Gym Candy

The next time Mick meets with Peter, he asks him about Dianabol (D-bol), a popular steroid. Peter says that he took it himself for a long time, with no ill effects. Further, it will only cost Mick about twenty dollars more per month than what he is already spending on supplements. Peter says he has some in his locker and Mick can start that day. Mick gives him twenty dollars. Peter leaves briefly, and returns with four pills. He tells Mick that they have to talk about dosages, or the Dianabol will cause him to grow breasts. Noticing Mick’s horrified expression, he says that they will offset it with another pill called Nolvadex but they will not start the Nolvadex until Mick shows the first signs of breast tissue, at which point he will stop using the Dianabol and begin with the Nolvadex until the symptoms vanish, after which he would resume the Dianabol.

Mick takes two pills. Then Peter tells him there are two mental side effects to watch out for: “Sometimes, you’ll get a kind of screw-the-world feeling. You feel secretly strong and confident…it’s kind of cool as long as you don’t let it blow up into full-force roid rage” (161).