New book gives an open and honest depiction of steroid abuse. Serves as an invaluable resource for teens, parents, teachers, and coaches

A 1993-2003 CDC study showed a 65% increase in steroid use among high school students. The same study showed an alarming 140% increase in steroid use among female students. Steroid use among our youth is becoming epidemic.

We are all hearing a lot about steroids these days. The talk is about pro athletes, their records, and what Congress and team owners should do to stop steroid use. But what about the kids? And what responsibility do parents have in all this?

Steroids trickle down. A baseball or football player uses them and a new bar is set in the pros. College level players see this, and if they hope to now make it to the pros, they need to make a better showing. So the ones who really want to get there get on the steroid train. A new bar is then set at the college level, so now high school players who want to get into the college of their choice or garner those athletic scholarships are under more pressure. You see the pattern.

Even more insidious is the body-image provocation. A movie role calls for a star to be particularly buff. We read or hear that he or she works out six hours a day with a trainer, but with steroids, they will be just that bit more cut – the look will have a bit more of an edge. Young people look up to the star and aspire to a similar body type. Realizing that no amount of working out will make it happen, they turn to steroids.

And while steroids are drugs with some horrific side effects, until recently most of us haven’t taken them seriously.

With The Steroid Deceit, Jeff Rutstein demands that we do so.

An abuser as a teen, Jeff Rutstein was a bodybuilder who got into using steroids and couldn’t stop. He even procured them from a doctor! At the end of each cycle he would tell himself that was it, but as he saw muscle mass shrinking, he would get depressed and begin again. And he fell into the substance and alcohol abuse so often concurrent with steroid use. Having run himself and his finances into the ground, Jeff finally quit cold turkey – almost killing himself in the process.

For the past decade and a half, Jeff Rutstein has been the owner of Boston’s elite Custom Fitness. Doctors from Harvard and other surrounding universities and hospitals send their patients to him for the exercise program he has developed to help overcome depression, emotional problems, and substance abuse. His book, Rutstein on Fitness: Strengthening the Body to Heal the Mind has won rave reviews. July will see the debut of Jeff’s new book, The Steroid Deceit, a book in which he uses his story as a cautionary tale for teens, parents, coaches, and anyone interested in keeping our young people off steroids.

Having written a powerful, honest book detailing steroid use in sports and among youth, Jeff tells us:

Why teenagers REALLY use steroids
How they obtain them
The warning signs of steroid use
How to get teens to recognize the real dangers of steroids
About the current move to make athletes culpable for steroid use and just how far we should go.

A compelling and purposeful book, The Steroid Deceit should be read by all student athletes, their parents, their coaches, school administrators, and anyone involved in the health and safety of our kids.

Steroid Deceit: A Body Worth Dying For?, by Jeff Rutstein, Publisher: Custom Fitness, ISBN: 0-9760170-2-4, US $12.95, paperback 108 pages. Available on the Web, through local bookstores, and major distributors. For author interviews contact Jeff Rutstein 1-800-374-9959 or pub@customfitness.com.