Don't Go Down That 'Roid Road

March 19, 2005 — -- On the street it's called "juicing," and what they "juice" are " ' roids," "stackers," "gym candy" or "pumpers." People use them so they can dominate a sport. Some guys use them because they want to have the kind of muscular build women swoon over.

You know what we're talking about. Steroids. The sports world's once dirty little secret that has now broken wide open.

The scientific name is anabolic (muscle building) androgenic (increased masculine characteristics) steroids. These substances don't occur naturally. They are manmade and related to the male hormone testosterone. They can be injected or taken orally or rubbed on as a cream. We're talking about the stuff that makes a man or woman bigger, stronger and more aggressive.

Steroids are legally prescribed for the medical treatment of AIDS patients whose bodies are wasting away and victims of other diseases that cause the loss of lean muscle tissue. But when athletes and young aspiring athletes find out what steroids can do for their performance on a field, they take the drugs illegally and abusively.

The pressure to "juice" in the sports world is enormous. In baseball, it could mean hitting 40 home runs a season instead of 25, which in turn could mean a $25 million contract instead of a $10 million one.

So what's the problem?

Steroids are illegal and can be hazardous to your health. A recent ABC News/ESPN poll found that more than eight in 10 Americans are worried that the use of steroids by sports stars encourages young people to try to emulate their heroes by taking steroids themselves. The public places much of the blame on baseball. Six in 10 Americans say major league baseball hasn't done enough to prevent the use of the drugs by their players. That's why Congress held hearings into the problem.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that as many as 12 percent of male high school athletes used steroids by their senior year. They want the power, the bodies and the fame with little regard to anything else, including their health.