Denver's women-only program for mental health, trauma and substance use.Call Admissions 833.754.0554
Call 833.754.0554Verify Insurance

Performance and body-image products and use treatment guidance for women in Denver

Your symptoms made sense. We treat what they were managing.

If substances are part of what you’re carrying, we start with mental health and trauma. Healing begins in our Partial Hospitalization Program: a focused day of care, and home every night.

You deserve clear information that respects your reasons for using these products and your right to choose what happens next.

Plum chairs, table and flower painting

A look at our space

These are rooms at our Denver office. You spend the day here, and you go home at night.

Seating area with a sofa, round table, plants and artwork at Women’s Recovery Lounge with purple chairs, cream sofa and table Lounge with purple chairs and dried flowers Dark sofa and coffee table in a furnished room Plum armchairs beside a window table Entrance to the Belcaro Place building with the number 3801 above the doors

What are anabolic steroids and other appearance and performance enhancing drugs (APEDs)?

APEDs can include nonmedical testosterone use, anabolic-androgenic steroid misuse, and other substances taken to change strength, performance, or appearance.

01

Anabolic-androgenic steroids are laboratory-made substances similar to testosterone.

They promote skeletal-muscle growth and androgenic effects. Some steroids have legitimate medical uses, but misuse means taking them without a prescription or differently from how they were prescribed. They do not cause the intense euphoria associated with some drugs, yet some people develop a substance use disorder and may experience withdrawal symptoms when use stops.

02

APEDs also include non-steroidal substances such as insulin, insulin-like growth hormone, human growth hormone, and sympathomimetics.

Sympathomimetics can raise heart rate and blood pressure and constrict blood vessels. Over-the-counter or nutritional-supplement status does not make a product harmless. Combining opioids with benzodiazepines, alcohol, or other central nervous system depressants can cause extreme sleepiness, dangerously slowed breathing, coma, or death.

Seating area with a sofa, round table, plants and artwork at Women’s Recovery

What can treatment for performance and body-image products involve?

Treatment can begin with a careful look at the specific product, pattern of use, unwanted effects, withdrawal experiences, and impact on daily functioning. Education about selective androgen receptor modulators and other nonprescription medication misuse can help distinguish broad concerns from your individual needs.

01

Psychotherapy, also called talk therapy, can help you identify and change troubling thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

It may take place individually with a licensed mental health professional or in a group. Its general goals include relief from symptoms, stronger daily functioning, and improved quality of life. For APED concerns, this creates room to explore use alongside performance pressure, body image, mood, relationships, and routines.

02

An individual care recommendation requires more than knowing a product’s name.

The presence of continued use, unwanted consequences, or withdrawal symptoms may shape the clinical picture, as can other substances and mental or physical health concerns. Medication and prescription changes belong with your treating prescriber. Treatment should provide informed support rather than instructions to stop, change, or manage a prescribed medication by yourself.

How can care address Performance and body-image products and daily life?

Care can connect APED use with what is happening in your everyday life rather than treating it as an isolated behavior. Support related to nonmedical testosterone use and possible drug-supply adulterants may consider emotions, thoughts, routines, health concerns, and the meaning attached to performance or appearance.

01

Mental health includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being, so useful care can look beyond whether you are currently using a product.

Psychotherapy may help you notice how certain thoughts, feelings, or circumstances connect with use and practice different responses. This work can support functioning and quality of life while respecting that your experiences, pressures, relationships, and reasons for seeking help are personal.

02

Daily-life effects may show up in mood, concentration, sleep, relationships, exercise patterns, or the amount of time and attention a product occupies.

The most useful focus depends on what is actually affecting you. Because APEDs span steroids, hormones, stimulants, supplements, and other substances, care should avoid treating every product or pattern as interchangeable and instead respond to your specific experiences and goals.

Two upholstered chairs and a bookshelf in a Women’s Recovery office

What goals can support recovery from Performance and body-image products?

Recovery goals can include reducing troubling symptoms, improving daily functioning, and building a quality of life that is not organized around unwanted product use. Learning about anabolic-androgenic steroid misuse and selective androgen receptor modulators can support choices grounded in accurate information rather than shame or pressure.

01

A goal does not need to be dramatic to matter.

It may involve recognizing patterns, responding differently to difficult emotions, reconnecting with relationships, or restoring routines that support health and daily responsibilities. Psychotherapy is designed to address troubling thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, making these concerns appropriate parts of treatment rather than personal failures you are expected to solve through willpower alone.

02

Goals can also account for withdrawal experiences or continued use despite consequences, which may signal that more support is needed.

Because anabolic steroids do not have to produce euphoria for a substance use disorder to develop, recovery is not defined by whether your experience resembles someone else’s addiction. Progress can center on safer, more stable functioning and choices that reflect your priorities.

How can you begin finding help for performance and body-image products?

You can begin by having a confidential, conversation about what concerns you and what kind of support may make sense. Review admissions information or contact our team in Denver. A conversation can help you consider next steps while preserving your ability to decide whether to proceed.

01

How can you begin finding help for performance and body-image products?

Clear guidance about performance and body-image products and use treatment guidance for women in Denver should account for the specific substances involved and their place in your life. Steroids, hormones, sympathomimetics, and nutritional supplements are not identical, and legitimate medical use differs from misuse. An assessment can consider these distinctions along with withdrawal experiences, well-being, daily functioning, and any other substance use.

02

Self-care can support treatment and recovery by strengthening physical and mental health, helping manage stress, and improving energy.

Small, sustainable actions can matter, but they are not a test you must pass before receiving help. If you are considering care for yourself or someone you love, call Women’s Recovery at 833.754.0554 or visit 3801 E Florida Ave, Ste 650, Denver, CO 80210.

Dark sofa and coffee table in a furnished room

Common questions

Explore women’s treatment programs and mental health treatment for women in Denver for related guidance. Call admissions when you want to discuss your own situation.

Call Admissions
01 Can anabolic steroid use become an addiction even without a “high”?

Concern may be warranted if use continues despite unwanted physical, emotional, or daily-life effects, or if stopping brings withdrawal symptoms. Some people who use anabolic steroids develop a substance use disorder, even though these drugs do not produce euphoria. An individualized assessment can clarify what you are experiencing and what care may fit.

02 Are all appearance and performance enhancing drugs steroids?

No. APEDs include anabolic steroids as well as non-steroidal substances such as insulin, insulin-like growth hormone, human growth hormone, and sympathomimetics. Each has different effects and medical uses. Knowing the specific product matters because treatment and safety decisions should reflect what you actually used, not a broad category alone.

03 Should nonprescription performance products be discussed during an assessment?

Products sold as nutritional supplements may feel safer because they are available without a prescription, but availability does not establish safety. Supplements and other nonprescription products deserve the same honest discussion as steroids, hormones, or stimulants. Care can consider the exact products alongside changes in mood, health, sleep, and functioning.

04 How can I support a woman I am concerned about?

A loved one can express specific observations with respect rather than arguing about appearance or applying a label. You might name changes in mood, health, relationships, or routines and offer to help make a first call. She still deserves control over whether, when, and how she seeks care.

05 How do I contact Women’s Recovery?

You can contact Women’s Recovery at 833.754.0554 for a private, conversation about your concerns and possible next steps. Women’s Recovery is located at 3801 E Florida Ave, Ste 650, Denver, CO 80210. Reaching out does not obligate you to enter care or make an immediate decision.

If you can't believe that yet, borrow my hope. Just long enough to find your own.

Women’s Recovery graduate

Start with one conversation. Tell us what you're carrying. We'll walk you through the next step and verify your benefits.