If you had the impression that the majority of non-medical anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) users are the cheating athletes or risk teenagers, then you were wrong all this time.

According to a new study conducted by Jason Cohen, Psy.D. candidate, an published  in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition the typical male user of steroids is white, about 30 years old, well-educated, and earning an above-average income in a white-collar occupation.

Jason Cohen used a web based survey and he gathered responses from nearly 2,000 US males. The study suggests that physical self-improvement motivates the unrecognized majority of non-medical AAS users who particularly want to increase muscle mass, strength, and physical attractiveness.

Also, the majority did not use steroids during adolescence and were not motivated by athletic competition or sports performance. According to the study, they use steroids as one part of a strategy for physical self-improvement within a health-centered lifestyle.

Also they seem to be aware of the potential side effects of the steroids such as high blood pressure and liver damage, but everything is planned to maximize benefits, which is opposed to the spontaneous approach seen in abusers of psychotropic drugs

“The notions of spontaneous drug seeking and loss of control do not apply to the vast majority of AAS users," said co-author Daniel Gwartney, M.D.