Definitely agree with the statement about this forum, for the most part.
I don't want anything to do with them. But it's because I do know a little something about them.
For me, a major issue is roid rage- Regardless of what anyone says, it does happen, and it's not pretty. I personally know two people- They're cousins- Whose marriages damn near fell apart because they were juicing, pissed off all the time, and getting a little physical with their wives. They knew what was causing it the whole time, too- But they did like those gains.
Personally, I've got enough stuff in life to piss me off, and I don't like it. I prefer to be happy, I don't need some chemical telling me to be pissed when there's no real reason. I gain enough with good food and supplements, and I know if I wanted to gain more, I could simply work harder on my diet, workout or rest. I'm not about to look for an easy way to quick gains, because once you go down that road, it's hard for some people to control themselves. If a couple of cycles of roids will get you x amount of gains, and you're the type of person who wants those quick and easy results, chances are you'll be doing more than just a couple of cycles- You'll find yourself doing more to get more. Before you know it, you're actually a different person from when you started- Getting pissed at the ones you love, overreacting to minor things, trying to take out your aggression in all sorts of directions- When I tell you that neither one of these guys I know would have ever laid hands on a woman before, I'm dead serious. Roids turned both of them into a wife beater- Something I personally despise. Anyone who'd like to consider themselves a man should feel the same way. The thing is, it really wasn't them- It was the roids. Once everything came to a breaking point, where they were both given ultimatums, their wives were ready to leave with the kids, only then did they wise up and stop juicing. They returned to their normal selves, and neither one has ever forgiven themselves for what happened. They both became what they also considered to be less than men- They became men who hit women, and they have to live with that for the rest of their lives.
Now I'm not saying that everyone who tries roids or uses them regularly is going to start slapping mothers around. I am saying that protein shakes and healthy food don't have that possible side effect- They simply do not affect your system in that way, and the payoff in the long run is all good. I tend to think of the possibilities involved, and ask myself if it's really worth it-
Is there a chance I could react like this by introducing different substances into my system? Yes, there's a chance. I don't know for sure, but it's possible. What am I looking to get out of this experience? Larger muscles. It'd be nice to look in the mirror and be bigger. It'd be nice to go to the gym and be able to lift more weight. Is the possible trade off worth it? Not to me, no. Can I reach those goals with other means that don't carry those possible side effects? Yes.
For me, it's an open and shut case. While I'm quite sure there are tons of steroid success stories out there, I know for a fact there are also tons of not so good stories. For me, lifting is a part of a well rounded life- It's not my whole life. I have other things I want to do, and I don't want to give anything else the chance to get in the way of those things.
So, this innocent little boy's going to eat right and lift weights. I'll gain what I can through my own determination and hard work in the kitchen and the gym, along with some patience.
<message edited by cpl on Monday, May 22, 2006 3:39 PM>