Steroid nation : juiced home run totals, anti-aging miracles, and a Hercules in every high school : the secret history of America's true drug addiction

When science lets us fulfill our greatest desires, where do we stop? Should Barry Bonds’s startling achievements be listed in the record book with an asterisk because he has been accused of using steroids? Did performance-enhancing drugs play a role in Lance Armstrong’s seven Tour de France victories? And what does Arnold Schwarzenegger’s continued success say about the appeal of his steroid-fueled bodybuilding persona?In the tradition of __And the Band Played On__, award-winning journalist Shaun Assael looks at America’s complicated love affair with steroids and how it has grown into the country’s—and perhaps the world’s—most insidious drug addiction.__Steroid Nation__ presents a chilling portrait of a nation enamored of artificially pumped-up success. Chronicling steroid use far beyond the headlines, it begins with the bodybuilders of Venice Beach in the 1970s and continues through to the NFL’s Raiders of the ’80s and ’90s and the baseball scandals of today. Assael also reveals the dramatic story of the godfather of the steroid movement: Dan Duchaine, who wrote __The Original Underground Steroid Handbook__ in 1981.Part detective story, part medical investigation, and part sociological examination, __Steroid Nation__ is a groundbreaking work on the most compelling story in the sports world today. When science lets us fulfill our greatest desires, where do we stop? Should Barry Bonds's startling achievements be listed in the record book with an asterisk because he has been accused of using steroids? Did performance-enhancing drugs play a role in Lance Armstrong's seven Tour de France victories? And what does Arnold Schwarzenegger's continued success say about the appeal of his steroid-fueled bodybuilding persona?

In the tradition of And the Band Played On, award-winning journalist Shaun Assael looks at America's complicated love affair with steroids and how it has grown into the country'sand perhaps the world'smost insidious drug addiction.

Steroid Nation presents a chilling portrait of a nation enamored of artificially pumped-up success. Chronicling steroid use far beyond the headlines, it begins with the bodybuilders of Venice Beach in the 1970s and continues through to the NFL's Raiders of the 80s and 90s and the baseball scandals of today. Assael also reveals the dramatic story of the godfather of the steroid movement: Dan Duchaine, who wrote The Original Underground Steroid Handbook in 1981.

Part detective story, part medical investigation, and part sociological examination, Steroid Nation is a groundbreaking work on the most compelling story in the sports world today.

Contents The Steroid Nation Introduction Part I. Band of Believers 1981-1992 1. The Guru of Venice 2. "Zee Codes Zey Are Missing" 3. Mules, Threesomes, and Mom 4. The Running Man 5. Inside Job 6. Blow Out 7. The Biggest Believers Part II. Tapping the Vein 1992-2000 8. Mormon Money 9. The Perfect Pitch 10. Solace and Sex 11. 'Cause I'm TNT, I'm Dynamite! 12. The King is Dead Part III. Long Live the King 2000-Present 13. The Right Stuff 14. A Bully Pulpit 15. The Scientist Strikes Back 16. The Two Arnolds 17. State of the Union 18. This Is War 19. A Vicious Cycle 20. Growing Pains Acknowledgments Selected Bibliography Source Notes Index An investigative journalist looks at America's complex relationship with steroids and how it has become the country's most dangerous and pervasive drug addiction, examining the high incidence of steroid use throughout the world of sports