For some time now, anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) have been taken in the bodybuilding scene to build muscle mass faster and to increase performance. This trend has now also arrived in recreational sports, such as fitness centers. Consumers hope that by taking AAS, as in professional sports, they will be able to see visible results of their training more quickly. For many users, however, the pursuit of a certain body ideal also plays an important role in the use of AAS, influenced by body cult and the pressure for self-optimization.

However, there are risks associated with the use of AAS: The use of AAS combined with frequent visits to the gym demands extraordinary performance from the body, which would not be possible over a longer period of time without the use of pain-inhibiting drugs. In addition, stimulants are taken for additional performance enhancement. The effects triggered by a combination of two or more substances (including drugs!) can hardly be estimated. As a rule, they do not correspond to the sum of the individual effects: Mixing involves additional, sometimes high health risks. Depending on the substance, the respective effects are amplified (sometimes many times over), or they influence body and psyche in different directions. Both are extremely stressful for users, all the more so if extreme athletic performance is achieved at the same time. The risk of unpleasant incidents is increased by mixed use.

Anabolic androgenic steroids are drugs and are only available on medical prescription. As a result, many users obtain AAS substances on the black market. Many AAS are produced illegally in underground laboratories. Users are therefore exposed to the risk of taking misdeclared substances or substances of inferior quality. Therefore, we recommend using drug checking whenever possible for all substances purchased on the black market, especially medications.