Confessions of a teenage South African steroid dealer.

The young dealer's parents aren't aware that he sells steroids to his peers, but he claims that many parents are aware that their children use or deal in the drugs.

Some are even proud that their teens have shown entrepreneurial skills, ignoring the dangers associated with the muscle builders .

Other parents, however, think their children are selling supplements.

Marcus sells steroids over BlackBerry Messenger and Facebook.

He says he sells about 100 tablets a week, which cost him R400.

''I make a R100 profit a week on average. The downside is that it includes collection and delivery."

But, is a profit of R100 a week worth risking getting caught and endangering other people's lives? According to Marcus, many of the steroid dealers don't care about the consequences.

All they are concerned about is getting caught.

He says steroids are also used by female fat-burners.

Steroid abuse is a reality at schools and gyms and on the black market.

Although statistics have shown that many steroids are taken by teenagers who feel pressurised to perform in sports such as rugby, cycling and swimming, some aren't necessarily taking the drugs for performance enhancement.

Research has shown that teenagers start taking them to improve their physique from the age of about 15.

Shaun*, 17, says: ''I got pushed around a lot [by stronger boys], but when I started taking the steroids I got bigger and was able to stand up for myself.

''The only benefit that they delivered was a quick increase in my size."

He noticed the side effects, such as acne and aggression, but valued the advantage of a bigger build and the attention of girls more.

After a while, Shaun began to take the effects more seriously.

He saw what the drug was doing to his body and personality, and researched the risks: stunted growth, hair loss, liver toxicity and heart complications.

He has stopped taking them, but says: ''There are many different kinds of steroids, some not as 'bad' as others."

Many teenagers who use the drugs are aware that there are side- effects, but they feel that the benefits outweigh them.

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