Steroids Webinar, Dec 1st 2021

On Wednesday, December 1st 2021, Limerick Sports Partnership and the Mid-West Regional Drug and Alcohol Forum hosted a webinar entitled; “An Honest Conversation on Steroids”, exploring what we really know about anabolic steroids.

The webinar discussed the use of anabolic steroids and associated drugs and presented a more complex picture of those people who use anabolic steroids than that of the stereotypical image presented in the media. It explored influences on their drug use decisions including the specific drugs of choice and the regimes used. It also presented some of the drug related harms both in the short and long term, including those linked to injecting and the use of products from the illicit market.

Thank you to our speakers: Professor Jim McVeigh, David Nolan & Dr. Arthur Lynch for their insightful and thought-provoking presentations. 

Thank you to Phelim Macken, Limerick Sports Partnership Coordinator for chairing and  facilitating the Webinar.

Many thanks to our partners,  Mid-West Regional Drug and Alcohol Forum, for supporting us with this presentation.

Finally, thank you to all our participants who joined us on the night and submitted some very interesting and relevant questions to the panel.  

Below is a summary of the webinar. We have included links to the presentation slides (plus video) and additional useful information links.

1) Welcome and Introductions – Phelim Macken LSP Coordinator

2) Professor Jim McVeigh gave the first presentation of the night:  ‘What do we really know about the use of anabolic steroids?’ 

3) Our second speaker David Nolan, gave a presentation on – ‘PED’s in Sport & Reducing the Risk of Harm’

4) Our third and final speaker, Dr. Arthur Lynch presented a  real world perspective of someone choosing not to use steroids in sports where their use is prevalent.

5) Q&A Session and Wrap up

Useful Information & Publication Links:

Jim McVeigh’s ResearchGate Page: researchgate.net/profile/Jim_Mcveigh

ASUK Website: anabolicsteroids.org.uk/

ASUK YouTube Channel: youtube.com/channel/UCWzk9HjhHq_6aIr9UQzA-BQ/

Recently published

• Chegeni, R., Pallesen, S., McVeigh, J., & Sagoe, D. (2021). Anabolic-androgenic steroid administration increases self-reported aggression in healthy males: a systematic review and meta-analysis of experimental studies. Psychopharmacology. doi:10.1007/s00213-021-05818-7
• Bates, G., McVeigh, J., & Leavey, C. (2021). Looking beyond the provision of injecting equipment to people who use anabolic androgenic steroids: Harm reduction and behaviour change goals for UK policy.. Contemporary Drug Problems. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/home/cdx
• Brennan, R., Overbye, M., Van Hout, M. C., & McVeigh, J. (2021). “A slippery slope”: a scoping review of the self-injection of unlicensed oils and fillers as body enhancement. Performance Enhancement & Health, 100185. doi:10.1016/j.peh.2020.100185
• McCullough, D., Webb, R., Enright, K., Lane, K. E., McVeigh, J., Stewart, C. E., & Davies, I. G. (2020). How the love of muscle can break a heart: Impact of anabolic androgenic steroids on skeletal muscle hypertrophy, metabolic and cardiovascular health. Reviews in Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders. doi:10.1007/s11154-020-09616-y
• Hope, V.D., McVeigh, J… Smith, J. (2020), Factors associated with hepatitis C and HIV testing uptake among men who inject image and performance enhancing drugs. Drug Alcohol Rev.. https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.13198
• McVeigh, J., Salinas-Edwards, M., & Ralphs, R. (2020). A Sentinel Population: The public health benefits of monitoring enhanced body builders. International Journal of Drug Policy. doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.102890

Recent Publications from SUAB

• Fox, S. (2020) “…you feel there’s nowhere left to go.” The barriers to support among women who experience substance use and domestic abuse in the UK. Advances in Dual Diagnosis. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/ADD-09-2019-0010/full/html
• Galvani, S (2019) ‘Offering the best death possible: Supporting people using substances at the end of life.’ Editorial. Addiction, doi: 10.1111/add.14779
• Askew, R. & Bone, M. (2019). Deconstructing prohibitionist ideology: A sociocognitive approach to understand drug takers views on UK drug policy and the law. International Journal of Drug Policy, 74, 33-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2019.08.001
• P. Gray, R. Ralphs, L. Williams (2020). The use of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) within the homeless population: motivations, harms and the implications for developing an appropriate response. Addiction Research & Theory. pp.1-10.
• M. Salinas, W. Floodgate, R. Ralphs (2019). Polydrug use and polydrug markets amongst image and performance enhancing drug users: Implications for harm reduction interventions and drug policy. Int J Drug Policy. 67, pp.43-51.
• G. Witham, G. Yarwood, S. Wright, S. Galvani (2019). An ethical exploration of the narratives surrounding substance use and pain management at the end of life: a discussion paper. Nurs Ethics. pp.096973301987168-096973301987168.