The problem with steroids is that at some point you have to stop. Then after 2 to 6 months clean it will look like you never exercised in your life. Training natural at least you will look in good shape year after year.
Eh, I don't know.
I was on test e for a very long time starting around Aug. of 2010. I didn't get off it 'til May the next year (long story).
I swear, while being on so long did eventually nasty sides -- I became anxious as fuck and had a panic attack -- I also think it "mutated" me as gh15 talks about. Point of fact, I laid out of the gym for like 3 months in late 2011. But I didn't lose much in the way of size. My delts shrank a little and I lost a little roundness in the arms, but I was shocked at how I retained size so long after not training and not juicing. I DID lose a lot of strength but it's coming back fast. I actually have to be a bit careful and be sure it doesn't come back too fast, lest I wind up injured again.
I would greatly prefer to remain natural. But at nearly 34 and after almost 20 years of training, I honestly don't see myself improving much without drugs. Call me greedy, but I want more. I want that 315 for paused on the chest for a few reps incline again. Training natural's better in so many respects, but after a time, moving basically the same poundages year in, year out ... so boring. Given the power of muscle memory, it's so tempting to lay off for a long time, then build back up again. It's also too damned tempting to just train once a week or once every two weeks ... believe it or not, I can easily maintain strength (if not optimal muscle) on such a regimen. My 16-year-old self could not even begin to imagine that; that'd be throwing in the towel, being a colossal pussy, etc.
And that's without drugs. Six weeks of 30 mg of Dbol/day and 500 mg of Test E/wk, and watch your old 1RM PRs turn into something you can handle for 8 reps.
The allure is pretty fucking hard to fight. I appreciate what Croatch says. Juiced-up douchebags who waddle around the gym like they're hot shit for a couple of months, then go off and become all meek IS something mockable. But not everyone "using" is at all like that. I'm certainly not.
