To anyone who thinks they haved "learned" enough about PH's and AAS at the age of 18:
You have a lot to learn, about life in general.
I'm not trying to talk down to anyone here, but some of the positions stated by 18 yr olds as to why they should use PH's or AAS's are really starting to make my skin crawl. Do whatever the h*ll you want, dude. That know-it-all attitude turns to sh*t pretty quickly when things dont work out as planned and you dont know what to do. If you want a link to a young kid who was "educated" about the correct way to use PH's (and by educated I mean he read the same B.S. about Liv52, Nolva, and the rest of the reccomendations that your trusted "Broffessor" has to offer) and still wound up in a bad place, I'll find one for you. They aren't that hard to find. It happens quite often.
The fact of the matter is, you don't know the best wasy to use steroids and PH's safely, because no one does. It's a roll of the dice either way. You're speaking of a world of knowledge based almost entirely on anecdotal evidence alone, in which two separate people might give you two completely different reccomendations. Reading the reccomendations of some dude on the internet (who probably took his position on the matter after reading another persons posts) does not qualify you to proclaim you are acting in a safe, or even intelligent manner.
Case in point: Broad statements are made by many regarding the effectiveness of popular liver protectants and steroids. I bet you know all about them with all your internet research. But the fact is, while Liv52 or milk thistle have been show to offer generic liver protection, they have not been specifically tested with 17-alpha alkylated steroids. (Negative results have even been reported for toxicity with liv52 and alcohol.) So the bro-ology would imply, works without AAS, should, probably, provide liver protection with AAS. Probably. But you don't know that. Neither does the kid that told you to take it.
I'm not trying to start a debate about liver protectants. I'm far from qualified to step into a debate regarding anabolics. I'm just trying to make this point: When you take AAS's, or PH's, you are toying with your body in ways that you cant really be sure about. Anyone who believes there isn't a risk involved is deeply in denial.
I have nothing against steroid use. I enjoy natural competitions as well as not-so-natural. To each his own, and I believe there is a place in this sport for both. I also believe, however, that there is a big difference in taking these risks at a later age, when your body is in a naturaly declining state of health, versus taking these risks before you have even reached your peak and you have little idea where your life is going. I for one can say the choice I make today would not be the same choice I made at the age of 18.