Here’s a little history of AAS’s from 1968 through 1978, or so, as I knew.
A close college friend, whose father (who was a doctor) died, was taken under the wing of a fellow doctor close to his father. That doctor gave my friend Winstrol. My friend ran the 880 yd run in high school and was on the freshman college track team. My friend told me this in 1968. I have no idea how much, or for how long. I was just aware there were steroids that improve athletic performance.
When I was back home in January 1971, remembering about steroids, I went to my family doctor, who gave me a prescription for Dianabol, 10mg/day for 30 days. At this time I knew of no one who took “steroids” (which is the name they were referred to into the 1990’s.)
I knew of no protocol for using steroids. I was pretty much the pioneer, or guinea pig. In Jacksonville I knew of no one else taking steroids. My parents gave me their PDR, where I read all that was in the PDR for Dianabol, Winstrol, and Anavar. By 1972 I was sharing the secret to my gains with my weight training friends. I told them that all you had to do was find a doctor who would write you a prescription. Most doctors wouldn’t write for steroids, but if you looked long enough you could find one who did. Whoever found a doctor would share his name with the rest of use.
Eventually word spread to the high schools and kids starting abusing steroids, and before long (I don’t recall the year) doctors took great risk writing prescriptions for steroids, especially healthy young men. So the doctor source dried up. We found another source, but that’s another story for another time and it is pretty funny, and illegal.
As to widespread steroid use in 1971, it was anything but widespread. Hardly anyone was taking steroids. I worked out at the gym with the biggest, strongest men and I only knew about 7 or 8 that took steroids, out of a city the population of about half million.
Top competitors in 1971? That would include no one I knew. So in a city the population of half a million there were zero top competitors.
Everyone with a serious interest in the sport take steroids? That is close to 100%. Yes, the 7 or 8 weight trainers I knew. But there was always the guy, or two, who refused to put “that strange stuff in their body.”
If you’re looking for the turning point of interest in bodybuilding and steroid use, I’d have to say 1978, after the 1977 “Pumping Iron.” And then the interest in steroids increased. Until then steroids was an esoteric drug abuse, done by very few.