Anabolic steroid abuse is widely reported by professional athletes. The abuse of steroids is different from abuse of some other illicit substances. This is because the anabolic steroids abuse is not accompanied with states of euphoria as in most other drugs. The desire of the users in this case is to change their appearance, characteristics and performance. Steroids can help in increasing strength and confidence and therefore can lead to the users to overlook the serious damage that the user of steroids can cause.

Steroids help in enhancing the appearance and performance and anabolic steroid abuse can result in severe and irreversible consequences. This abuse mainly happens when athletes use steroids to improve their athletic performance. New kinds of drugs are continuously being developed and these drugs cannot be identified through routine urine and blood tests and so some athletes choose to use such drugs.

Anabolic steroid abuse may occur when the steroids are taken in dosages that are 10 to 100 times larger than the dosages that are used in medical conditions. Abusers tend to take multiple doses of different steroids combining the different steroids. This is called stacking.

They may also take multiple doses for a period of time and then stop and start all over again. Such stopping and starting is called cycling. Steroid abusers may also combine different anabolic steroids and mix oral and other steroids that can be injected. This is done because abusers believe that different steroids can interact and produce greater effect on the muscles than effects of individual drugs.

Anabolic steroids abuse may also include slow escalation in the steroid abuse wherein the steroids and its frequency is slowly increased. The abuse may also be done to increase muscle size and to decrease the body fat. People who suffer from dysmorphia tend to have distorted images of their bodies. Men with dysmorphia may believe they have small and weak frames even if they are muscular and this can lead them to abusing steroids.

Adolescents may abuse steroids under a pattern of behavior that borders along high risk behavior. So adolescents taking risks like drinking and driving and carrying a gun or those abusing other drugs may also abuse steroids.

Anabolic steroid abuse results in disruption of production of hormones within the body and this can result in reversible as well as irreversible changes in the body. The changes can include reduction in the sperm production and shrinking of the testicles. Breast development and male pattern baldness may occur in men. Voice deepening is observed among women along with growth of facial hair and enlargement of clitoris may also be observed.

Some other effects of anabolic steroid abuse include acne and development of life threatening problems like liver cancer and heart attacks. Some psychological and behavioral changes because of steroids abuse include rage, aggression, delusions and mania. Since many abusers using steroid that can be injected they may use non sterile techniques or may share needles and it may increase the risk of acquiring life threatening infections including HIV and hepatitis B and C