Jamie Mantzouridis says he first turned to steroids in his early 20s after comparing himself with larger gym-goers who said they were using them. He recalls being young, impulsive and focused on fast results, and says the drugs were easy to obtain through people at the gym.
According to Mantzouridis, the early changes were visible within a year, but so were the problems. He developed severe acne across his chest and back, and after one injection went wrong he ended up in hospital with an infection that required antibiotic treatment. He says doctors warned him he had been lucky not to need tissue removed from his leg.
Health risks accumulated over time
He later experimented with growth hormones and insulin, which bodybuilders sometimes use off-label but which can be dangerous for healthy people. Mantzouridis says the turning point came about four years ago, when he felt dizzy in a bathtub and had to rush for sugar because he feared he would collapse. He says that was the moment he decided to stop.
Now 29, Mantzouridis works as a nutritionist and online personal trainer. He says social media and wider pressure on men to look a certain way can distort body image, making some people chase physiques they may never realistically achieve.
Source: theguardian.com
