Harm reduction among strength training practitioners who consume steroids

Abstract

Abstract This research analyzes the critical processes for harm reduction among steroid consumers, in the context of gyms in the metropolitan region of Goiânia, Goiás. The study subjects were selected using Snowball sampling. Content analysis was carried out from the transcription of fifteen interviews, and the exploration of the produced material led to the construction of four categories a posteriori. Actions-such as individual risk management, by self-experimentation to assess the product’s quality and self-medication in the form of post-cycle therapies, for example-were observed and, at the same time, processes that afford health protection, especially regarding the support networks and favorable socioeconomic position of this study’s participants. Structuring proactive, continuous, and integrated harm reduction actions that respond to steroid consumers’ health needs is considered important, as well as implementing strategies that overcome both the war on drugs approach and the merely pragmatic and individual approach to risk management.