[dvaun]

Steroid abuse indicates body dysmorphia. There isn’t an addictive property like other abused drugs, unless you’re considering it addictive via its effects on dopamine production.

Your body doesn’t become addicted, though. The potential for harm is real if you are not taking it under medical supervision or without proper knowledge of usage, like any other drugs.

[Aurornis]

> There isn’t an addictive property like other abused drugs,

This is incorrect. Testosterone can be acutely rewarding and reinforcing, especially at high doses used by people seeking these effects.

Seeking testosterone does not indicate body dysmorphia. People want it (or think they want it) for numerous reasons, from getting stronger to feeling “alpha” to thinking it will give them an edge.

It’s also very dependence inducing because it shuts down physical production, so the person needs to continue taking it just to get back to baseline after using it for a while. At my very first job one of my coworkers got ahold of some testosterone gel and used it for several months until he ran out and couldn’t get any more. I clearly remember how bad he felt while going through withdrawals and rebound for months. I left before he fully recovered.

[somenameforme]

This is really not true. When speaking of high dose testosterone you mean steroids, so that is the term I will use. And steroids mess people up badly. Severe anxiety, poor sleep, mental fog, and then countless effects on your organs and other factors. And as there tend to be drugs taken to reduce the side effects of other drugs you end up taking an obscene amount of drugs, and still suffering side effects.

There's a reason pro body builders generally do not ever recommend them unless somebody is going to compete, where it's a practical necessity. Obviously people can get psychologically addicted to the effects - high energy, easy physique gains, and so on. And when one gets off steroids not only will these generally greatly diminish, but there's a very high probability of one becoming simply fat if they don't dramatically shift their lifestyle. And so that can make it very difficult for people to quit, but they do - because steroids aren't what most people think.

I live in a country where you can legally buy steroids OTC for really cheap - less than $20/month for genuine pharmaceutical steroids. And you can see at the gym a lot of guys have tried this out, and quit, because you wear it for life. They'll be 'huge' but very soft/flabby after quitting the steroids.

[Aurornis]

> When speaking of high dose testosterone you mean steroids, so that is the term I will use.

No I do not. I am referring to exogenous testosterone. Even dosed within typical replacement ranges it will temporarily stack on top of your already present testosterone and provide a sense of reward and falsely improved well being.

You are trying to redirect the conversation to literal anabolic steroids. Those are also habit-forming, but it’s not what I’m talking about.

Testosterone is a controlled substance because the abuse potential is studied and known.

[somenameforme]

Testosterone levels are sharply declining in the US for reasons that are not well understood. And testosterone for is an absolutely critical hormone for men. If somebody starts at the low end, which at this point is going to be many, if not most, Americans, then testosterone supplementation is going to significantly and genuinely improve their wellbeing. There are numerous side effects, which are dealt with with other drugs (which is why steroids/testosterone often turn one into a walking pharmacy), but addiction is most certainly not one of those side effects.

There's no "falsely improved wellbeing". It's absolutely genuinely improved wellbeing, in the same way that if somebody was significantly deficient of some vitamin or nutrient, then supplementing it would similarly "genuinely" improve their wellbeing. This is why plummeting testosterone levels are a very serious thing. Because a certain minimum level is necessary for reasonable quality of life, and supplementation or increasing it naturally is very non-trivial.

[Etheryte]

This is incorrect. Even steroid creams you use externally for exzema and such are addictive to the point where there's a whole ramp on and ramp off procedure when you get prescribed. Your body will permanently down regulate producing the compound if you're not careful. Steroids are a much wider group of compounds than just testosterone, and your body uses them for a whole host of things.