Sam Wright

Femininity and Muscularity: Accounts of Seven Women Body Builders

In this study, we interviewed an opportunity sample of seven women body builders, who all compete (or have competed in the past) in Physique-level body building competitions. They were asked about training details, and motivations for body building including social pressures to become more muscular (and not to become more muscular). Women’s accounts were complex and in some cases apparently contradictory, for while emphasising freedom to choose to be muscular within a cultural context where slimness is the norm, they stressed the importance of aspects of traditional femininity. Women’s accounts are discussed in relation to Western cultural pressure on women to be slender. It is argued that these women had shifted their body-shape ideal to a more muscular figure, and their primary social reference group to those within the body building community. Women experienced pressures from within the body building community defining the acceptable size and appearance of their bodies. They were engaged in a ‘balancin...

Experiences of anabolic steroid use: in-depth interviews with men and women body builders.

This study was designed to investigate anabolic steroid users’ experiences of, and motivations for, use. Five men and six women users took part in in-depth interviews. Four themes emerged: Steroid Use vs Abuse; Side-effects; Trusted Information Sources; and Social Pressure. Many users believed that steroids used in moderation were safe. Serious side-effects (liver and kidney damage, hypertension) were not significant disincentives. Information from health professionals tended to be mistrusted because it was not based on first-hand experience of use. Social support, especially from within the body building community, was an important motivator. It is concluded that intervention programmes need the support of the body building community in order to be effective.

Motivations for Anabolic Steroid use Among Bodybuilders

Steroid use is increasing, in parallel with rising concerns about body image. This study aimed to uncover bodybuilders’ motivations for using steroids using 135 questionnaires completed by readers of two bodybuilding magazines. The analyses reveal a polarization of beliefs about steroids between users and non-users. Steroid users were less likely to be concerned about the physical side effects, and many believed that steroids are not harmful in moderation, and that only ‘ignorant people’ criticize steroid use. Their main motivations for using steroids were: wanting to excel at competitive bodybuilding; wanting to be more muscular; and feelings of enhanced confidence. The fact that steroid users in the sample were ‘stacking’ dangerously high levels of steroids (up to 15 steroids at a time) reveals the need for a detailed understanding of the motivations for steroid use in order to inform the development of effective harm minimization messages.

Violent Crime, Aggression and Amphetamine: what are the implications for drug treatment services?

Substance use has long been associated with violent behaviour, particularly the use of alcohol and stimulants. This paper presents findings from a study of the effectiveness of treatment services for amphetamine users, describing profiles for those reporting violent and aggressive behaviour and documenting their experiences. The sample (n = 86) comprised two groups: amphetamine users seeking drug treatment and a matched case control group of amphetamine users who were not receiving treatment. Forty-seven per cent of the sample reported having committed a violent crime, and half of them associated the violence with their amphetamine use. In addition, 62% repeated ongoing problems with aggression which were related to their amphetamine use. A wide range of factors are discussed in this paper, using established models of association between drug use and violence, and also exploring issues such as the interaction of alcohol and other drugs, the effects of trying to abstain from amphetamine, psychological co-morbidity, the impact of amphetamines reputation for inducing aggression, and conversely, amphetamine as a drug of choice over alcohol to try to minimize aggressive behaviour. The paper concludes with a discussion of the problems posed by aggressive and violent behaviour for amphetamine users seeking treatment.

Interviewing Illicit Drug Users: Observations from the Field

Matched case control studies are rare within the field of illicit drug research. This paper describes the practical problems involved in undertaking such a project, and details some of the issues that arose in conducting in-depth longitudinal interviews with illicit drug users. Some problems were specific to a matched case design, some were common to most social research: establishing trust, trying to ensure privacy during the interview, and possible communication problems. Others were more pertinent to interviews with illicit drug users: respondent intoxication, potential mental health problems, concerns about possible aggression, and dilemmas about witnessing illegal acts. This paper aims to make explicit the process of conducting longitudinal research with illicit drug users in the hope that it will encourage other social researchers to share their experiences and their strategies for negotiating fieldwork obstacles and hazards.

Attitudes of Amphetamine Users Towards Treatment Services

Amphetamine users form the second largest group of illicit drug users in Britain, yet rarely present to treatment services. It is unknown whether this is due to a relative lack of need in comparison with other drug users, or a result of the opiate orientation of drug services. This paper presents data on attitudes to services from a matched case control study of amphetamine users in treatment, undertaken in the Northwest of England. Respondents’ attitudes to and expectations of treatment services, and their previous experiences of treatment are described, and the factors which influenced clients to overcome the barriers and present for treatment are explored. The paper concludes with a consideration of strategies that could increase the relevance and accessibility of services to amphetamine users at an earlier stage of their drug-using career in order to avoid the need for crisis interventions later.

Body-builders' Attitudes Towards Steroid Use

Anabolic steroids have been used by professional body-builders to increase muscle bulk for many years (Strauss & Yesalis, 1991), and their use has become more widespread in Britain during the 1990s, in parallel with increased body image concern (Drugs and Sport Information Service, 1997; Korkia, 1994). The extent of non-medical steroid use in Britain is unknown, although it is accepted that steroids are widely available in public gyms and health clubs used by bodybuilders (Drugs and Sport Information Service, 1997; Lenehan et al., 1996; ISDD, 1993; Korkia, 1994). Among the general public, the British Crime Survey revealed that steroid use was more commonly reported than heroin use (Ramsay & Spiller, 1997). Needle exchanges in the UK have also witnessed signi® cant increases in the numbers of steroid-using clients, with some reporting that steroid users constitute over a quarter of their caseload (Shapiro, 1992). Anabolic steroids, like naturally produced testosterone, have two main effects: tissue-building (anabolic) properties, and masculinizing (androgenic) properties. Attempts to produce an exclusively anabolic steroid remain unsuccessful, and all anabolic steroids currently available have some masculinizing effects as well. Other negative effects include liver and kidney disorders, jaundice, tumours and cysts, acne, and stunted growth in young people who have not reached their full height (ISDD, 1993). Steroids exist in both injectable and oral form. Orals are removed more slowly by the liverÐ a feature thought to be associated with many of the harmful sideeffects (Korkia & Stimson, 1994). Thus, unlike other drugs, injecting steroids may be more advisable, although parenteral use can put users at risk of contracting HIV and hepatitis through sharing blood-contaminated syringes and needles, and also by sharing multi-dose bottles (Atkins, 1989; Scott & Scott, 1989). Research has also associated steroid use with increased irritability, moodiness and uncontrollable outbursts of aggression or r̀oid rage’ (e.g. Choi et al., 1990; Yesalis & Bahrke, 1995), although the results remain inconclusive (Riem & Hursey, 1995; Williamson, 1994).

Amphetamine Users in Treatment: Factors Associated with Sustained Abstinence from Street Drugs

Data for this paper are the product of research commissioned by the UK Department of Health Task Force to Review Services for Drug Users to reveal the impediments to effective service delivery to amphetamine users. In a longitudinal study amphetamine users presenting for treatment at agencies in the NorthWest of England were subjected to consecutive semi-structured interviews for a period of between six and nine months. Nearly half of the clients stopped using street amphetamine and were still abstinent at the end of the project. Pre-treatment factors associated with successful abstinence were, being female, suicidal ideation, and loss of friends through drugs. Post-treatment factors were, professional help (drug workers, prescribing physicians), contact with father, and an improved lifestyle. Motivation to abstain was driven initially by psychological health problems and severe social dysfunction and was subsequently maintained through professional support and/or informal support from partners, parents a...

Evaluation of the Offender Liaison and Diversion Trial Schemes

Liaison and diversion (L&D) schemes operate primarily in police custody suites and courts and aim to identify and assess people with vulnerabilities as they pass through the criminal justice system, to ensure their needs are identified. L&D services have been operating in England for at least 25 years. Not all areas have L&D services and among those that do, there is considerable variation in the nature of the services. In 2009, Lord Bradley reviewed the provision of services for people with mental health problems and learning disabilities in the criminal justice system and recommended that a national L&D model be created. Between 2011 and 2013, the Department of Health was supported by an external partner, the Offender Health Collaborative, to develop a national L&D model.

Developing drug services for amphetamine users: taking account of gender-specific factors

Research suggests that the incidence of drug use is converging between young men and women. However, the development of effective services for women is restricted by the scarcity of information regarding female drug use. Studies that address womens illicit drug use tend to focus on opiates, despite the popularity of amphetamine in Britain, which is particularly marked among women. This paper presents findings from a study of amphetamine users in the north-west of England, using a matched case-control design to compare amphetamine users in treatment with a similar group of users who had no treatment contact. It compares the characteristics of the amphetamine-using women (n = 20) with those of the men (n = 66). Further analyses of gender differences were conducted with the treatment sub-sample to describe the womens motivations for seeking help, and their outcomes after 3 months of treatment. The results revealed a group of women whose drug use was similar to their male counterparts except for being more likely to be oral users. However, there were differences in the influence of social relationships on the two groups, which may impact significantly on womens patterns of help-seeking and their experiences of drug treatment.