No sweat? Teens are swept up in roid rage

Summary

I read your article on steroids (June 2) . . . The story you told of the two boys is exactly like mine. My friend and I discovered steroids about a year ago. We were both playing football, and we found that steroids improved our play. Not only did they help us on the field, but off it as well. We look great, we're big kids, and I love it . . .—Unsigned e-mail.

I read your article on steroids (June 2) . . . The story you told of the two boys is exactly like mine. My friend and I discovered steroids about a year ago. We were both playing football, and we found that steroids improved our play. Not only did they help us on the field, but off it as well. We look great, we're big kids, and I love it . . . — Unsigned e-mail.

MEMO TO HIGH SCHOOLS: You have a problem. Anabolic steroids are becoming the rage among teens.

Last week a teacher told me that she believes steroids are rampant in her high school. A football player from another high school said many of his teammates use them. Last month two teen users told me that they know of at least a half-dozen classmates who do them. The above e-mail writer knows "for sure of nine kids that did them last (football) season and four that are doing them for next year. I bet more did them, though."

According to a 2001 survey cited by the Los Angeles Times, 3.7 percent of high school seniors have used steroids — up from 2.5 percent in 2000. Who knows what the numbers are this year. Another survey of 44,000 students at 424 schools revealed that disapproval of steroid use among seniors fell from 88.8 percent in 2000 to 68.4 percent in 2001.<[>

. . . It seems like more than any other year steroids have become huge this year . . . Kids on the junior varsity . . . are on them, (and) most of my friends are on them . . . I just wanted to tell you that your article applies to a lot of people, and that pretty much our story is all the same.

It had to come to this. Do you think kids don't notice robo-size Major League Baseball players swatting home runs? That they're oblivious when Ken Caminiti and Jose Canseco say they use roids and that many of their peers use them, too? All you need to know about such influences is this: When Mark McGwire admitted that he used "andro," sales of the stuff skyrocketed.

I am not really scared of the side effects of steroids because the really dangerous ones come from years of steroid use. I will admit that I have seen some side effects in myself and friends, like roid rage and acne. I get mad very easily, and I have acne all over my back. It is worth it to me, though.

Now what? If teens already understand the risks — if they see side effects when they look in the mirror — and they still use steroids, what do we try next to persuade them not to take roids?

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