Steroid Testing in High School

According to the Monitoring the Future Survey by The University of Michigan, in 2006, 2.7% of high school seniors reported they had tried steroids at least once in their lifetime.  The majority of those who fall victim to teenage steroid abuse are male athletes seeking to better their performance in sports, be more competitive in the pursuit of athletic scholarships, or to gain recognition outside of the arena. 

 Females as well as males have shockingly admitted trying steroids as early as age 11, and are said to most commonly do so for aesthetic purposes.  The charted and graphical illustrations below demonstrate some of the trends seen over the past several years.

	8th-Graders					10th-Graders				12th-Graders
	2003		2004	2005	2006	2003	2004	2005	2006	2003	2004	2005	2006
Steroid Use
Lifetime Past year Past month		2.5 1.4 0.7	1.9 1.1 0.5	1.7 1.1 0.5	1.6 0.9 0.5	3.0 1.7 0.8	2.4 1.5 0.8	2.0 1.3 0.6	1.8 1.2 0.6	3.5 2.1 1.3	3.4 2.5 1.6	2.6 1.5 0.9	2.7 1.8 1.1

Potential Risks

Although some of the side effects are minor and temporary, adolescent use can increase both severity and permanence.  All too often teens simply ignore these signals.

Anabolic Steroids can stunt the vertical growth of adolescent users. 

Epiphyseal plates located on each end of the long bones remain open permitting growth to take place.

 At the time of maturity these plates fuse, thus definitively ending the vertical growth process.  Too much additional testosterone in an adolescent user’s body can cause hormones to send false maturity messages resulting in the premature fusion of growth plates and reduction in overall height. 

Teens most likely will not have the resources to obtain the proper paraphernalia for sterilely injecting steroids.  Poor injecting techniques can lead to bacterial infections under the skin such as abscesses, cellulitis, gangrene, and excessive the formation of scar tissue.  The hazardous practice of sharing needles can present a risk of transmitting AIDS, HIV and Hepatitis B or C.



Abuse is different from addiction, and will always precede it in drug use.  This earlier incidence is why abuse is the more easily treatable and curable of the two.  Drug abuse begins when one has made the decision to use repeatedly, and if used too often drugs create associated physiological cravings within the body. 

Steriods also have an effect on the brain and can be very harmful to teens.

What is government doing?

The federal government, various associations and committees have implemented specific measures in the prevention of adolescent steroid abuse.  The “Monitoring the Future Study” chart above depicts substantial decrease in the lifetime usage of 12th graders since 2003.  The Anabolic Steroid Prevention for Teen Athletes (ATLAS) is a program that provides male, high school athlete steroid users with peer counseling, factual information and healthy alternatives.  ATLAS received the ‘Model Program Award’ from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention in 2000, and the ‘Exemplary Award from Safe and Drug Free Schools’ in 2001.  Surveys have reported a positive impact by ATLAS in the areas of drunk driving, illicit drug use.  Students who participate in the ATLAS program report higher self-esteem, better self-confidence, and greater awareness after completing the program.  In 1999 ‘Athletes Targeting Healthy Exercise and Nutrition Alternatives’ (ATHENA) was designed to reduce both the use of drugs and eating disorders in teenage girls.

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