being high isnt a necessity of any/every addiction…
people here say that steroids aren’t addictive but the results of steroids are… well the same could be said for cocaine, or speed… it isnt the drug that is addictive, but the results from the drug on the bodys chemistry… specifically its dopamine and seratonin reuptake and secretion.
THAT can be very… more-ish!
Heroin is very addictive in much more than its withdrawals… the psychological addiction is many times worse than the physical.
So with that information, are steroids mentally addictive?
Well… do any of us feel we NEED to take the drug in order to complete some of life’s normal or supra-normal tasks? I’d have to say yes… we do… whether that is a meet, or simply being Alpha Male in the boardroom or bedroom.
Have many of us continued to use AAS in the face of health issues? yes… we ALL use steroids even though we are faced with various side effects that we either try to counter with OTHER drugs or we simply put up with.
HOWEVER, this is not my belief. The psycho-addiction that results from the drugs i mentioned above is a whole world different to the repeated use of AAS. Those drugs convince you that you need it in very complex manipulations. They make you feel very very ‘wrong’ without the drug - which is not endogenous to the human body in that exact form (although the neurochemicals and hormones that are affected are…).
Whereas Test when removed from the body causes specific problems, as it IS endogenous to the body… in males and females. Remove all test’rone from either sex and the deficiency is apparent.
This isnt addiction. Nowhere near. It is necessity… it is like removing someones leg and claiming we are addicted to legs.
I would say that steroid use could be considered addictive… but only by those who dont understand the term addiction and the actions of testosterone.
It is about as addictive to a 45 year old guy as insulin is to a type I diabetic. Testosterone is a main hormone in the human physiology… addictive? Probably not. An absolute necessity? Absolutely.
What about above supra-physiological use of testosterone in otherwise healthy males? That is a deep question, and IF said male does ‘supplement’ with test over a prolonged period, then TRT will be needed for the long term anyway… bringing us to the points made above.
I think in some people the use of supra-phys amounts of exo test could be considered addictive… think the guys who shoot 1-3 grams of test weekly for 8-10 months of the year and have never showed in their lives… the ones who use cocaine and smoke cigs… then it is all part of a recreational lifestyle where ALL drugs are used to maintain the illusion of a good genetic pool (large muscles, fertile, confident, fun, charismatic, successful… etc. etc.).
I have met many a guy who used like this… these are the bodybuilding psychos who know little about AAS use and less about bodybuilding. the ones who sell drugs and run a few guns.
In those it could be considered addictive… but only because EVERY substance that passes their liver is another means to their own end.
To conclude, i dont think that testost is addictive in the majority - i think that it can be used negatively in those who choose to… but so can water. Or air. Or a shoe.
JJ