What is a steroid you ask?  A steroid is a drug. It was made to develop muscles faster and bigger.  Steroids can be very harmful; they can kill you if you take enough of them.  They can be good for you if you use them right. Many people use them, but some use them illegally.
 
In order to use a steroid, you must first get something called a PRESCRIPTION from your doctor.  A Prescription gives you permission to use steroids. Sometimes the doctor gives you a sheet of paper with a prescription on it. Then you go to the pharmacy and get that medicine to cure you.
 
Doctors prescribe steroids if you need them for medical care.  One reason to take them is if you have cancer.  Another purpose for steroids is if you are born very small you could take them to grow bigger.

A small group of athletes think that the only way to increase muscle is by taking steroids. They take steroids because they help develop muscles.  The athletes that take steroids use the "improved" muscles to gain an advantage in sports. Even some teenagers are taking steroids now. This is becoming a big problem.  So unless your doctor tells you to take steroids... 

DON’T TAKE THEM.

Lyle Alzado is someone who took steroids most of his life and died at an early age because of this drug. He was a phenomenal pro football player.  He made a speech right before he died that told why not to take steroids. An anonymous source wrote an obituary about Lyle.  An obituary is a printed notice of someone after their death.

"Lyle Alzado was a Football player. He played for the Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns and the LA Raiders. Lyle, a true defensive standout for the Broncos, was the first Yankton College (South Dakota) player ever drafted by the NFL and was a two-time All-Conference pick. From those humble beginnings, his combination of quickness and strength, provided Lyle with the pass-rushing skills to start with the Broncos in 1971. His 4.75 second 40-yard dash time, coupled with his tremendous strength ranked Lyle as one of pro football's top pass rushers. His status as a premier defensive lineman was also enhanced by his versatility; he played both end and tackle in the front four with All-Pro status. Lyle Alzado was 42 when he died of brain cancer.

As a Super Bowl hero with the Los Angeles Raiders in 1984, Alzado owned a restaurant in West Hollywood and had embarked on a career as a movie actor before he died in 1992.

This is what Lyle Alzado said before he died:

"I started taking anabolic steroids in 1969 and never stopped," he admitted during his pain-racked final days. "It was addicting, mentally addicting. Now I'm sick, and I'm scared. Ninety percent of the athletes I know are on the stuff. We're not born to be 300 lbs or jump 30 ft. But all the time I was taking steroids, I knew they were making me play better. I became very violent on the field and off. I did things only crazy people do. Once a guy side-swiped my car and I beat the [heck] out of him. Now look at me. My hair's gone, I wobble when I walk and have to hold on to someone for support, and I have trouble remembering things. My last wish? That no one else ever dies this way."

Resources:

Riverview Cemetery, Portland, Oregon, USA.Cause of Death: Brain cancer brought on by excessive steroid use.

Cite about Alzado found here:  http://www.geocities.com/bigcory94533/alzado.html