The Straight-Talk Guide to Steroids: What’s in the new Hi-Ground booklet & how it helps you stay safer

Hi-Ground just released a 2025 Steroids Booklet designed with (and for) the community. Here’s the useful, no-BS version for consumers: what matters, what to watch, and where to get help.

This post is harm-reduction focused – not medical advice. If you choose to use, do it as safely as possible and with real health monitoring.

1) First principles: know what you’re taking & how it behaves

“AAS” isn’t one thing. It’s a family of compounds (e.g., testosterone esters, DHT-derivatives, 19-nors) that behave differently in your body. A key concept is half-life – how long a drug sticks around – which drives dose timing, build-up, washout, and how long something can be detected. Understanding half-life = fewer peaks and crashes, fewer surprises. 

2) Thinking about starting? Build your “safety stack” first

Before any cycle, get your basics tight:

• Clear goals & timeline. Know why you’ve decided to do it and what “enough” looks like.
  
• Baseline health check. Get bloods before, during, and after; track changes, not vibes. Book an check at RoidSafe.
  
• A plan for side-effects. Sleep, nutrition, BP, HDL/LDL, mood, libido – map what you’ll do if they drift.
  
• Mental health check-in. Body changes + social pressure can mess with your head; don’t white-knuckle it, talk about it.
  
• Exit plan. How you wind down matters for recovery, not just what you start with.
  

If you’re already on – start tracking now. Today is the best baseline you’ve got.

3) Safer injecting: protect your body like an athlete, not a lab rat

Your risk isn’t just what you do; it’s how you do it.

• Sterile, single-use everything. Fresh barrel, fresh needle, clean skin, correct needle size for the site.
  
• Rotate sites (e.g., glutes, quads, ventrogluteal) to reduce tissue damage and infections.
  
• Respect oil-based injections. Go slow, steady, and keep things warm (your hands) not hot (a microwave).
  
• Dispose sharps properly. NSPs will sort you out with the right containers and kit.
  

These aren’t just nice-to-haves, they’re the difference between training tomorrow and sitting in urgent care. The booklet’s “Safe Injecting” section is worth a careful read.

4) Health monitoring that actually matters

You can’t manage what you don’t measure. The booklet’s medical sections, with contributions from clinicians and experienced community educators, spotlight practical monitoring. Some of the highlights include:

• Regular blood pressure checks. Home cuffs are cheap. Check at rest, feet flat, no caffeine 30 minutes prior. Track weekly if you’re on; monthly at minimum.
  
• Key labs over time. Lipids (HDL/LDL), hematocrit/hemoglobin, liver enzymes, kidney function (eGFR/creatinine), fasting glucose/insulin markers, hormones relevant to your stack. Jump onto RoidSafe to book in those regular checks.
  
• Watch patterns, not one-offs. Trends tell the story; bring your logs to your RoidSafe health consults.
  

The booklet also flags that some compounds (e.g., 19-nors) can be linked to prolactin-related issues for some – another reason structured monitoring beats guesswork.

5) Reality check: Australia’s steroid market is not the 1980s

Back in the day, a lot of “off-book” product came via diverted veterinary lines – lower dose, tighter manufacturing. Today, what’s circulating is overwhelmingly underground: small brands, inconsistent quality, frequent re-labels, and copycat packaging that looks pharma but isn’t. That means mislabelled, under- or over-dosed, or outright bunk is common – exactly why people describe using unknown oils as “Russian roulette.” 

Bottom line: you can’t see purity. You need verification.

6) Testing: where, how, and why it helps

Queensland now supports drug checking, including options for AAS. Fixed-site services can analyse samples in person (mail-ins aren’t accepted), and many people also use at-home presumptive kits as a screening step between lab checks. The smart play is a combo: quick screens to spot shocks + periodic lab analysis to confirm what you’re really taking.

What people say they want (and what makes sense):

• Anonymous results you can access online, plus a brand database so the community can see quality trends over time.
  
• Testing co-located with NSPs so you can grab sterile equipment, get help with injection technique or wound care, and link to other health support – all in one visit.
  

7) Women: same game, different stakes

Women face different risk profiles (e.g., virilisation) and often very different goals. The booklet’s women’s section emphasises choosing lower-androgenic compounds, shorter cycles, close monitoring, and an exit strategy tailored to women’s physiology. If you’re a woman considering AAS, seek advice from someone who actually understands female use – don’t follow a man’s template. 

8) Stigma is a health risk – use trusted doors

Many people keep their use “hush-hush,” which pushes them to bad info and sketchy sources. Trusted entry points – needle & syringe programs (NSPs), Hi-Ground’s team, peer educators, and clinicians who “get it” – exist to help without moralising. Use them. That’s how you catch issues early, fix technique problems, and get referrals for bloods and specialist care.

9) Quick checklist you can action this week

• Start a log: BP, weight, sleep, mood, training loads, sides.
  
• Book bloods with RoidSafe: baseline if you can; otherwise, “now” is the baseline.
  
• Clean up your kit: bin old gear; grab fresh supplies from an NSP.
  
• Sanity-check your bottle: if it’s a new brand/batch, screen it; plan a lab check with PEDTest.
  
• Plan your exit: how you come off is part of harm reduction.
  

Where to learn more / get support

This post barely scratches the surface. The full Hi-Ground Steroids Booklet (2025) walks through pharmacology basics, safer injecting, monitoring, the current AU market, women’s guidance, and where to get help – written with strong community input. 

If you’re in Queensland, check Hi-Ground’s channels for local testing options, NSP locations, and the latest steroid-checking project results so you can make informed decisions with real data.