldon, and Dr, Forest Tennant, Drug Advisor to the
NFL, he outlines many of the short-and long-term side
effects associated with taking steroids. These problems
include cystic acne, impotence, sterility, abnormal liver
function, a greater risk of cancer—and an increase in
blood pressure and cholesterol that may lead to heart
disease, stroke, and early death.
Other sports figures weigh in. Former
Olympian Rosalyn Bryant, would champion body
builder Kevin Lawrence, and LA Rams strength coach
Garrett Giemont attest to the dangers of steroid abuse.
Former NFL lineman Steve Courson reveals that the
estimated that two to three million people
currently abuse anabolic steroids.
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Anabolic steroids are a group of powerful
compounds closely related to the male
hormone testosterone. In combination with a
program of muscle training and diet, they can
contribute to increases in body weight and
strength.
When first developed in the 1930s, steroids
were used in a medical environment for
rehabilitation purposes. Today, the Food and
Drug Administration allows for anabolic
steroids use only to treat certain kinds of
anemia, breast cancer, and allergies.
In the late 1950s, otherwise healthy athletes
began using steroids to improve their
performance. By the mid 1970s, steroid use
by athletes was widespread, despite the risk
of disqualification from competition.
By the 1980s not only athletes and body
builders were using steroids: social pressure
to “look good” prompted non-athletes to begin
taking them in record numbers.
Most of these drugs are bought from underthe-counter dealers found through contacts at
the gym. The perception that “more is better”
leads athletes and non-athletes alike to selfprescribe huge doses of steroids for long
periods of time, compounding the risk of
serious side effects.
The scope of the problems has reached
epidemic proportions: in the United States, it’s
Why do you think people use steroids?
In today’s competitive athletic climate, do you
think that it’s probably necessary to take
steroids to win?
Would you say that steroids are a relatively
“risk-free” way to add muscle?
Are you aware of any side effects that can
develop from the use of steroids?
Do you think that the bad press steroids get is
mostly hype?
Questions to ask after viewing
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What are anabolic steroids? (Synthetic derivatives
of testosterone, the male hormone responsible for
development of masculine sex characteristics.)
How can steroids damage a male’s physical
appearance? (They can over stimulate the skin’s
oil glands, causing acne—often-cystic acne that
leaves severe scarring and discoloration on the
face, chest, or back. They can produce premature
baldness, and mat cause feminine breasts to
develop—which can only be removed by surgery.)
What sexual problems can steroids create for the
males who take them? (Testicles can shrink; libido
can be affected; men can become impotent; a
man’s sperm count can be lowered to the point of
sterility.)
What effects do anabolic steroids have on female
user? (They often take on male characteristics:
facial hair growth, an enlarged Adam’s apple, a
deepened voice, male pattern baldness.
Additionally, steroids often produce menstrual
irregularities, which can affect a woman’s potential
for childbearing. These changes may be
irreversible.)
What particular problem can steroids cause in
teenage boys? (Stunted growth. Too much
testosterone can cause early fusion of the long
bones and premature stoppage of growth.)
6. What risks to internal organs may result from
taking steroids? (Abnormalities of the hormonal
system; abnormal liver function; heart disease; a
greater risk of liver cancer, and testicular and
prostate cancers in men.)
7. What is probably the biggest single risk that
people take when they use steroids? (Damage to
the heart. Because it’s a muscle, the heart grows
abnormally large. Blood pressure increases, and
cholesterol levels are skewed—good cholesterol
goes down and bad cholesterol goes up. These
factors can result in heart disease, an accelerated
or irregular heartbeat, and an increased risk of
stroke.)
8. Why does steroid use contribute to bodily injuries?
(Anabolic steroids make muscles grow, but do not
affect connective tendons and ligaments. The
enlarged, heavy muscles thus put extra stress on
small tendons and ligaments that weren’t made to
support them. This often results, because steroids
also suppress the immune system, these injuries
can take a long time to heal.)
9. How can taking steroids affect the personality?
(The increased testosterone level causes
aggression, a low boiling point, and lack of control.
This is especially true of teenage boys, who
already have a high level of testosterone.)
10. Why is it particularly dangerous to buy steroids on
the black market? (People self-prescribe the type
of steroid and dosage they take, with no medical
follow up. And under-the-counter dealers get their
supplies wherever they can. Often that means
illegal basement laboratories, which produce
counterfeit drugs made from whatever materials
are on hand. These drugs can sometimes be
poisonous.)
Length
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23 Minutes
AIMS
Discussion Guide
Subject areas
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Drug Education, Substance Abuse Prevention
Audience Levels
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Senior High-Adult
Hosted By Bruce Jenner.
Catalog number
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Bulking Up: The Dangers of
Steroids
8158
Annotation
Bruce Jenner hosts this look at the problems and risks
associated with the use of anabolic steroids. Sports
medicine doctors and well-known athletes outline the
potentially harmful short and long-term consequences
of taking steroids.
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