Pubdate: Wed, 13 Jun 2001
Source: Fort St. James Courier
Box 1298  366 Stuart Drive  Vanderhoof, B.C., V0J 1P0
Fax: 250-996-7973
Website: http://www.caledoniacourier.com/
Contact: STEROIDS TAINT COMPETITION, PRESSURE YOUTH TO 'DOPE FOR SUCCESS'

Over one hundred thousand steroid caplets and vials were intercepted in 
four busts  within seven days at Vancouver airport two weeks ago.

The illegal drug that is usually made of animal testosterone and causes 
muscles to grow, is used primarily by athletes and body builders who are 
looking to gain muscle mass and strength quickly or win in sporting 
competitions.

Roid ragers, as they are often referred to, not only put themselves at risk 
by using unregulated products, said local health and fitness experts Carrie 
Beck and Erin Einarson of Results Gym. Steroids tax the heart, intestines 
and liver as they go to work on every muscle in the body.

"Steroid abuse makes you physically and psychologically reliant. It becomes 
your sole reason for getting bigger and bigger, and then the notions of 
healthy eating and exercise get tossed out," said Einarson.

Exercise and proper eating can not only help you to look good. They are 
what keep your heart and body strong and working for you. In addition, 
doing regular weight bearing exercises can stop osteoporosis later in life, 
Einarson adds.

SportMedBC conducted a survey on steroid use among youth in 1998 that 
became the subject of a national conference in February 2001 on 'doping in 
sport among youth in Canada.'

Results indicated that 17.5 per cent of youth had had it suggested to them 
that they use certain substances to improve athletic performance, whether a 
coach, teammate or friend. The percentage was highest among boys ages 16 
and over.

Twenty-seven per cent of students ages 16 and over personally knew someone 
who uses steroids. About one in three students (34.2%) had thought about 
using drugs to increase his or her athletic abilities.

"Young athletes who use these substances believe it is the only way to keep 
up with the competition and even their odds of winning, whatever the 
risks," the SportMedBC survey report said.

The report identified several performance-related reasons that induce youth 
to take doping substances: it enables them to sustain longer, to have more 
intense training sessions, to delay the onset of fatigue, to improve their 
reflexes and reaction time, to increase their strength and speed, to alter 
their weight and muscle mass, and to increase their competitiveness.

What they don't realize, is that using steroids can have unpleasant, 
harmful side effects and even fatal consequences, said Carrie Beck and Erin 
Einarson.

Your stomach may start to stick out, men can get breasts, a high voice and 
can lose  their testicles. Women can grow facial hair, get a lower voice, 
lose her clitoris. Both men and women who use steroids may experience major 
paranoia, rages, mood swings and manic/depressive behaviour.

It doesn't stop there, they add. You can die. Steroids are like diuretics 
and laxatives. They tax and deplete your body of its natural capacity to 
function "and you up and croak," said Einarson.

Einarson and her mother, Beck, have competed in body building competitions 
in the past. Einarson came in second in the Prince George Prolab Classic 
light-weight category and Beck came in third in the Masters and 
middle-weight category. That competition  was clean, except for women using 
diuretics to deplete the water in their bodies so muscles would be more 
pronounced. This in itself can cause death from dehydration or kidney 
damage, said Beck.

The ladies competed once in Vancouver at a non-drug tested competition. 
They say  that that is the last time they will do that.

"Vancouver is a major centre. You have a lot more access to steroids. The 
atmosphere  at that competition was people who were totally into 
themselves, it wasn't about body building. Some were totally diureticed-out 
and emaciated. Others were doing cocaine behind the stage and told us 
they'd only been body building for one month. It was totally discouraging, 
especially when you put years into doing it the healthy way. Not only is it 
very hard to compete against people who use illegal means, it destroys the 
healthy, fun atmosphere of the competition," said Beck.

Beck and Einarson describe steroid users as people who are more concerned 
about how others see them, than how they see themselves. "They are amateurs 
from the bigger centres who are pushing to move up and don't care how they 
get there, they just want to get there."

The healthy mind and body attitude gets lost in the "desire to win at any 
cost; to surpass oneself before a demanding audience, pressure from 
sponsors, sports federations, or the media," the SportMed BC survey surmised.

Beck and Einarson are optimistic though. Body building is becoming big in 
Canada. A national team is being put together. The focus on success through 
genetics, talent and drive is being reinforced in bigger, drug-tested 
national events that are happening now, they say.

At Results Gym they sell protein supplements containing whey and egg 
whites. These are safe, natural products that put amino-acids back into 
muscles that have been broken down from a work-out. They do not do anything 
that a normal high-protein diet  wouldn't do, but today people are often 
too busy to get that well-balanced diet, says Einarson.

"There is stuff on the market that is very close to being like what 
steroids are. The Canadian market is strict though, and most of this stuff 
gets into the U.S."

Working out and body-building should be for you, not for others, say 
Einarson and Beck. "You've got to work with your genetics. Eat well, 
exercise regularly and remember that you don't have to have a 'perfect 
body' to be in awesome shape."