Regardless of whether it is considered right or wrong in athletics, there are plenty of documented health risks and side effects associated with steroids. In addition to this there is the abuse potential and the possibility of leading to addiction to other drugs as well. While recent studies indicate that 90% of high school students view steroid use as dangerous, there has been a 50% increase in the number of teens who have tried steroids since 1991. Overall, the prevalence of lifetime illegal steroid use among students in grades 9-12 is higher among males (6.8%) than females (5.3%). Teenagers that use steroids are more likely to engage in other risky behaviors as well.  One study found that teen steroid users were more likely to use alcohol and illicit drugs, practice risky sex and engage in suicidal behavior. When dealing with addiction, to steroids or any other drugs, it is important to handle the situation without using more chemicals that alter the body. Though it sounds simple, too many treatment programs assign addiction the label of being a brain disease and therefore attempt to treat the problem with more drugs to “restore balance.”

There is one program that is currently operating in 40 countries and rapidly expanding due to its effectiveness. It is a treatment and education organization called Narconon which utilizes the successful drug-free rehabilitation methodology researched and developed by American author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard.

Narconon Arrowhead is the largest center in the international Narconon network, and according to an Arrowhead representative, “We do see a number of people that have become addicted to stimulants such as cocaine, crack and methamphetamine as a result of their steroid use.”

An athletic boost in the short term may mean health problems in the long term for teens who use performance-enhancing drugs, warns a youth sports medicine specialist from the University of Michigan Health System

Proposed a warning label for all ephedra-containing dietary supplements. The proposed label warns about the risks of serious adverse events, including seizure, heart attack, stroke, and even death.

Parents don't have to sit helplessly by when they suspect -- or know -- their child is using a performance-enhancing drug. They should find out why their child is interested in using drugs and where the pressure is coming from. Is he or she getting wrong information from peers or from somebody at the gym?

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has made an announcement that a series of actions aimed at protecting US citizens from the potential grave risks associated with dietary supplements that contain ephedra.

Leading research scientists are saying  that the detection of EPO and HGH abuse is quite difficult because they appear only in very very small quantities in body fluids. EPO increases oxygen uptake to the working muscles, and HGH improves muscle growth.

The average layperson might think age 10 a bit of a stretch. But according to several drug-use experts at The University of Montana, ergogenics aren't just for college and professional athletes. Their use starts as early as middle school and is common among high school athletes.

The toxicology report on Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Steve Bechler released today implicates the use of the herbal supplement ephedra in his death, and underscores once more the dangers of ephedra use, particularly when combined with other risk factors.

Wadler, who is attending the ACSM Annual Meeting in St. Louis this week, said that the subject of steroid use in baseball peaked in 1998, when Mark McGwire admitted to the use of the testosterone precursor, androstenedione.

Many physicians feel that some dietary supplements' should be considered drugs' because they contain known active ingredients, whereas dietary supplements' have little or no physiologic effects.