Society divides drugs into different types. Some drugs prevent harm, or make us ‘healthier’ or ‘normal’, and these are deemed ‘therapeutic’ and are often called ‘medicines’.
Some drugs are thought to take us beyond ‘healthy’ or ‘normal’ and these are called ‘enhancement drugs’.
Some drugs have pleasurable effects, aren’t thought of us as making us better or healthier (and may even negatively affect our health), and these are deemed ‘recreational drugs’.
It all seems pretty straightforward – but is it really? Over the years I have been working in enhancement drug communities I have noticed that these boundaries between drug types aren’t perhaps as clear as we make out.
In the past I have written about how some ‘enhancement drugs’ are used for therapeutic reasons.
This time I want to talk to you about another way enhancement drugs can be used for therapeutic reasons: how enhancement drugs can be used to help individuals get off alcohol and other recreational drugs.
Below I share the stories of some who used enhancement drugs in this way. I quote them verbatim (typos and grammatical errors and all) in order to preserve their voices, and any names included are pseudonyms used to protect their identities.
Enhancement drugs instead of recreational drugs
Over my years working in enhancement drug using communities, I have come across many stories of individuals who have used enhancement drugs to get off other drugs, mostly recreational drugs, but sometimes prescription drugs.
“Back then I was on a serious amount of prescription drugs, endone, codeine, everything you can think of, a pretty strong antidepressant, and anti-inflammatories. Like pretty much everything you can think of, I was on. Then like four days a week, coke bender, pills, just drinking myself to death in that first period. … The steroids pulled me away from that [Scott].”
The following Facebook post resulted in many bodybuilders commenting that anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) had helped them get off, and stay off, psychoactive drugs.
“Ok guys here goes
“Im telling you guys abit about myself and would love to know if others have similiar stories…
“At the age of 12 i started smoking pot on a daily basis and by the age of 18 i had tried every narcotic you can think of and by the age of 20 i was addicted to smoking and snorting cocaine, i would smoke and snort half an ounce on a daily basis…
“I was selling drugs from the age of 16 and by the age of 22 i had gone to jail 3 times for drug supply, assault, money laundering, obtain money by deception. At the age of 23 three masked men rampaged through my house with shotguns and machetes and handguns demanding drugs and money and so i picked up a hunting knife that was next too me and stabbed the guy in the neck and it went ryt through.. i was charged with attempted murder and a year later it was dropped to grevious bodily harm with a deadly weapon. I was offered a plea if i plead guily to gbh i would get 14years with a non parole period of 9 years.. so i decided to fight my charge and after 2 and a half years it got thrown out on self defence but i was found guilty on 80 grams of cocaine and 80 thousand dollars cash… so i spent nearly 5 years in jail ..
“Whilst incarcerated i developed a daily heroin habit.. i had friends and family who would bring it in too me every week in visits.. when finally released i was a full blown junkie and continued my habit on the outside.. i went from 95kgs natural down to 60kgs.. i was a complete mess.. i lost alot of family and so called friends… at the end of 2016 i decided to get onto the methadone program to better myself and i stopped all drugs but it was always on my mind and i kept relapsing… i then went to hospital with an infection to my heart (this was caused from drugs) and i was in icu for 4 weeks nearly dead and a further 3 months getting rehabilitated.. i could not put any weight on no matter how much i would eat i just couldnt do it…
“I then turned to aas
“I hit my first cycle of sus and deca and i gained 15kgs and just felt amazing and never thought i could feel like this ever again.. since then ive done 4 cycles and its completely changed my life.. aas has saved my life.. if it wasnt for steroids id be in the gutter dead… since using steroids i havnt touched a drug i have gotten married and now my wife has just given birth with my first daughter…
“Im currently on week 3 of my cycle and i just feel like im on top of the world….
“I thought id tell people my story as im pretty sure there are others out there in the same shoes as me
“You are not alone…
“Aas is truly my life saviour….
Some, like this guy above, attribute their recovery to AAS. Others describe AAS as helping them to maintain their recovery.
“AAS did not get me clean. …. BUT. It has certainly kept me clean. There is an overall excellent sense of well-being and accomplishment in this lifestyle if you put the work in [forum comment].”
There’s a lot of stories of a transition from alcohol or psychoactive drugs to AAS, and one of my research participants, ‘Edward’, felt that a history of addiction to psychoactive drugs was ‘super common with people who take anabolic steroids’. Others say the same thing.
“Yeah it’s not a coincidence there are so many ex addicts here. The drugs are not the same but the addiction is inherently similar. 🤔 That’s coming from a previous drug user [forum comment].”
For some alcohol and psychoactive drugs were replaced with AAS:
“Even if it is a “substitute” for recreational substances, theres no comparison. If I am on AAS then that’s it, no alcohol or drugs. Since starting AAS I have been very health conscious, Diet and eating clean is a must, training has definatley improved due to wanting the most from a cycle or just keeping gains from a previous. Then there is just the great feeling that comes with looking/feeling good, which was rare when I was using/drinking. My wife is much happier with our quality of life (obviously) since I’m not obsessing over substances but rather have a “healthy” interest in my well being [forum comment].”
“I had a big run with using recreational drugs. Nowadays by using steroids and everything I am more focused on myself and my health. So I really have no desire to go out there and ruin my routine, do all that. I guess it’s, I’m not sure, replacing one thing with another, but I think it’s the way lesser of two evils [Calum].”
For many AAS were described as a kind of harm reduction:
“When I’m on steroids it [psychoactive drug use] rarely crosses my mind and when it does its fleeting at worst. Is what im doing “healthy”? I don’t know for sure, but i know that it’s much more conducive to a happy healthy productive life than slamming meth or coke or heroin in my arm all day and using guns to rob people [Ben].”
Scott injured himself and his military career was cut short. He was using recreational drugs and alcohol to escape reality, and was feeling suicidal. Self-medication with AASs helped him heal his injury (and stop using painkillers, anti-inflammatories), addressed his low test levels, and helped him get off alcohol and other drugs (both psychoactive and prescribed anti-depressants).
“I don’t know how to describe but imagine feeling completely powerless and – I felt like I was an ant in the world. Do you know what I mean? … [without AAS] I would have committed suicide … Even if the [muscular] gains were left behind and I had made no progress, I think it [AAS use] still would have saved my life. … if you asked me two years ago, like “would you do steroids if you knew that you would become infertile?” I think I’d be like, “I’d never do steroids”. But now, knowing what it’s done for me, I think that’s a fair trade-off. Even if they’re like you lose 10 years and you never have babies, I think that’s a fair trade-off from what was reality beforehand [Scott].”
“Bodybuilding, and steroids, saved my life. Beyond that, they’ve combined to help me create the best life possible. I’m a better father, employee, friend, and productive member of society because of gear and this lifestyle [Tony via messenger].”
Enhancement drugs as preferrable to recreational drugs
Enhancement drugs, particularly AAS, are frequently described as different from alcohol and other psychoactive drugs in numerous ways. There are numerous ways that enhancement drugs are seen as preferable to recreational drugs. Firstly, they are not seem to have the same psychological effects.
“I don’t consider it [AAS] a relapse because it is not mind or mood altering. Addicts thrive off instant gratification. Which AAS is not [forum comment].”
“… it’s [AAS use is] not like narcotics and euphoric as soon as you inject it. I do get somewhat of a mental and mood change but not extreme. Also the point of me shooting dope was so i didn’t have to feel anything at all. And the mental and mood state that followed was terrible. With steroids it’s the complete opposite. My mood and mental state is uplifted slightly but it’s more from a sense of self accomplishment as a result of hard work in the gym and kitchen and the visual affects on my appearance from the gear [forum comment].”
“The only thing I put in my body is food, AAS, and maybe an ibuprofen. Anything that is mind or mood altering is, in my eyes, a relapse [forum comment].”
An obviously enhanced competitive bodybuilder stated on social media.
“Using them [psychoactive drugs] was my way of escaping reality and not facing life.. like a coward I chose to escape reality with drugs which was only making my life worse. I did this for years until I was left with nothing. In November of 2017 I chose to face life.. bodybuilding was my way out and it’s pretty amazing to see how far iv come in that time.. [social media post].”
AAS are also preferable for financial and social reasons:
“I also have to look at the consequences of steroids and drugs. Am I draining my bank account? Am I lying? Stealing? Ripping people off for more? Wishing with every fiber of my being that I could stop but can’t? No. So steroids are a much safer option imo [forum comment].”
AAS have physical effects (obviously), so some people use them to counter the physical effects of recreational drug addiction.
“Honestly I thought if I made myself big and strong [by using AAS] I could show the world I wasn’t fucked up [on psychoactive drugs]. Also to feel better inside [online message].”
“I guess for me aas is partly about getting back what I had pre drug addiction, in terms of muscle mass and strength. I lost a lot of muscle abusing meth, then when I stopped I gained roughly 60kg of pure fat in a few months. I also believe that drug abuse was at least partially responsible for my low testosterone. There is some research starting to emerge linking amphetamine use and low testosterone. So some of my incentive to use aas was to return to my former physical state [email from forum member].”
Recreational drugs are considered so different from AAS, that many who use them do not describe them as ‘drugs’. In a thread describing his current cycle, one enhanced man said:
“This should be an interesting cycle [of AAS] to say the least because I do plan to stop the suboxone within the next few weeks.. I’m sick of drugs man [forum comment].”
AAS use did not preclude an individual from being ‘anti-drugs’:
“I’ve been addicted to or at least heavily abused methamphetamine, cocaine, opiates including raw opium and pharmaceutical opiate painkillers, benzodiazepines, cannabis, alcohol, tobacco, and pretty much anything I could get my hands on to be honest. I was a hopeless meth addict 3 years ago, could not function without it. Then I decided I’d had enough of the shitty life I was living and went into a withdrawal program and haven’t touched anything other than steroids since. I have no desire to use any mind altering substance again, including alcohol, and would go as far as to say I couldn’t think of anything worse than being drunk or high now. … To give you an idea of how anti-drugs I am now, I can literally count on one hand the number of Panadol and nurofen I’ve taken in the past 3 years, which are the only drugs other than aas I’ve taken. I handed back a script for panadeine forte when I hurt my shoulder a while back, which made my dr chuckle and comment “you’ve certainly changed”. In some ways it seems silly that I am so anti drugs yet have no issue with aas use, but I guess I justify it to myself with the thought that aas is self-improvement, whereas other drugs are self-destructive [email from forum member].”
For many the differences between enhancement and recreational drugs meant they were not comparable. AAS and psychoactive drugs were seen, in many ways, as opposites.
“While my observations can only be anecdotal I feel secure in my beliefs about alcohol and AS. We have all seen what alcohol abuse can do to a person’s physical, financial, and social status. Perhaps not everyone is aware of AS repercussions as AS are less common in society than alcohol. … Observing my drunk ‘bros’ and my gym rat buddies over a couple of decades the optical results were clear. The drunks quality of life were nill (if still alive), the gym rats (using AS) quality of life well above average. Following my own and other AS users blood work since the mid 90’s the results and harm of AS use alone were quite trivial. Therefore, AS = good and Alcohol = bad [forum comment].”
“AAS=good because I am extremely health oriented now and will continue to use and lift until I cannot anymore. Alcohol= bad because 1) i’d Be out of a job right now and a total deadbeat dad and 2) alcohol kills gains so if reason 1 isn’t enough, reason 2 definitely keeps me away from it [forum comment].”
AAS use and lifting weights are so interlinked that it is hard to distinguish the role of AAS from that of lifting. AAS is part of a lifestyle that is perceived as positive.
“Never going back. Lifting weights is giving me a positive outlet for the negative energy [forum comment].”
“Bodybuilding saved my life. That and God. It taught me to have respect for myself [forum comment].”
Similarities between enhancement drugs and recreational drugs
Enhancement drugs do have similarities with recreational drugs, or may serve a similar function in some people’s lives. For example, AAS can in some ways fill the space that alcohol or other drugs have left behind.
“… it’s a healthier way to live than it was the way before [when using heroin]. It kind of quells that little thing inside of me that’s – that addictive side of me, I guess you could say [Edward].”
“Once the drugs are put down there becomes this void. And from personal experience my addict mind manifested into exercise and well…. Tattoos. Lol. I have seen A TON of people in recovery turn to the gym once the dope was put down. Well the disease of addiction is forever present. And some of us like to take things a little further. Like AAS [forum comment].”
“Since I am an addict and have the behaviors that come with it, AAS have proven very useful. As others have stated on the forum, it’s a choice between substances or AAS. Having Major depression, Anxiety and OCD means I live my life very routine oriented. Diet, training, AAS all give me something to focus on when I’m not at work or with my wife. It has helped fill that void that was left when I got clean and also helps me to have a very balanced life [forum comment].”
Many talk in terms of ‘replacing one addiction with another’. For example, in a steroid forum one participant stated:
“Powerlifting is my addiction. All that emptiness that substances used to go into is now my drive to be relentless in my pursuit of strength gains. Lifting has been a huge part of my recovery [forum comment].”
The complex relationship between enhancement drugs and recreational drugs
For many, enhancement drugs, particularly AAS, helped them to cease using other drugs that were causing them more harm. In fact, one enhanced man felt that AAS, and the associated bodybuilding lifestyle were protective against psychoactive drug use.
” all of my friends turned to drugs and violence as a way to cope with their insecurities, boredom, and lack of resources. I channeled my obsessive behavior into the field of bodybuilding and personal improvement, with the assistance of AAS, and my outcome is vastly different than my family and my peer group. I grew up impoverished, “morbidly obese” and contemplated suicide on a few occasions. After committing myself to bodybuilding I’ve now given myself a reason to live – to wake up every morning – that defines me. (And then on the professional side I graduated with my Master’s Degree within the Top-2% of my class and am currently an executive for a Fortune 500 company) [Tony via messenger].”
However, another experienced this as a false sense of security:
“I was a coke and herion addict for about 3 yrs , before that i was like i am now a gym rat i ate slept and breathed lifting. So much so that i felt invulnerable to addiction. I thought addicts were just weak minded and i certainly wasnt that. Well that turned out to be the perfect mindset for addiction. I managed to smoke a small fortune in that three years, i stopped lifting , blew up to a bloated 220lbs and almost lost everything i had. But i also lost what i can never recover and thats 3 years of spending time with my daughter. While she would be playing soccer or dancing in hula competitions i would be getting high [forum comment].”
It is not as straightforward as saying that enhancement drugs help people get off alcohol and other drugs.
Some use AAS as a cover for psychoactive drug use rather than a way out of it. AAS can disguise the physical effects of psychoactive drug use, allowing the individual to continue use undetected.
There are some threads in forums that demonstrate that some who use AAS still struggle with psychoactive drug and alcohol addiction. Indeed, I went through a 28-page thread about the battle to cease alcohol and psychoactive drugs, and despite the fact that this thread existed in a steroid forum, there was virtually no discussion of AAS as a cure for alcohol and psychoactive drug problems. So obviously not all AAS users have experiences like those described above.
Also, there are some enhanced bodybuilders who describe using psychoactive drugs as part of their bodybuilding lifestyle. For example, some use ephedrine, cocaine, meth or other stimulants as pre-workout or as fat burners. Marijuana, valium, sleeping meds, and other depressants may be used to deal with the anxiety, sleeplessness and nightmares provoked by some AAS (e.g. trenbolone – if you are unfamiliar with this AAS see my paper on it for descriptions of the mental health effects some experience on this particular compound link to tren article). Nubain, painkillers, and even heroin, may be used to deal with the pain of injuries, or to assist with training. Some researchers have even suggested that enhancement drug use may be a gateway to opiate dependence (https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-aug-27-mn-11102-story.html; Kanayama et al., 2003; Avary and Pope 2000).
Finally, there is also the segment of the bodybuilding community that rather than use psychoactive drugs as part of bodybuilding lifestyle, use bodybuilding drugs as part of a party lifestyle. They are who have been called the ‘YOLO [you only live once] type’ of enhancement drug user (Christiansen, Vinther and Liokaftos 2017). The type that just want to look good with their shirts off at music festivals when they are pinging off their heads (no beer for this type – too many carbs! MDMA is a much better option if you want to look shredded as fuark!). I actually began my research in the fandom of the poster-boy of this type of enhanced drug user, the late Aziz Shavershian (AKA ‘Zyzz’), who died at age 22 of a heart attack. His fans claim his early demise was brought about by his combining of enhancement and psychoactive drugs.
Where to next?
The relationship between enhancement drug use and recreational drug use is extremely complex. There does seem to be some that use enhancement drugs as a form of harm reduction. We could see AAS use as a form of drug substitution. Like methadone may be prescribed as a substitute for heroin, AAS appear to be used by some as a less harmful substitute for psychoactive drugs and alcohol. I hear some readers object: ‘but methadone is similar to heroin in ways that AAS are not similar to psychoactive drugs’. Yes, while there are very important differences, evidence suggests that they may have some important similarities (e.g. some studies have shown that AAS elicited electroencephalographic changes similar to those observed with amphetamine abuse; Mhillaj et al., 2015).
The reality is that we don’t know how commonly people use AAS to get off psychoactive and other drugs. Furthermore, the online communities I have worked in may not represent bodybuilding communities more generally. It is possible that the ‘anti-drug’ ethos of some of these groups would deter people from sharing experiences that run counter to this ethos. Therefore, all the evidence I have collected could be skewed towards a more positive relationship between enhancement drugs and recreational drugs, than exists in reality.
But it seems for some that enhancement drugs can serve a therapeutic role in that they help individuals cease alcohol and other drug use. Could enhancement drug use be part of a transition to being drug free? If some drug addictions result in low testosterone levels, could there be a valid therapeutic application of TRT doses?
All that is certain is that we don’t know enough about the relationship between enhancement drugs and recreational drugs. The kind of research I do is a vital first step as it identifies the range of ways that these two categories of drugs relate to each other. If you have something to add, tell your story in the forum. That way we can see the whole picture, instead of just the one-sided view academia has of enhancement drugs as merely a gateway to psychoactive drugs. While this may be true for some, it is not the whole story of the relationship between enhancement drugs and recreational drugs.
References cited
Arvary, D., and Pope H.G., Jr. (2000) Anabolic steroids: a possible gateway to opioid dependence. New England Journal of Medicine 342:1532.
Christiansen, A. V., Vinther, A. S., & Liokaftos, D. (2017). Outline of a typology of men’s use of anabolic androgenic steroids in fitness and strength training environments. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 24(3), 295-305.
Mhillaj, E., Morgese, M. G., Tucci, P., Bove, M., Schiavone, S., & Trabace, L. (2015) Effects of anabolic-androgens on brain reward function. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 9: 295. doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2015.00295
Kanayama G, Cohane GH, Weiss RD, Pope HG. (2003) Past anabolic-androgenic steroid use among men admitted for substance abuse treatment: an underrecognized problem? Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 64(2):156-60. doi: 10.4088/jcp.v64n0208.
About the author
Mair Underwood is an anthropologist who explores body cultures. She has been living in online bodybuilding communities for the last 6 years (she has even been inspired to start lifting). Through forums and social media she has learnt about bodybuilding culture. She has been particularly focussed on enhancement drug use, and she works to increase understanding of, and support for, people who use enhancement drugs.
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