Steroids are often associated with controversy, but never with the positive attributes a user attains when using the drug, said Tracy Olrich, associate professor at Central Michigan University.
As part of “Love Your Body Week,” Olrich lectured on the positive assets of steroid use during “Big, Buff & Being Noticed: The Lure of Anabolic Steroids,” on Monday.
Olrich, who teaches in the department of physical education and sports at CMU, said that most of the issues that surround steroids focus on the drug’s side effects and not on the user’s experience.
“Steroids are powerful because of the obvious physical effects they have on a user,” he said, “However, most people are still not comfortable talking about (the positive effects) because steroid use is still considered a taboo subject.”
Some of the positive effects of steroid use include increased muscular strength, peer recognition and sexual performance, he said during the visual conference in the Health Science Education Building.
Steroids create a psychological dependency more than a physical addiction, said Mario Vassallo, graduate student at CMU who focuses on anabolic steroid research in sport and society.
“Peer acceptance is a motivation that you become dependent upon more than anything else,” Vassallo said.
Vassallo went on to describe his experience using steroids during his semi-professional football career.
“When I was using steroids, I felt invincible,” Vassallo said. “I would never recommend them to anyone, but they’re not the negative thing the media has portrayed them to be.”
Olrich and Vassallo’s focus is to give people an understanding of the different sides of steroid use.
Steroid use is a common worry within the sports community for males, said Nick Galli, a graduate student in exercise and sport science.
“Last year, when we put together the lectures for Love Your Body Week, we noticed that most of the events were about women’s health.” Galli said. “There were only a few, if any, that were purely about issues surrounding men.”