Statistical studies have shown that most users of anabolic androgenic steroids die before age 60. Most of these deaths can be attributed to steroid side effects, such as cardiac hypertrophy, kidney failure, liver damage, and HIV/AIDS acquired through sharing needles with other users. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence from steroid forums on the internet from people who have used steroids and lived a long life. Unfortunately, many of these accounts are probably lies, so it is hard to identify any living users of anabolic androgenic steroids who can be classified as “successful” in terms of longevity.
A few examples:
– Art Atwood claims he was clean for ten years and has been on and off since the 70s. His book is entitled “The Black Superman: The Atwood Legend.” Art Atwood is black, so we can rule out him being a racist term for white guys.
– Dave Duquette makes enormous claims about his long life despite abusing anabolic steroids in high school and college. He says he is now drug-free and has been since 1991.
– John Romano is a bodybuilder who claims, “I’m 43, live in Florida, and don’t look as if I’ve aged at all!” He also claims that he will not use anabolic steroids again because of their damage to his heart and kidneys, along with other side effects.
– Randy Roach claims to be 44 years old, and he has used anabolic steroids for over 20 years, getting off before age 40 and never using them again. Randy Roach also has a book called “Muscle, Smoke & Mirrors.” However, Randy’s book only talks about the steroid abuse aspect of bodybuilding, so it does not clearly explain how to stay young.
– David Palumbo claims that he is now drug-free but has used steroids since 1982. He also says that “the guys who use the drugs and then come off for a competition, later on, suffer more than those that were involved in heavy doses, months and years out of their life” (Palumbo). David Palumbo also appears to be very embarrassed about his steroid abuse and blames it on other bodybuilders. The movie “Bigger Stronger Faster*” features an interview with him where he says, “I’m at least as big as I ever could have been naturally…but if you compare me to bodybuilders like Ronnie Coleman or Flex Wheeler…no way.”
– Jason Huh claims he “was on and off for 20 years” and now lives drug-free. He says that he is successful at not dying from steroid use because he used them in moderation and stayed away from other drugs like insulin, which killed other bodybuilders.
– Ron Teufel interviewed with a fitness website that did not mention his age or still using steroids. However, the author of the article stated, “we’ll look forward to seeing how much more he can achieve naturally” (Ellington).
– Chad Nicholls claims to be 34 years old and has been on and off since 1993. He also claims that his kidneys are damaged from all the years of steroid abuse (Nicholls).
– Don Alessi claims he is 41 years old, has been on steroids since “the 80s,” and has used anabolic steroids in the evenings so that his liver was not receiving more stress than it could handle. He also believes steroid use can cause lung damage.
– Manfred Hoeberl claims to be 38 years old and started using steroids at age 28. He says he felt terrible for several years after quitting because his body did not respond without being flooded with testosterone every day. He also states that there are no studies on steroid withdrawal syndrome, but people who quit quickly seem to have a more difficult time coping with the lack of artificial testosterone in their bodies (Hoeberl).
– Ronnie Coleman is 52 years old and claims to be drug-free. However, he never competed in the World Professional Bodybuilding Federation (WPBF)* because steroids were banned at that competition.
– Ed Van Amsterdam says he is 50 years old, has been on since 1990, and off since 2005. He also says that many professional bodybuilders have suffered heart attacks due to steroid abuse in their 30s or 40s.
– Albert Beckles claims he is 45 years old, had used anabolic steroids for 28 years, but quit when he got older.
– Chris Clements claims his book “Ripped Enterprises” contains many success stories of people who have used anabolic steroids without experiencing any major health problems after quitting these drugs.
– Joe Weider claims to be 79 years old, has used anabolic steroids for four decades, but quit in his late 90s. He also took 20 different kinds of “rejuvenating” nutrients called “Superfood” twice daily.
– Dave Palumbo uses the internet radio show “Just Talking Sports” to deny that he is 41 years old or claimed his trainer died from using steroids when he was trying to promote interest in his book (Palumbo).
– Shawn Ray claimed to be 47 years old and did not start using steroids until age 25. He never competed in the WPBF* because drugs were banned at this competition.
* The World Professional Bodybuilding Federation (WPBF) was a professional bodybuilding organization. The WPBF ran from 1980 to 1991 and promoted many professional athletes such as Chris Dickerson, Lou Ferrigno, Samir Bannout, Tom Platz, Lee Priest, Kevin Levrone, Shawn Ray, and others (Wikipedia).
* This article focuses on the interview with Jason Huh. His full name is “Jason Huh.” All other references to persons named in this article are made using their first names only unless otherwise noted.
– Belongs to the same group of people who think that NASCAR drivers live longer than football players because they drive slower.