New documentary exposes underground UK steroid market.
A new documentary has exposed the underground steroid market taking place in the UK.
The documentary, “Roid Renaissance: The UK’s Steroid Epidemic – High Society”, was published by Vice. Vice is a YouTube channel that does not hold back when it comes to reporting about controversial topics.
With close to 1.3 million views, this documentary has become very popular, and will be debated in the bodybuilding world.
Several athletes were interviewed, discussing the use and risks of steroids, and how their lives have changed.
The documentary also investigates the underground steroid market, speaking to a steroid dealer while he is manufacturing several products.
According to the documentary, an estimated half a million young men in the UK are addicted to steroids. The Class C drug is the second-most used drug after cannabis,” said the narrator.
During the 70s and 80s, the use of steroids was only discussed within the inner circle of hardcore bodybuilders, but fast forward to 2023, and you can get any type of steroid within five minutes at any gym.
It cannot be denied that steroids will help to build muscle, but it will come with several health risks.
Sensitive Material: Evolutionofbodybuilding.net does not condone and/or recommend the use of recreational or performance-enhancing drugs. This article reports on information relayed by the athletes/subjects. Evolutionofbodybuilding.net is not a medical resource and the content provided to you is for informational purposes only.
The pressures of social media, and influencers setting unrealistic expectations, have pushed several athletes to take the risk, and use steroids to achieve the results portrayed by these influencers.
Speaking to Tom Powell, Love Island contestant
Tom Powell, a former contestant on the popular show “Love Island”, shared his experience with Vice, explaining his experience with using steroids.
Tom has been using steroids for several years. “That’s not a stigma that’s fucking true, my balls are tiny,” said Powell. “My balls are pretty small.”
While using Trenbolone, Tom admits he looked fantastic, but he felt like he was dying.
“This is when I was taking Tren in my third cycle (showing a photo of himself). I had a lot. My mood swings were up and down. Night terrors, which were horrible dreams every single night.”
“Couldn’t keep a hard-on. I looked incredible, I looked lean, I was full it was great but I felt like death.”
Tom has become very popular on social media, and the pressure to look good, pushed him into using steroids, to maintain a certain look.
Explaining his situation, Tom said “I felt pressure to stay in shape more, it wasn’t the reason why I took those steroids. It was a contributing factor, obviously, I wanted to look good all the time because you’re constantly in the public eye.”
“I met the guys I wanted to become I asked them straight away, boys talk to me about steroids are you on them? They said, ‘Yeah, you can’t get anywhere in this industry without them.’ You can go to any single gym and buy steroids within five minutes of being in there. They are very very available.”
Tom explained that gynecomastia was the worst side effect he experienced from using steroids.
Powell wanted to share his experience and live-streamed his operation on social media.
“Yeah, I had gyno surgery. Gyno is a build-up of estrogen behind the nipple. I’m estrogen sensitive so when I was taking steroids my estrogen built up and stuck by my nipple basically, and it was causing pain.”
“To raise awareness [is why I live-streamed it] I know it’s a bit crazy. The more people it sees, the more people it reaches, and the more people that will see it and get checked out,” Tom explained.
Dr. John, referred to as the “King of Gyno”, explained that there’s a widespread epidemic of the ailment in the UK.
“I do about two to three a day [gynocamatia surgeries]. Half of them are due to steroids, we’re talking about 15 in five days. So about seven or eight from steroid use. But I’m the King of Gyno” says Dr. John.
“I genuinely can’t believe those massive glands came out of Grant’s body (another patient). Honestly, if that doesn’t put you off taking steroids, I genuinely don’t know what will,” the narrator said.
The Underground Steroid Dealer
In what can be considered the most controversial part of the interview was when the cameramen were permitted to go into an underground steroid lab.
At the time of recording, the steroid dealer was making a homemade concoction of nandrolone.
“Every time you take this shit you’re risking your life.” – Steroid Dealer
“I’m in an undisclosed location and I’m about to meet an international steroid dealer who makes steroids in his kitchen,” the narrator said. “So what’s happening now?”
“Basically, add a solution of nandrolone or deca, we’ve got the raw powder here. We put a couple of chemicals in there. I’m just finishing it off with some seed oil. This is the carrier. This is the solution,”said the masked steroid dealer.
“I mean, if you’re buying it over the internet or even from your local dealer you don’t know what the fuck you’re getting. Especially when you’re injecting it straight into your muscle, has it got hairs in it, has it got bits of fucking shit floating in it that’s going to give you sepsis,” said the dealer.
The steroid dealer emphasized that the majority of these compounds aren’t being formulated in clean sterile environments, and said, “Every time you take this shit you’re risking your life.”
The steroid dealer continued to explain, the conditions the steroids are made in, “Well, I’ve seen some very dirty conditions, smoking cigarettes over it and the ashes dropping in. It’s not getting filtered. I’ve seen people have injections and them go bad. They have to have their whole leg cut open and drained. It’s fucking risky. It’s risky.”
“There’s not a lot of people actually making this shit. So the guy in the gym who is telling you yeah yeah this is the best, how the fuck do they know? You know what I mean. Every time you take this shit you’re risking your life. It’s a lottery. Unless you’re making this yourself or getting it from a pharmaceutical company, you don’t know what the fucks in it.”
The steroid dealer confirmed that the majority of his clients are males between 16-24 years old.
Unfortunately, the sport of bodybuilding is always associated with steroids and other PEDs, but steroids can be found in every sport.
Football (soccer) World Cup winner, former Manchester United, and now a Juventus player, has been recently suspended for failing a doping test, when he tested positive for Testosterone. Pogba is facing a four-year ban, and Juventus terminating his contract.
Steroids do not kill people like recreational drugs, speaking to Vice, David Crossland, a former steroid user and bodybuilder said, “You can’t overdose with steroids, but taking them for a long period can cause several serious health problems.”
Why risk using steroids?
Every athlete is always trying to have an edge against their opposition. While several athletes use steroids just to look better, improving performance can be worth millions in contracts for some athletes.
Many athletes believe the health risk is worth it, when they have contracts worth millions depending on their performance.
Focussing on bodybuilding, 99% of professional bodybuilders use steroids, to be on the same level or better than their opponents.
The advantages and disadvantages of using steroids are well documented, and it’s up to the individual if they want to use them or not.
