Thus, is your student athlete using steroids?

I am sure that a majority of parents first thought would be an undoubtedly, "Never!" You cannot even imagine that your son/daughter would even know where to acquire such a drug, right? Your positive in your conclusions because any evidence of drug paraphernalia (such as syringes) are absent from the home. Well what if I told you that not every steroid needs a needle and the access to oral alternatives is very much alive? What if I told you that I could walk into a local store and buy them off the shelf, or that I could make a quick purchase over the internet and delivered to my home in a matter of days, all legally?

I'm sure majority of the individuals reading this have stopped already. They have this idea in their head already that what I have stated isn't possible, nor is it true. Well it is. I've used them myself, all legally of course. My use wasn't for gaining an advantage in sport, but to improve my overall body image and self esteem. I haven't suffered any short term health effects; but, when it comes to the long term, time will only tell.

So how did I get them, and how is it legal? Well a lot has changed over the past five years from the first time I've participated. If you remember correctly, Congress passed a Prohormone ban back in 2003 and again in 2005. Prohormone is the term giving to PARTICULAR nutritional supplements to disguise what they are, steroid precursors. A steroid precursor, in a nutshell, is a chemical structure very close to the real thing. They are designed that once ingested, the body takes the appropriate action to create an active steroid in the body.

Now let me clarify something here. Not all nutritional supplements are prohormones. Not all nutritional supplements have steroid like effects. Creatine is neither a steroid nor a prohormone.

Back to the prohormone ban of '03 and '05. The reason I can walk into a nutritional store today or find on the internet these products for sale is that when Congress made these laws, they were written with very specific chemical structures and names. Chemists have made advancements and are able to loop hole this by changing the compound structure. I'm not going to list any of these current products here, right now; but as a parent, you need to be aware of the possibilities and options for your children. Do I think they can be safe to use, absolutely, but you have to understand what your taking, how it works and what the correct protocol for additional nutritional support supplements are while using it. Is there an age at which these products should or shouldn't be used, yes? Does this mean your little Jimmy or Johnny is using these type of products to help his high school football career, no? Please just be aware of what you buy, or what your kid buys, in relation to nutritional supplementation. There is a responsibility on your part to be informed, knowing that your child most likely will not take the time to understand what he or she is putting into their body.

I wish somebody would have informed me a little more about my first product. Nothing horrific happened, but I didn't properly protect myself either. I used my first prohormone at the age of 22.