I'm glad you've never taken them, I hope it stays that way.
My contact with steroids comes from the early ninties when I was on the fringe of the British team for an endurance sport. Everybody there dismissed their use out of hand, make no mistake, nobody wanted anything to do with steroids and for good reason.
Having been there I can understand how some people could be driven to try these things out. But the health risks are proven, the only debate now is how bad they are, but they are bad:
Anabolic steroids promote the growth of many tissues in the body by stimulating the release of the hormone testoterone.
By disturbing the body's equilibrium, anabolic steroids can potentially cause damage to many of the body's major organs, particularly the liver, which has to deal with breaking down the compound.
There is also a significant risk of damage to the heart, which is made of muscle tissue. Anabolic steroids can lead to an expansion of the cardiac muscle, which can cause heart attacks.
The drugs also promote the growth of bones, particularly facial bones such as the jaw, and the teeth.
There is also an increased risk of cancer.
Other side effects include:
The development of inappropriate sexual characteristics such as breasts in men, and facial hair in women;
A deepening of the voice;
Baldness;
Male impotence.
John Brewer, director of the Human Performance Centre at the Lilleshall National Sports Centre, said: "The health risks associated with anabolic steroids are as serious as you can get.
"They greatly increase a person's risk of dying early or of suffering long-term physical problems.
"While the rewards of success in sport are getting greater and greater, the temptation to take anabolic steroids should be offset by the risk of an early grave."
Well, I'm convinced, how about you?
At the end of the day, do you really want to eat something that is usually made from sperm?