Study links steroid use to crimes, fraud

ryano

Registered User
Awards
1
  • Established
This just popped up on yahoo ...

By Will Dunham Tue Nov 7, 10:54 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Using anabolic steroids is linked to antisocial behavior such as illegal weapon possession and fraud, according a Swedish study published on Monday that provided a fresh warning about the dangers of the muscle-building drugs.
ADVERTISEMENT

But the researchers said they were somewhat surprised to find that steroid users were no more likely than nonusers to commit violent crimes such as murder and assault. Sexual offenses such as rape and property crimes also were not linked to steroid use, they found.

The researchers examined the relationship between steroids -- already associated with increased aggressiveness and impulsive violent outbursts sometimes dubbed "roid rage" -- and criminal behavior. They looked at people using steroids without a doctor's prescription.

"Our findings indicate that the use of (anabolic steroids) is associated not only with impulsive antisocial behavior but also with an antisocial lifestyle involving various types of criminality," some requiring advance planning, the researchers led by Dr. Fia Klotz of Uppsala University in Sweden wrote.

The study appears in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.

Among 241 Swedes who came up positive for steroid use out of a sample of 1,440 tested for the drugs from 1995 and 2001 at a laboratory in Huddinge, Sweden, the study found a strong connection to some criminal acts but not others.

The steroid users were roughly twice as likely to have been found guilty of a weapons crime and 1-1/2 times as likely to have been found guilty of fraud.

Anabolic steroids are drugs related to male sex hormones and can be taken through injections or orally. Many athletes, bodybuilders and others, both male and female, use steroids without a prescription to build muscle bulk and strength to look better.

SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS

Steroids can lead to serious side effects, including liver cancer, kidney disease and bad acne.

For men, steroids can shrink testicles, lower sperm count, raise prostate cancer risk and cause infertility and baldness. For women, they can cause facial hair growth, male-pattern baldness, menstrual problems and a deeper voice. They can stunt the growth of adolescents.

Researchers also have seen among steroid abusers extreme mood swings, impulsiveness, depression, paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions and impaired judgment.

The people in the Swedish study, whose average age was 20, were referred to the laboratory for drug testing by police, customs agents, substance abuse clinics and psychiatric facilities. Only three of the 214 steroid users were women.

As for the statistical association between steroid use and convictions for weapons offenses, the researchers wrote that people committing armed robberies or collecting crime-related debts might feel the need to be more muscular or heavier.

When the researchers excluded steroid users who had been referred for testing by a substance abuse clinic, the statistical link between steroids and fraud disappeared. The researchers wrote that this suggested steroids combined with other drugs might make a person more prone to commit fraud.

Swedish study links steroid use to crimes, fraud - Yahoo! News
 
UHCougar05

UHCougar05

Well-known member
Awards
1
  • Established
That last paragraph is interesting!
Interesting wasn't the first word that shot into my mind. :frustrate. Their corollary is a bit far fetched IMO.


the researchers wrote that people committing armed robberies or collecting crime-related debts might feel the need to be more muscular or heavier.
I love the inferences that they make. Just another skewed piece of anti-steroid propaganda. What a load of bull****. These guys deserve a :nutkick: for their findings.
 
bioman

bioman

Well-known member
Awards
1
  • Established
"..and bad acne."

Yeah, that's really serious. lol

I think the correlation has more to do with the fact that a steroid user is someone who is already resigned to being on the wrong side of the law. This fact may endow the steroid user population with a higher percentage of criminals.

What kind of steroid related crime do they have in Sweden? Guys getting jacked up to go knock over an IKEA or a meatball vendor?
 
Jayhawkk

Jayhawkk

Legend
Awards
2
  • Legend!
  • Established
Are steroids illegal over there? Makes a big difference.
 

ryano

Registered User
Awards
1
  • Established
Kinda off the subject...but I purchased some furniture from IKEA once and they gave me a free Swedish meatball dinner from their in house resteraunt that gave me the runs. Their lucky I wasnt on some test.
 
yeahright

yeahright

Well-known member
Awards
1
  • Established
This story is odd in a number of ways. Thanks for posting it.
 
bioman

bioman

Well-known member
Awards
1
  • Established
Which one..the steroid criminals..or the meatball induced diarhea from IKEA (it reads like a rap lyric)??
 
Iron Warrior

Iron Warrior

Registered User
Awards
1
  • Established
Hey, steroids making the headlines in a negative fashion . . . what a shock. I'd be more worried about crack-heads, e-coli in veggies, or drunk drivers but I'd feel right at home with a couple 100 juicers :)
 
yeahright

yeahright

Well-known member
Awards
1
  • Established
Which one..the steroid criminals..or the meatball induced diarhea from IKEA (it reads like a rap lyric)??
Meatball induced diarhea doesn't surprise me at all.....but the steroid criminals is odd. There's a chicken and egg issue here. These are all people who got tested....and presumably Sweden doesn't randomly test the population so these are people who have already come to the attention and custody of the authorities.....so they're already an odd slice of the population.

Then there is the steroid use associated with various crimes. Well, any illicit substance is going to be associated with crimes....that's the nature of black markets. Users are engaging in crimes in the procurement and use of the substances and have to interact with people who at some level are making their living from crimes (once you get above the casual dealer most drug criminals are also involved in other crimes).....so they imply a causative association but it could just be a correlative one.

I'd really like to know more about this study.
 

gymrat81

New member
Awards
0
A steriod criminal is ridiculous. Atleast if they're committing a burgulary. Yeah,um...I'm going to go rob the liquor store so i can buy more juice. Doesn't really hold up. No maybe if they're talking about assault. I'm seen some guys on steriods get pretty angry from time to time.
 
wastedwhiteboy2

wastedwhiteboy2

Board Supporter
Awards
1
  • Established
I supervise only felons and I rarely see somone that looks like they use steroids. I rarely see someone that looks like they workout.
 
motiv8er

motiv8er

Well-known member
Awards
1
  • Established
I supervise only felons and I rarely see somone that looks like they use steroids. I rarely see someone that looks like they workout.
WIth no offense to your felons WW2, they are probably hitting the pipe more than they are hitting the weights. My 2 cc.
 

DazzlinJack

Member
Awards
1
  • Established
sounds like good news for steroid users to me and for nonusers for everyone else!
 

TheViking

lurking AM since -04
Awards
0
I'm not surprised, really. That's the swedish phenomenon. I mean, since steroids is illegal in sweden (even prohormones, DHEA, yeah you name it) it isn't surprising you have to turn into a felony to obtain them. If you guys didn't know, sweden got one of the world's most restrictive drug laws. They got something called "nollvisionen" which can be translated into "the zero vision". That implies zero tolerance of drug use ( or rather abuse cus you cant "use" illegal drugs due to the government, only abuse them.) Well...fine. Another thing is their propaganda machine. They lie about pretty everything when it comes to drugs and roids. If you use roids you not might but will get impotent, your **** will get smaller etc. The same for smoking pot. Smoking pot will make you end up with crack. And it continues. The worst thing is that the majority of the people really believes it. Pot smokers are junkies, and roid users might stab you at any time for nothing. So yeah...it seems like a normal swedish report.

Good night gentlemen.
 
Last edited:
Dr Liftalot

Dr Liftalot

Active member
Awards
1
  • Established
Also keep in mind, there study is based in Sweden, outside of the obvious propaganda. The correlation may on exist because when something becomes illegal allot of the people still willing to partake whether its bad or not, tend to be criminals that break other laws. Where the common joe will way out the risk to gain ratio and decide that few pounds of muscle isn't worth the risk. especially with there crazy laws, you'd have to be pretty hardcore to risk taking any drugs over there and you probably won't be scared of breaking other laws.
 

ItsHectic

Registered User
Awards
1
  • Established
"Steroids raise prostate cancer risk"
The media is still publishing negative misinfomation about steroids.
 

Top