Anabolic Steroid Use During the last decade, anabolic steroid abuse has become a national concern. These drugs are used illicitly by weightlifters, bodybuilders, long-distance runners, cyclists, and others who claim that these drugs give them a competitive advantage and/or improve their physical appearance. Overall, steroid use by young people remains alarmingly high. According to the 1999 Monitoring the Future Study, the percentage of eighth, tenth, and twelfth graders who reported using steroids at least once in their lives has increased steadily over the past four years (an average of 1.8 percent in 1996, by 2.1% 1997, by 2.3% Concerns about the growing illicit market and prevalence of abuse, combined with the possibility of long-term harmful effects of steroid use, led Congress in 1991 to place anabolic steroids in Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The CSA defines anabolic steroids as any drug or hormonal substance chemically and pharmacologically related to testosterone (other than estrogens, progestins, and corticosteroids) that promotes muscle growth. Most illicit anabolic steroids are sold in gyms, competitions and through postal operations for the most part, these substances are smuggled into this country. Those commonly found on the illicit market include: boldenone (Equipoise), ethlestrenol (Maxibolin), fluxoymesterone (Halotestin), methandriol, methandrostenolone (Dianabol), methyltestosterone, nandrolone (Durabolin, DecaDurabolin), oxandrolone (Anavar), oxymetholone (Anadrol), stanozolol (Winstrol), testosterone and trenbolone (Finajet). Furthermore, a number of ... half of the document ...... Lifetime" or "always used" refers to use at least once during a respondent's lifetime. "Last year" refers to consumption of drug use by an individual at least once during the year preceding the survey response. “Past month” refers to drug use by an individual at least once during the month preceding the survey response Anabolics are artificial versions of a hormone found in all of us: testosterone. (That's right, testosterone is present in both girls and boys.) Testosterone not only brings out male sexual traits, but also makes muscles grow in some people they take anabolic steroid pills or injections to try to build muscles faster ("Anabolic" means growing or building.)But these steroids also have other effects in the brain and body that increase the risk of disease and can affect the mood.