One avenue of recovery therapy that people often turn to in McLean Virigina is physical fitness.  Getting back into shape, pushing yourself to be the best that you can be, and building muscle can assist in staying sober.  Sometimes, though, people can become obsessed with getting bigger, and start looking at steroids to help them build mass.  The question then is, are you still sober if you take steroids?

 

Before this question is answer, you first need to have an understanding of what steroids are, what they are intended for, and if you require a prescription for them.

 

What are steroids?

Steroids are drugs which are used to boost natural male hormones in the body.  Often, adults use the drugs to treat impotence, and the drugs can also be used to treat muscle wasting caused by disease.  It is common for people who have been sick for a long time to be given steroids by their doctor.

 

When steroids promote muscle mass, they can also develop male characteristics in those who use the drug.  These can sometimes include violent or aggressive behavior when the drugs are abused.

 

Are you still sober if you take steroids?

Steroids can be used in recovery if they have been prescribed by a doctor and are taken for a short time for a health issue.  The problem is that most who use steroids take them so that they can alter their body composition, and do so without a prescription.

 

The answer to the question of whether you are still sober if you take steroids is no.  Any drug which you take to alter your mood or enhance performance means that you are no longer in sobriety.  

 

Taking steroids as you have a medical condition which requires that you be healed by a drug is sobriety, as long as it is only take as directed.

 

Steroids, like other drugs, may be abused and can lead to addiction.

 

Causes of addiction to steroids

When people are asked why they abused steroids, the most common answer is to improve their athletic performance.  The second most common response is to gain muscle size and reduce body fat.  Does this sound familiar?

 

Addiction to steroids is similar in many ways to addiction to other drugs.  It begins with a distorted idea of reality, and a wish to see quick results, without putting in the hard work required.  Sometimes, the hard work which is involved in resting and allowing your body to build muscle naturally.  With meth addicts, they also need time to rest and feel more energized, and not take more drugs.

 

Instead of looking to rest to see results, some start taking drugs of all kinds despite signs that they have a problem.

 

Signs of addiction to steroids

 

Signs of addiction to steroids are much like signs of other addictions to drugs and alcohol

• Taking steroids despite having negative consequences in finances, relationships and health
• Having withdrawal symptoms when not taking steroids
• Hiding steroid use from doctors, family and friends
• Taking part in risky and illegal activities in an effort to get more steroids
• Unwillingness to talk about steroid use when asked

 

Withdrawal symptoms from steroids

Steroid abuse tends to first be noticed when the user experiences withdrawal symptoms.  These symptoms can include mood swings, depression, fatigue, insomnia, loss of appetite, reduction in sex drive and cravings for steroids.  Depression is the most serious of these, as it can lead people to have suicidal thoughts.  Some people have reported attempting suicide as a result of extreme depression following steroid use lasting more than a year.

 

Alongside suicidal thoughts, people who are in withdrawal might turn to other substances to help relieve discomfort.  For those who are in recovery, this can prove fatal.  Overdose happens frequently when someone who has been sober for a long time, as this person does not have the same tolerance to drugs as they used to.

 

If you or someone that you know who is in recovery begins abusing steroids, they should consider treatment.  Intensive outpatient program can help those who have been abusing steroids to come off steroids, and look at the underlying reasons why they were abusing the steroids.

 

If the person who has been taking steroids attends an intensive outpatient program, it means that they will be able to go to work or attend college as they normally would have done, and then participate in treatment at times that they are free.