Michael Pluznick

The Doper Next Door: My Strange and Scandalous Year on Performance Enhancing Drugs

The Doper Next Door: My Strange and Scandalous Year on Performance Enhancing Drugs by Andrew Tilin

Journalist and cyclist Andrew Tilin goes in search of normal people who take performance-enhancing drugs. As a cyclist, he’s familiar with the pros who test positive for these substances, and the shame and scorn that goes with doping. But his wife is taking estrogen! Isn’t that doping too? Andrew goes in search of someone who will tell all, but finds a wall of silence. He decides to embark on a year-long, top-secret experiment in supplementing his own testosterone. As an athlete who competes, he’s risking his reputation if anyone finds out.

Forty-something Andrew discovers that his “Andrewpause” responds quite well to a syringe of testosterone and little hormone cream. His year-long adventure has him hornier, stronger, and more aggressive than he’s ever been. But part of him feels like heel for cheating as an amateur bike racer. He chronicles his journey with humor, insight, and good amount of existential angst. For anyone considering T, this is a thought-provoking point of view.