The case in summary: A record number of young people, up to the age of 12, contact support services about training drugs. The number of seizures of anabolic steroids has increased by 23 per cent in the last two years. Social media and online shopping have contributed to more young people being introduced to exercise drugs, experts believe. Most people who get in touch about training drugs are not involved in bodybuilding or fitness environments. Anabolic steroids can be addictive, and cause major physical and mental health problems. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. The sound of breathing, farting, moaning and clanking metal. Testosterone, endorphins and sweat are released in torrents inside the Sats Colosseum training center in Oslo. Many will get or keep good habits in the new year. Jonathan Borge Blystad (26) has been faithful to his training routine for almost 10 years. Blystad gets in a good mood to recover from training, but does not take kindly to people taking anabolic steroids to get results faster. Photo: Adan Tassamma / news No shortcuts are to be taken. – I would call using steroids cheating, says a breathless Blystad. But interest in anabolic steroids as a shortcut to bigger muscles is increasing. 12-year-olds interested in training dope At Gaustad Hospital in Oslo, Christine Wisløff in the Steroid Project receives more and more calls from users, relatives and the curious. They have never been more popular. Before, it was usually well-grown men who called and sent e-mails. But now she points to one particularly disturbing turn. Those who make contact are getting younger and younger. – Starting to tamper with the fine-tuned hormonal balance at a young age is not lucky. After all, you have to live with the health consequences you inflict on yourself, perhaps for the rest of your life. It can create major challenges, says Wisløff. Photo: Mariam Eltervåg Cissé / news – The youngest are under 12 years old. It is extremely worrying, says Wisløff. She says that those who make contact have often started, or want to start, with anabolic steroids to build muscle quickly. More and more seizures Figures from Kripos also indicate that the interest in anabolic steroids in Norway is greater than in a long time. The packaging of the training dope that is seized often has a list of contents, logos, manufacturer and product name, but is often illegally produced. It can therefore be difficult to know what, and how much, is inside. Photo: Mariam Eltervåg Cissé / news In 2023, the number of seizures increased by just over five percent compared to the previous year, to 1,096. Not since 2019 have more seizures of anabolic steroids been made. The increase in the past two years has been 23 per cent, from 890 in 2021. Do you use anabolic steroids or other doping agents? Yes No No, but I’ve tried it No, but I’ve considered it No, but I know someone who does it Show result At the training centre, William Engelstad (25) takes a dim view of the trend. – It is sad that people resort to such types of means. Record month at Dopingkontakten The seizure figures surprise neither the Steroid Project nor Marte Otterholm Fjeld. – January has been a record month for us, says Fjeld. She heads Antidoping Norway’s anonymous call and information service, Dopingkontakten. – It is mainly boys and young men aged 14 to 24 who make contact because they use, or are considering using, doping agents, says Fjeld. Photo: Erik Thallaug – People say that they are willing to go to great lengths to get the dream body they want. They want it to go very quickly, says Fjeld. They wonder how they can use anabolic steroids as safely as possible, what the side effects are and why they should possibly not start with it. – The turnout has been enormous. The doping contact started the year with over 100 inquiries. Last year was also busy, with an average of around 70 inquiries a month. Steroids in monitor Both Fjeld and Wisløff believe that social media and online shopping have played a role in the fact that more young people are now being introduced to training drugs. The steroid project’s campaign, Steroidelab, aims to reach out through social media, influencers, an inviting website and timely brochures. Photo: Mariam Eltervåg Cissé / news On platforms such as TikTok and YouTube there are influencers with large followings who show off bodies that steroids have helped to build. – There are many people who are much more open about it than before, says Martin Bjørnsrud (24) when news meets him at training. Blystad also believes that social media has contributed to the increased interest. – If these people lie about the use of anabolic steroids, then the young people think that “OK, this is the path I have to take to look like that”, but it is not. It’s not a good idea, he says. Wisløff in the Steroid Project says that most people they speak to buy the steroids online. – Normally you don’t sell the hottest things to a 13-year-old, but on the internet no one asks you how old you are. – It is worrying that there are still so many people who order these drugs home, writes communications adviser at the Customs Agency, Ina Therese Vistung Knutsen, to news. Photo: Tolletaten As a result, people do not need to visit so-called “bole environments” to obtain preparations. – Completely ordinary people – 96 per cent of those who call are neither involved in bodybuilding nor in fitness environments, says Wisløff. Through the Clean Center program of Antidoping Norway, Sats conducts the most doping tests in the industry. – We also read that the seizure figures are rising, so for us it is important to maintain the focus on anti-doping work, says Vegard Ølstørn in Sats Norway. – As we have employees at the centre, we will also have good opportunities to see indicators of doping use, says Ølstørn. Photo: SATS – But it is more challenging to see who uses it today, he adds. This is because the body ideal has changed in recent years, says Rent Senter manager, Kristoffer Lie Loftheim. It is no longer about becoming the biggest possible. – This means that it can be more difficult to detect doping, especially based on physical changes, says Loftheim. But if you are worried about someone in the family or someone you know, there are a few things you can look out for: The Doping Contact is holding a lecture on what characterizes young people who contact the Doping Contact. Photo: Kjell Arne Jørgensen / Antidoping Norway – Some people change their behaviour, lose energy at the end of a course, have depressive thoughts and generally feel bad, explains Fjeld in Dopingkontakten. She is particularly concerned about young people, and encourages parents to have an extra chat about doping at home. – It is quite ordinary people who make contact. They exercise, go to school or are in work. It is far more common than one would think. Hello! Thank you for reading the story! Do you have thoughts about this matter that you would like to share with me, or tips for other matters I should write about? Feel free to send me an email!
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A record number of people are seeking help and advice about exercise dope – the experts are particularly worried about the children – Greater Oslo
