Steroids?
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Steroids?
Does anyone have the experience of knowing someone who has been on steroids? Over the weekend, I discovered that my supposed recovering alcoholic/ addict (ativan) husband is now injecting steroids. He came clean to me in January this year about his abuse of pills, after he had lied to me this whole last year or so after he quit drinking alcohol. In January he had said he was ready to quit everything. Yesterday, I told him I didn't know how to go about this, so I was just going to ask, how long has he been injecting steroids. He said he'd been doing it for 3 months, however, he is still in recovery/ sober b/c he doesn't see this as a mind/ mood altering drug. He says it does not get him high, it just gives him energy to work out/ lift weights. Of course, I asked him why he was hiding everything, including the evidence of his use (baggie with old needles and used alcohol pads). He told me he knew I would not see it the same way and he was only going to use it for the summer and then start on a diet. All this stuff I know is addict behavior. I asked him if his counselor or sponsor of NA knows he is on steroids and he got upset and said he didn't know he had to tell the whole world when he did something. He said that he feels that he's not allowed to tell anyone that he has no cravings for alcohol or pills b/c of how everyone then looks at him. I told him he should come to some Al Anon meetings with me to get the other perspective. To maybe try to understand why we react that way. Especially after he told me that for a long time he prayed for God to end his suffering by ending his life and he told me that he couldn't stop drinking long enough to save money to buy me an engagment ring, so when his mom offered her ring he willing to take that. Anyways... I am losing sight of what my post is really supposed to be. I want to see if anyone has experience with someone using steroids. I am also trying to see the positive in this as this is my higher power telling me that I need to be more involved with my recovery and start attending more Al Anon meetings and working on myself.
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Originally Posted by anvilhead 
how do YOU feel about your husband injecting illegal controlled substances for ANY reason?
I'm no angel!
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I would google steroids. Nasty drug. Has taken many a body builder, athlete to an early grave.
What are you doing for you? Are you going to Alanaon meetings? Have you read Codependent No More? If not, I would suggest that you consider both.
Watch his actions, they speak for themselves, words mean nothing.
Take care and keep posting and reading others posts.
What are you doing for you? Are you going to Alanaon meetings? Have you read Codependent No More? If not, I would suggest that you consider both.
Watch his actions, they speak for themselves, words mean nothing.
Take care and keep posting and reading others posts.
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Hi ksumm.......like the others have said, steroids are bad news. There is something that happens called " 'roid rage " in which the user flies into uncontrollable and violent rages. Learn all you can and please be careful.
Hugs, HG
Hugs, HG
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I don't have any experience with steriod use - but as the others have pointed out... there's certainly lots of evidence about steroids causing lots of bad behavior. Please be safe.
You need to do the next right thing for you... and I think you already know what that is...
Meetings, meetings, meetings. Get your head on straight, get your feet back underneath you... and more will be revealed.
You need to do the next right thing for you... and I think you already know what that is...
Originally Posted by ksumm77
I am also trying to see the positive in this as this is my higher power telling me that I need to be more involved with my recovery and start attending more Al Anon meetings and working on myself.
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Originally Posted by dollydo
I would google steroids. Nasty drug. Has taken many a body builder, athlete to an early grave.
What are you doing for you? Are you going to Alanaon meetings? Have you read Codependent No More? If not, I would suggest that you consider both.
Watch his actions, they speak for themselves, words mean nothing.
Take care and keep posting and reading others posts.
What are you doing for you? Are you going to Alanaon meetings? Have you read Codependent No More? If not, I would suggest that you consider both.
Watch his actions, they speak for themselves, words mean nothing.
Take care and keep posting and reading others posts.
Thank you. Yes, I am attending Al Anon meetings... increasing the amount that I go to and I have started using the telephone and calling Al Anon members to talk to. I am currently reading CoDependent No More and I am in individual and marriage counseling. Which we have marriage counseling tomorrow... thank God! I am also currently researching steroids and testosterone. Because he tried to say, It's just testosterone. But... that is a steroid and has same effect/ side effects.
I know too well that actions speak louder than words with him! Thanks for your post.
I'm no angel!
Join Date: May 2005
Location: tampa, fl
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Good for you, you are doing the right things.
I can tell you that one of my girlfriends was married to a guy on steroids, he became very violent and irrational. She ended up taking her kids and running for the hills. He died at age 45, brain tumor caused by steroid use and he had not used them for 5 years, or so he said.
That's all I know about them.
I can tell you that one of my girlfriends was married to a guy on steroids, he became very violent and irrational. She ended up taking her kids and running for the hills. He died at age 45, brain tumor caused by steroid use and he had not used them for 5 years, or so he said.
That's all I know about them.
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When I was in my 20's I ran a large health club & pool facility. One of the guys that worked for me was a beautiful man. We were friends. One day I noticed he had awful stretch marks on his body. We went out for dinner that week and I asked him about it. When he was in high school & college he was a steroid user. Was a highly talented baseball player. Then he got very sick. Large pockets of fluid on his body & fluid in his heart.
He hadn't done steroids in years, but he had serious heart problems caused by his steroid intake.
His life expectancy was seriously diminished. It was sad. Because he was a very wonderful & athletic young man. He had ruined his life for a couple of years of "what he might have been".
The pain in his voice was so hurt when he told me his story.
He hadn't done steroids in years, but he had serious heart problems caused by his steroid intake.
His life expectancy was seriously diminished. It was sad. Because he was a very wonderful & athletic young man. He had ruined his life for a couple of years of "what he might have been".
The pain in his voice was so hurt when he told me his story.
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Originally Posted by anvilhead
[I]so what are your dealbreakers? his life is still centered around taking drugs in one form or another.
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ksumm, I had cancer and my AH was so drunk he told all our neighbors I didn't even have cancer. He wasn't there for me when I needed him the most but that is what alcoholics do. I never ever thought I would be getting a divorce not after 39 years but I know if I don't I will die before him and his clock is ticking fast.
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I had cancer last year... I was shocked (at first) at the fact that my AH wasn't there for me, not one bit. But the reality is... he was just being an alcoholic... putting his drinking first. Staying married to him would mean accepting that he isn't ever going to be there for me...
I have no interest in maintaining a relationship with someone who can't/won't hold up their end of the deal. What's the point of wedding vows if your partner isn't going to keep them?
I have no interest in maintaining a relationship with someone who can't/won't hold up their end of the deal. What's the point of wedding vows if your partner isn't going to keep them?
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I have to kindly disagree with you Anvil.
A cancer patient DOES have a choice! I had a choice. A very clear one. I had a nasty mole that was cracked and bleeding. I could sit and pretend it wasn't really cracked and bleeding and hope it would just magically go away... or I could get my ass to the doctor and get it checked. Once it was diagnosed... I had more choices - follow up surgery to remove the rest, or leave it there and take a chance it spread. I chose surgery. Once the surgery was done - I had a choice to follow up with an oncologist to determine if other tests were necessary, or just assume that everything was fine. I chose to follow up... and get confirmation that they did get it all!!
And every day I have more choices... I can chose to live differently and put sunscreen on and hopefully prevent more cancerous moles, or I can chose to not use sunblock, get a sunburn and risk a relapse. I can chose to have follow-up check ups with my dermatologists - to catch any other moles before they go too far... or I can chose to not.
Even cancer patients have choices.
I think the whole "disease" label on alcoholism helps keeps codies stuck in a position of feeling like they have to stay and help. I can tell you this - if my husband had cancer and refused to do something about it... I'd have to think long and hard about staying on that sinking ship. Especially if, while the ship was going down, he was over there screaming at me and blaming me for the ship sinking.
A cancer patient DOES have a choice! I had a choice. A very clear one. I had a nasty mole that was cracked and bleeding. I could sit and pretend it wasn't really cracked and bleeding and hope it would just magically go away... or I could get my ass to the doctor and get it checked. Once it was diagnosed... I had more choices - follow up surgery to remove the rest, or leave it there and take a chance it spread. I chose surgery. Once the surgery was done - I had a choice to follow up with an oncologist to determine if other tests were necessary, or just assume that everything was fine. I chose to follow up... and get confirmation that they did get it all!!
And every day I have more choices... I can chose to live differently and put sunscreen on and hopefully prevent more cancerous moles, or I can chose to not use sunblock, get a sunburn and risk a relapse. I can chose to have follow-up check ups with my dermatologists - to catch any other moles before they go too far... or I can chose to not.
Even cancer patients have choices.
I think the whole "disease" label on alcoholism helps keeps codies stuck in a position of feeling like they have to stay and help. I can tell you this - if my husband had cancer and refused to do something about it... I'd have to think long and hard about staying on that sinking ship. Especially if, while the ship was going down, he was over there screaming at me and blaming me for the ship sinking.
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Originally Posted by ksumm77
Unfortunately, the lying and manipulativeness go along with the disease of addiction unlike other diseases and that does make it extremely difficult to be a loving wife towards my husband.
Also, do you somehow believe that if he got sober his behavior would improve? It's not always the case. I experienced it firsthand. So then there's nothing to blame the unacceptable behavior on. Then what?
L
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Originally Posted by ksumm77
I asked him if his counselor or sponsor of NA knows he is on steroids and he got upset and said he didn't know he had to tell the whole world when he did something.
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I've got to agree with getting by. I was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic about 5 years ago. Started out on 3 different types of medicine. Since then I've lost about 70 pounds and with diet and exercise I don't need any medicine to control my blood sugar.
But what if he was diabetic and in denial about that. What if he didn't take his meds and continued to eat candy and cake and all the other bad stuff that drives up your glucose. Even though he was losing circulation in his feet and his eyes and you knew amputations were down the road as well as blindness? If he was doing nothing to help himself then why should you feel the need to help him?
It is a disease but it is treatable by the person who has it. Just like type 2 diabetes.
But if he had cancer or diabetes, I would not want to leave him for the sole fact of him being sick.
It is a disease but it is treatable by the person who has it. Just like type 2 diabetes.
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addicting as all
I'm a lifetime gym rat/worker outer and dealing with an alcoholic(among other things) on the juice. I've seen too many different steroid user scnerios that don't end well.
Steroids will wind up being just as addictive as anything if not more so. What happens after prolonged use is that your body gets fooled by the steroids and starts cutting off or stops producing it's own supply of various hormones. Now you need more steroids to compensate for this. A user will probably wind up escalating use or stacking(combining other steroids as well)-all this takes money. See where this is going.
Throw in all the various side effects like fluid retention, high bp, agitation, weakend bones, stressed liver and kidneys etc prolonged use of steroids will not end well. Endurance or a fast recovery is one of the main effects of steroids. But again, it fools your body. Muscle adapts pretty fast in as little as 96 hours or 4 days but adapting the bones, ligaments and tendons to the same stresses can take weeks if not months.
But you can achieve endurance without steroids. It will take a little longer. I would start with a cardiovascular endurance based program then go for some strength. Natural might take a little longer but the effects will be just as beneficial.
I'd throw in a light vitamin program as well, B complex, C and E in LOW doses after meals. Also a basic multi vitamin. There's all sorts of legal supplements but the more you take the more you become like an addict either mentally or physically.
There are reasons besides cheating in sports steroids are prescription pharmacuetical. Stay away.
Steroids will wind up being just as addictive as anything if not more so. What happens after prolonged use is that your body gets fooled by the steroids and starts cutting off or stops producing it's own supply of various hormones. Now you need more steroids to compensate for this. A user will probably wind up escalating use or stacking(combining other steroids as well)-all this takes money. See where this is going.
Throw in all the various side effects like fluid retention, high bp, agitation, weakend bones, stressed liver and kidneys etc prolonged use of steroids will not end well. Endurance or a fast recovery is one of the main effects of steroids. But again, it fools your body. Muscle adapts pretty fast in as little as 96 hours or 4 days but adapting the bones, ligaments and tendons to the same stresses can take weeks if not months.
But you can achieve endurance without steroids. It will take a little longer. I would start with a cardiovascular endurance based program then go for some strength. Natural might take a little longer but the effects will be just as beneficial.
I'd throw in a light vitamin program as well, B complex, C and E in LOW doses after meals. Also a basic multi vitamin. There's all sorts of legal supplements but the more you take the more you become like an addict either mentally or physically.
There are reasons besides cheating in sports steroids are prescription pharmacuetical. Stay away.
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Originally Posted by ksumm77
But if he had cancer or diabetes, I would not want to leave him for the sole fact of him being sick.
What if you were with someone with diabetes who informed you, "I'm going to eat five more sugar-filled cupcakes and wash them down with three cans of Coke. Then I'm going to play the victim when you ask me why I'm purposely sabotaging my health, and turn it around to blame it on you for letting me see the cupcakes and Coke, and tell you that if it kills me it will be your fault for not doing more for me."
What if someone with cancer told you, "Instead of going to the doctor, or following any treatment plans, or just deciding that I don't want to go through radiation therapy and just want to live out what time I have as fully as possible - I'm just going to sit around and do nothing but make everyone around me miserable by complaining about fate."
How would you feel about remaining in their life?
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Steroids are very bad for the heart, like permanent damage bad. If he tells his physician he is using them (which he won't), his doctor will be able to explain why steroids are dangerous.
Understandably it puts you in a position to try to help him see this. But it won't matter so don't even try.
I think people that go the steroid route have other issues besides addict behavior (body dysmorphia) that probably go beyond AA or NA. Is he in therapy of any kind or just goes to meetings?
Ugh I feel for you. There is something about the addict's mind which usually has so many other mental health issues that overlap and intersect so he definately needs professional help.
Understandably it puts you in a position to try to help him see this. But it won't matter so don't even try.
I think people that go the steroid route have other issues besides addict behavior (body dysmorphia) that probably go beyond AA or NA. Is he in therapy of any kind or just goes to meetings?
Ugh I feel for you. There is something about the addict's mind which usually has so many other mental health issues that overlap and intersect so he definately needs professional help.
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Originally Posted by Babyblue
Understandably it puts you in a position to try to help him see this. But it won't matter so don't even try.
I think people that go the steroid route have other issues besides addict behavior (body dysmorphia) that probably go beyond AA or NA. Is he in therapy of any kind or just goes to meetings?
Ugh I feel for you. There is something about the addict's mind which usually has so many other mental health issues that overlap and intersect so he definately needs professional help.
Yes, he was seeing a counselor individually, but I don't think he's going on a regular basis... which doesn't help. He does have issues with how he views his body. Growing up his dad was physically and verbally abusive and would call him fat; so he still has a lot of healing that he has not been able to do yet.
It is so easy for others to say to leave, not put up with it, etc, but when you love someone it is difficult to do that.
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