What we treat
Anabolic steroid use disorder
Almost nobody starts because they want a drug. They start because of how they feel about their own body — and that is the same reason people reach for everything else we treat.
So this page is not about compounds. It is about the two things that actually keep people stuck: a mirror that never gives a good answer, and a stop attempt where mood drops further than anyone warned you it could.
Why stopping alone goes wrong
The National Institute on Drug Abuse puts it plainly: the most dangerous withdrawal symptom is depression, because it sometimes leads to suicide attempts. About 32 percent of people who misuse anabolic steroids become dependent.
That changes what supervision is for. With alcohol the danger is the body — seizures, delirium. Here the body mostly recovers slowly while mood falls, and the risk window is weeks rather than days. Being watched through it is the point.
Treating the driver, not just the compound
- Muscle dysmorphia. Seeing yourself as small regardless of the mirror or the scale. NIDA lists psychological therapy for it as first-line treatment, and it is the engine under a lot of long-term use.
- Depression and anxiety, before and after. Frequently present beforehand and reliably worse during a stop. Treated alongside rather than afterwards — see depression and anxiety.
- Whatever else is on board. Opioids for training injuries and stimulants for cutting are common in this population, and both carry withdrawal that medical detox exists for.
What we do not do
We do not provide hormone or endocrine therapy. Long-term use can suppress the body's own testosterone production, and restoring it needs an endocrinologist and bloodwork — we refer rather than improvise. Residential and outpatient treatment run at Nova Recovery Center, our parent company, with sober housing through Eudaimonia Recovery Homes.
Common questions
Are anabolic steroids actually addictive?+
Yes, and the number is higher than most people expect. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that about 32 percent of people who misuse anabolic steroids become dependent.
What happens when someone stops?+
The physical side is fatigue, restlessness, appetite loss, insomnia, reduced sex drive and cravings. The part that matters most is mood: NIDA is explicit that the most dangerous withdrawal symptom is depression, because it sometimes leads to suicide attempts.
Why treat body image rather than the drug?+
Because for most people the drug is downstream. Muscle dysmorphia — a version of body dysmorphic disorder in which someone sees themselves as small no matter what the mirror or the scale says — is the engine underneath a lot of long-term use, and NIDA lists psychological therapy for it as the first line of treatment.
Do you provide hormone or endocrine treatment?+
No, and anyone promising it as part of addiction treatment is overreaching. Long-term use can suppress the body’s own testosterone production, and restoring it is an endocrinologist’s work with bloodwork behind it.
What does treatment actually involve?+
A free confidential assessment first: what you have used and for how long, what stopping has been like before, mood and any thoughts of self-harm, and whatever else is involved — opioids and stimulants are common companions in this population.
Is this confidential? I compete, or I coach.+
Yes. Treatment records are protected health information, and federal rules covering substance use treatment are stricter than general medical privacy, not looser.
If the stop attempt is the part that scares you
That is the right thing to be careful about, and it is worth a call rather than a search. Free, confidential, answered 24 hours a day. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline now.
Call (866) 710-7710