The seedy Thai beachside town of Pattaya has long been a magnet for amateur bodybuilders, eager to bulk up and boost their physiques. But the burgeoning industry is creating significant legal and health problems. The drug-and-gym holiday is fuelling a black market in performance-enhancing drugs and putting users at risk. In the past year, a New Zealand rugby player and an Australian bodybuilder have died from heart failure caused by over-exercising on steroids they bought in Pattaya.
Thousands of Australians, New Zealanders and British travellers visit Pattaya to take part in so-called “steroid holidays”. Many are willing to break the law by taking substances that would be illegal back home. Jarrad Fisher, 21, from Brisbane, is one such person. After weighing just 70 kilograms, he used a combination of anabolic steroids and growth hormones to grow from a teenager into a full-fledged bodybuilder. His regimen led to him gaining a staggering 20kg in just two months.
He and others who use the drugs say they cycle – taking a combination of different steroids every 48 to 72 hours over a period of up to two months, until they have the desired physique. Excessive use of the drugs can cause hair growth, acne and high cholesterol – and, in men, it can reduce the sperm count, which can lead to sterility.
Steroids are a synthetic version of the natural hormone testosterone. They work like the human hormone to control body systems, keep fluid balancing and activate the immune system. But they can also cause a number of side effects, such as hair loss, enlarged breasts and testicular atrophy (look it up) – although the latter is reversible. Steroids Thailand