I started pumping iron at the age of 16. I was a powerlifter. I actually competed frequently until the age of 30. When I first started competing, powerlifting was a rising sport. It was gaining in popularity and the total number of lifters was increasing rapidly. The other element of powerlifting that was increasing almost as fast was the illegal usage of steroids. Competitors with a thirst to soar to new poundage records and sought to climb to the national or worldwide stage were finding ways to get steroids. At the time, there was no drug testing of competitors, so plenty of lifters were “juicing.”
I never once considered using steroids. It was illegal, it was cheating and the negative side effects, such as shrinking testicles, hair loss, depression and fits of rage were definitely not appealing to me, especially since, if I won, all I got was a trophy. A high school friend of mine committed suicide several years after graduation. He had turned into a hardcore bodybuilder with the help of steroids. I have always believed a steroid cycle depression was responsible for his death.
In the world of sports steroid use, weightlifting/bodybuilding was the point of origin. Since my days as a competitive weightlifter, I have watched with interest as steroids went from one sport to the next. I believe it is safe to say that there are few sports in which the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs has not been prevalent.
I don”t believe there has been much of a problem with illegal steroid use outside the world of sports, but there is at least one career field, law enforcement, where it has grown to an alarming level. From the biggest cities to the tiniest burgs, police officers have taken to bulking up, primarily to have an edge on the criminals, often with the help of “roids.”
Speaking at an International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in San Diego last November, Phoenix Police Commander Kim Humphrey said it is a fact that steroid abuse in the law enforcement arena has gone nationwide. He also mentioned that few departments do any random drug tests for steroids. They do in Phoenix ever since the department was embarrassed when several of its officers were named in a federal drug investigation that targeted doctors who unscrupulously prescribed steroids.
Some officers who use steroids reason that they need to get bigger and stronger in order to not be overtaken by a more physical bad guy. It”s discouraging to know that there are officers who think it is OK to break the very laws they have sworn to uphold.
In addition to breaking the law, cops on steroids are also damaging their own health. The side effects are the same for police officers as they are for athletes, and that includes “roid rage”, which can create a dangerous situation for someone who antagonizes an officer on steroids. There are a number of documented cases of officer aggressiveness, brutality and even murder, due to the effects of steroids.
According to Linn Goldberg, a professor of medicine at Oregon Health and Science University, there is scientific proof to explain the violent behavior that steroid abusers often display. He said that with steroid use, “Your dopamine receptors are changed. They help guard against a lack of impulse control.” So, those who use steroids do not have the same level of self-control as a person not on steroids. That”s not a comforting revelation, especially when police officers all carry guns.
As an individual who has had considerable experience at weightlifting and has also achieved an advanced degree black belt in the martial arts, I would advise officers who are worried about dealing with strong criminals to study a martial art. It is better for an officer”s body and mind, and in my opinion, it will provide more of an edge against an aggressive perp than bulk and sheer strength can offer.
Gary Dickson is the editor and publisher of the Record-Bee. He can be e-mailed at gdickson@record-bee.com or phoned at 263-5636, ext. 24.
