Current popular interest in bodies, fitness, sport and active lifestyles, has made bodybuilding more visible and acceptable within mainstream society than ever before. However, the association between bodybuilding, drugs and risk has contributed to a negative image of an activity which many people find puzzling. Using data obtained from participant observation and interviews, this book explores bodybuilding subculture from the perspective of the bodybuilder. It looks at: * How bodybuilders try to maintain competent social identities * How they manage the risks of using steroids and other physique-enhancing drugs * How they understand the alleged steroid-violence link * How they 'see' the muscular body. Through systematic exploration it becomes apparent that previous attempts to explain bodybuilding in terms of 'masculinity-in-crisis' or gender insecurity are open to question. Different and valuable insights into what sustains and legitimizes potentially dangerous drug-taking activities are provided by this detailed picture of a huge underground subculture.

This highly topical and controversial book presents a lively re-appraisal of the current changes to the health service and analyzes their effects on the status and practice of health professionals. Modern medicine is a powerful institution. With the help of highly-developed drugs and surgical techniques, it promises to relieve suffering, improve the quality of life and extend the life-span. Conversely, it is expensive for the governments, insurance companies and individuals who pay for it and sometimes appears to be insensitive to the needs of those for whom it provides. And while recent restructuring of healthcare delivery services has provided medical practitioners with new challenges, there has been very little consideration of the range of pressures that they now face. Edited and written by experienced medical sociologists, this book draws together analysis of a number of diverse challenges to medicine, and provides original debate on the challenges posed from within medicine from nurses and managers and alternative practitioners, and from outside by self-help groups, the women’s movement and the media.

Drug abuse in sports is not a new phenomenon. It has been prevalent for many years and has been a significant threat to clean, fair competition. Public attention and media exposure has brought what was once a behind-the-scenes problem into the open. The tragic, untimely deaths of superb athletes has brought this taboo issue into sharper focus, and has made the general public gradually aware of the dangers of anabolic steroids and their alarming impact on the sports arena and society in general. Although initially confined to weightlifters and bodybuilders, anabolic steroid use and substance abuse has spread to virtually all areas of competition. The insidious nature of anabolic steroids is that their side effects are not as immediately evident as with recreational drugs. Thus the true long-term results are not recognized for the dangers they present, both physically and psychologically. These very accessible and addictive drugs, combined with the additive or sport-performance enhancement of 'ergogenic' drugs, present an ominous threat to our youth, having the potential to turn them into walking time bombs. This book documents and discusses the health aspects and ethical concerns surrounding this issue. -- from Foreword.

Anabolic steroids have traditionally been controversial in the sporting arena. Today, research indicates a dramatic increase in the use of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs outside of competitive sports. With evidence of widespread steroid abuse among the general population, health professionals are citing the emergence of an

Explores the use and abuse of high-risk performance drugs, how they effect the body, and laws that have been enacted to ban their distribution.

This book is about gym culture, the pursuit of fit, muscular bodies and the use of drugs as a means to get there. Building on the international research literature and in-depth interviews with men who have experience of image and performance enhancing drugs (IPEDs), the book explores the fascination with muscles, motivations for using drugs to enhance them, assessments of risks, and experience of side effects. The book examines what the altered body does to the men’s identity, self-image and relationships with peers and partners. Taking an evolutionary psychological approach, it also investigates the biological and psychological foundations of the fascination with the muscular body and discusses the notion of precarious manhood. Building on these analyses the book considers the political and regulatory initiatives in place to prevent the use of IPEDs and assesses those strategies’ potential to reach their aims. This is essential reading for anybody with an interest in the issue of drugs in sport, the ethics of sport, sociology of sport, sociology of the body, masculinity or public health.

William Llewellyn's ANABOLICS is the most comprehensive guide to performance-enhancing drugs ever written. This monster encyclopedia covers it all, from steroids, to growth hormone, insulin, and just about every imaginable agent in-between. With over 800 medical citations, ANABOLICS cuts right to the science. You'll learn everything there is to know about this controversial subject, from one of the most trusted experts in the field

Anabolic steroids are powerful drugs that can increase strength and body weight quickly. They are illegal without a doctor's prescription and are banned from athletics. Steroid use puts athletes at risk of being thrown out of competition, and it can cause a multitude of health problems -- even death. Despite the dangers, many people -- both men and women -- use steroids to achieve an ideal body or success in sports. In Steroids, Sports, and Body Image: The Risks of Performance-Enhancing Drugs, author Judy Monroe describes what steroids are, how they work, and why people misuse them. She highlights the disastrous effects of steroid use and steps that have been taken to curb it. And she offers an alternative for young people -- drug-free training tips to help them achieve athletic success in a healthy way. Book jacket.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse has estimated that half a million American teenagers use steroids--325,000 boys and 175,000 girls. In this absorbing volume, readers get the facts about performance-enhancing drugs and their physical and mental effects. The early use of Dianabol in weightlifting and the spread of steroids in athletics, and players who have been affected by steroids, including Lyle Alzado, Lance Armstrong, Ben Johnson, Marion Jones, Mark McGwire, and Jose Canseco, are covered. Other important topics include how steroid testing works, black market steroids and unsanitary manufacturing conditions, and depression and severe mood swings during withdrawal.