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In short:
Powerlifting coach Gus Cooke says he took anabolic steroids for years and he doesn't recommend the risks associated with them.
He says it was hard to know exactly what was in the illegal drugs.
What's next?
Researchers are in the early stages of an Australian-first steroid-checking trial.
Gus Cooke has been taking performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) for most of his adult life.
The former military serviceman said he started using the illegal drugs after he was injured in his early 20s and was unable to deploy to Afghanistan.
With "nothing to do" he focused on training in the gym until his colleagues returned home from overseas.
"People were [taking PEDs] and I was encouraged to take it," the 34-year-old powerlifting coach said.
"I didn't know much back then.
"It was just a friend who told us: 'This is what you do to get stronger, get bigger, much quicker'," he said.
The illegal drugs helped him achieve his powerlifting goals, but he said the consequences and risks were not something he would recommend.
He hopes an Australian-first steroid-checking trial underway in Queensland will help others avoid some of the problems he has encountered.
'Rapid muscle loss, fat gain'
Mr Cooke said he relied heavily on information from online forums and word-of-mouth when he was using illegal PEDs.
"Unfortunately, it's just the wild west of information … anyone can say anything [online]," he said.
"Back when I was doing it, there was nothing in place to manage risk."
Mr Cooke continued to roll the dice with his health over the years.
"It's not until later that you learn the consequences," he said.
He said health difficulties emerged when he stopped taking the drugs and his testosterone levels plummeted.
"What I started to experience was rapid muscle loss and rapid fat gain," he said.
"It made me feel very uncomfortable."
Mr Cooke is now prescribed testosterone legally, which is why he feels comfortable sharing his past experiences.
Feedback loops
Low testosterone is one of many potential health issues that come with taking steroids, according to Katinka van de Ven from alcohol and other drug consultancy firm 360Edge.
"Using steroids long term can lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, [and] we know it can cause liver issues," Dr van de Ven said.
She said when users stopped taking the drugs, a condition known as hypogonadism — where the body produces less testosterone — could be an issue.
"What happens in that period when they have low testosterone levels is that [steroid users] often feel depressed, low energy, low sex drive," Dr van de Ven said.
"So, we can see that to avoid these feelings, potentially, sometimes people will then start up a steroid cycle again."
Non-medical anabolic steroid use almost tripled between 2001 and 2019, according to the Australian National Drug Strategy Household Survey.
While just 0.2 per cent of the participants in the 2022-23 survey said they used steroids, experts say usage rates could be much higher.
Evidence of performance-enhancing drugs was discovered in almost every Australian population tested in a recent University of Queensland wastewater study.
The drugs are illegal in all states. In Mr Cooke's home state of Queensland, anabolic steroids are in the same drug class as methamphetamine or heroin and possession carries a maximum penalty of 25 years' imprisonment.
'What's even in this stuff?'
Mr Cooke said not knowing exactly what was in the black-market steroids was worrying.
"There were many times we had thought we were taking something and there was absolutely nothing in it," he said.
"So you're worried like: 'What is even in this stuff?'
"Then you see vials with junk [floating] in it, but there was nothing available to test it."
These are questions that researchers are working to find answers for through an Australian-first steroid-checking trial based in Queensland.
Griffith University harm reduction researcher Tim Piatkowski said the trial was in the early stages with results from 24 samples so far dropped off by anonymous users.
Roughly a quarter of those samples contained unexpected steroids. Two samples of a drug called oxandralone returned troubling results.
Dr Piatkowski said oxandralone was sometimes favoured by female users because of its perceived "milder" androgenic side effects.
However, one sample contained a steroid called stanozolol and the other contained testosterone.
Dr Piatkowski said both drugs could produce more masculine characteristics, while stanozolol was more of a liver toxin.
"The end intention [of the trial] is that somebody brings something in, we can take it, test it, and then ring them up or put the results on a portal," he said.
"[Then] you're able to go: 'Oh, there's something in there that I didn't want, perhaps I won't take it.'"
Mr Cooke said having access to a testing service could have helped him make better decisions.
"There should be a very high demand for testing," he said.
"People should know what both the short-term and long-term risks are and understand what impacts it's going to have on their health.
"I think a lot of people go into it not knowing the risks and also not knowing their options."