Hogans return
New member
Addiction is a state characterized by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli, despite adverse consequences. It can be thought of as a disease or biological process leading to such behaviors.
Gear. Just another addiction ??
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Hogans return
New member
Also addiction is addiction physical or mental There is a differance however between addiction and physical dependence
That is a physical addiction if you try to compare test or ten to heroin or crack you cant. If you want to talk about a mental addiction and that "on" feeling you can most def have a mental addiction. I have mental sanctification when im on gear and every time I eat a var I get that mental high of taking it. When im off gear I fean for it im fighting to not touch it at least for another year. Im also addicted to the gym thats a physical and mental addiction because I have insane amounts of "good" feeling hormones and chemicals released in my brain when I workout I feel high/drunk in the gym I am mentally and physically addicted to it.
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Megatron28
Moderator
Addiction: a state characterized by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli despite adverse consequences
What is the adverse consequence in going to the gym?
weavy88
New member
steroids are most certainly psychologically addictive. Try running a few cycles, get used to the way you see yourself, and then stop taking them all together. As you watch yourself shrivel back into an normal human being, you will definitely want to go back on. Also, addiction is defined by: "a state characterized by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli, despite adverse consequences"
That's the thing to remember. Most of us here probably are living HEALTHIER lives as a result of our steroid use, diets and regular exercise.
That's the thing to remember. Most of us here probably are living HEALTHIER lives as a result of our steroid use, diets and regular exercise.
halfwit
I like turtles.
Hate to break it to you, but that feeling of wellness is a physical condition too. It's called dopamine.
I really can't believe that folks are still debating this. I'm going to lay it down really straight forward, answer this one question, and you'll understand why AAS is NOT addicting:
Do you take AAS to escape from your current situation in life, and if you had to stop tomorrow (TRT guys go back to just TRT), could you?
I promise you that ANYONE that has truly been down the path of addiction knows EXACTLY where I'm coming from with this question. It's not just a matter of feeling "good", it's a matter of a substance OVERRIDING all the bad in your life when you're on it. This is (on top of chemical dependency) a HUGE part of why it's so hard to kick the habit.
There would no cycling if AAS were addicting.
Yes, some folks have issues with control, but that does not make something addictive at all. Impulse control is one of the main reasons why young kids shouldn't be touching this stuff anyway.
Sorry guys, I'm glad those of you that were able to give up whatever crutch you had were able to do so, but please don't project images of addiction and helplessness on AAS. It has enough stigmas as-is, and really doesn't need more.
dialtone
Moderator
This is a great thread and a topic we've discussed for years. Many of you hit the nail on the head when you questioned the definition of 'addiction.' As a psychologist, I see this term get thrown around a lot and always erroneously. Addiction is not a disease. It is not something that you have. It is a description of a pattern of behaviors that are multiply maintained and produce a variety of consequences - some good, some bad. I brush my teeth three times a day and sometimes I'm late for work because of it. Excessive behavior, good and bad consequences...addiction? The term leads us to believe that there is an external force or a separate entity that is responsible for our actions, beyond ourselves. I cough because I have a cold, therefore I use drugs because I have an addition...right? Wrong. I use drugs and we call that an addiction. It's a description, not a cause. An obvious example - I used to smoke cigarettes. Would I ever say that I "had" something that made me smoke? No, of course not. I smoked and therefore I said I was addicted. But again, I was just describing what I was doing.
Yes, you can become "addicted" to anything - anything in which you continue to behave with respect to that produces some positive effects concurrently with negative effects. But that's life and that's everything that we do. So no, as traditionally defined or understood - you are not "addicted" to steroids, however you may behave excessively with respect to them. It's only a problem, as with anything in life (i.e. social networking, TV, food, nicotine, shopping), when it begins negatively affecting other parts of your life.
Yes, you can become "addicted" to anything - anything in which you continue to behave with respect to that produces some positive effects concurrently with negative effects. But that's life and that's everything that we do. So no, as traditionally defined or understood - you are not "addicted" to steroids, however you may behave excessively with respect to them. It's only a problem, as with anything in life (i.e. social networking, TV, food, nicotine, shopping), when it begins negatively affecting other parts of your life.
Its a positive addiction
Hate to break it to you, but that feeling of wellness is a physical condition too. It's called dopamine.
I really can't believe that folks are still debating this. I'm going to lay it down really straight forward, answer this one question, and you'll understand why AAS is NOT addicting:
Do you take AAS to escape from your current situation in life, and if you had to stop tomorrow (TRT guys go back to just TRT), could you?
I promise you that ANYONE that has truly been down the path of addiction knows EXACTLY where I'm coming from with this question. It's not just a matter of feeling "good", it's a matter of a substance OVERRIDING all the bad in your life when you're on it. This is (on top of chemical dependency) a HUGE part of why it's so hard to kick the habit.
There would no cycling if AAS were addicting.
Yes, some folks have issues with control, but that does not make something addictive at all. Impulse control is one of the main reasons why young kids shouldn't be touching this stuff anyway.
Sorry guys, I'm glad those of you that were able to give up whatever crutch you had were able to do so, but please don't project images of addiction and helplessness on AAS. It has enough stigmas as-is, and really doesn't need more.
But the fact that people go on and off and on and off and cannot every put them down forever or do them once speaks for it self which is why people mess them selves up and are on trt for life because they formed a habit.
Feelings of well being whole "on" can and will be addiction to those who have addiction problems. People can get addicted to video games and crappy food. I think steroids are 10 times more addicting than those combine. I think we all can agree feeling good is addicting which is why people do drugs and some steroids make you feel really good which is addicting you guys are trying to compare test with meth there is no comparison there but that's no what we are saying.
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Megatron28
Moderator
Doesn't work that way by definition. You wipe your ass after taking a shit every day. Are you "addicted" wiping your ass or do you simply do it because it is good hygiene?
Dreaded Pirate Roberts
Administrator
Lets define addiction as chemical dependency. Steroids can be habit forming but do not form a chemical dependency in there users. Weak minded people fill this world. Do you exercise self mastery?
Mprtz
New member
Usually nothing. But if you go to the gym even though you have an injury that deep down you know you should be resting, then you might consider this to be a sign of addiction.
halfwit
I like turtles.
You continue to use the word addicted/addiction; this is an obsession. Dialtone said it far better than I could have; it's a description for a behavior, not a driving force that beckons you to make a helpless choice.
I'll give you another example, hopefully this one makes more sense to you: Do you ever have to choose between eating and AAS? How about going about your day to day functions?
No, of course not. That's because you have an obsession (like most of us do) with reaching a goal, and AAS/resistance training/diet is a means/tool to reach that goal. Have I done some really stupid things in order to reach my goal? Yep. I've taken more drugs than I should have, and gotten very sick -- but I wasn't forced to by any means, I simply fell into the mindset of "more is better". I am currently on a couple grams of gear right now, yet I don't have the choice of whether I'm going to pin or go to work taken from me. I don't have the choice of going to the gym over another important facet of my life removed from my cognitive grasp either.
I make that choice; consciously and willingly because I have a target that I am willing to face some consequences in order to reach. That doesn't mean I'm addicted by any stretch of the imagination, it just means I have an obsession with reaching my goals. This is FAR different than when I would find any and all reasons to complain to my doctor about pain because I wanted to get high from opiates as they made the pain of the world go away. I lied, pushed loved ones away, and would have stolen if need be in order to keep that going. I feel it trivializes that true struggle when something as benign as AAS is even remotely hinted at in the same breath.
For the record, I still use chewing tobacco. Am I addicted to it? I feel that I'm just too weak to completely absolve myself of the substance that does absolutely nothing positive for me. Just not the same animal at all.
Or a means to an end in a careless attempt to "work through the pain". If it hurts, I stop. But I'd be lying if I said that had always been the case - but I still would classify that as more of an obsession than addiction.
Hogans return
New member
The amount of negative consequences an action brings shouldn't decide weather or not it's an addiction or obsession. If my doc gives me 120 OC's a month am I any less an addict , than the man who steals to feed his habit
I'm very glad you posted this thread Hogan. I'm a recovering alcoholic, and a recovering drug addict and I have been very concerned about this. When I started recovering I read tons about the disease alcoholism, and being an alcoholic means that your brain reacts differently to others when your serotonin or dopamine levels are elevated by drinking or using drugs, you crave for more and show obsessive and compulsive behavior towards those substances. This has sadly been my experience with alcohol and recreational drugs.
But I think that recovering alcoholics or drug users that have gotten their life back together can use AAS without problems. If you do have problems, just back out.
I have a question though, do AAS increase serotonin and/or dopamine levels in the brain?
A lot of people describe the good feeling that AAS (Dbol for example) give you, so I'm just wondering.
But I think that recovering alcoholics or drug users that have gotten their life back together can use AAS without problems. If you do have problems, just back out.
I have a question though, do AAS increase serotonin and/or dopamine levels in the brain?
A lot of people describe the good feeling that AAS (Dbol for example) give you, so I'm just wondering.
Sorry, read over page 2 and got my answers.
halfwit
I like turtles.
It's the purpose of the action that IMHO determines the intent - whether it's self-defeating or not. I was recently hospitalized for a condition that causes tremendous pain. I was hooked up to an IV and received a steady stream of narcotics that allowed me to even breathe, nonetheless sleep or function. Once the condition subsided, I was offered a generous stash of pills to take home with me in case it resurfaced.
I asked for a small amount instead, much to his surprise, and used them for two days - because they serve zero purpose besides alleviating pain. I could have easily walked out the door with a script for 4x the amount, but once the pain is over - it's just begging to fall back into abuse, and then addiction. I swore I would never again allow that to happen, and never will.
I don't have that concern in the slightest with AAS. It's a tool, nothing more. I don't feel compelled to pin 5ml of oil, I don't get all excited on pin days because I'm magically going to turn into something else, and I certainly don't crave any sort of high that comes from injecting myself. I do it because I'm laser-focused on my goals, and I know that it's impossible to reach them without such.
Hell, life would be a LOT less work if I didn't have such an obsession! I can't think of any other group of drugs that actually requires effort to see the results. My high comes from knowing that I have bettered myself and have made ridiculous progress over the years - can't say I know any addicts that feel proud in the slightest regarding their use.
Maybe I'm just too personally invested in this topic, and need to just let it go to the "we all have different opinions" bucket in my mind's eye.
As alcoholics we have addicted personalities. We get addicted to things much easier then others so we have to keep ourselves in check and constantly take our own inventory. You have to ask yourself, is your life unmanageable and out of control ? And don't justify your answer. Be honest with yourself. Most of us just switch addictions as you should tell by now I'm alcoholic. Ibe been sober for bout 5 years. I cycle twice a year and now on trt so blast n cruise. I also live on my own, raise my kids, pay all my bills even the ones from the past. I sponcer people and go to Church and read the Bible.its a thin line were walking. I have someone in my life I tell everything to and she tells me when I start to go on the wrong direction.its important to keep doing the things we did to get sober, keep a strong relationship with our higher power and be honest with ourselves. Check your inventory often and be careful.
