I’ll never forget that tragic night in 1992!! I had just competed in the IFBB Holland Grand Prix. Back in my hotel room, I was just falling asleep, when someone started banging on my door. Startled. . . I leaped out of bed and ran to see what was going on. Out in the hallway, there was all sorts of commotion. A few rooms away, lying quite still on the bedroom floor, was my good friend and fellow competitor Mohammed “Momo” Benaziza. A small crowd had gathered as another friend tried desperately to breath life back into the body of our dying companion.

I kept looking at his lifeless body and turning away! Uncontrollable tears were streaming down my face. One thought kept racing through my mind. “DAMN THOSE DRUGS!!” None of us standing there needed a doctor to tell us why Momo was dying in front of us. Here was another tragedy in the sordid world of professional bodybuilding, and it wouldn’t be the last.

It was then and there that I knew I was through. This was my wake up call. I would never again jeopardize my life for bodybuilding. Never again would I step on the professional bodybuilding stage. I knew I was leaving the arena where my whole life’s energies had been focused for many years. But somehow, I knew deep in my heart that I was done. I found myself saying a prayer and asking God to forgive me and show me a new way. Thankfully, He did just that.

Today, my life has a whole new meaning. Of course, I still lift weights practically every day, and I still pursue the goal of a muscular physique. But, God has shown me that life is really about family, about commitments, and about helping others. My only regret is that it took the loss of my good friend Momo to get me here. I will never forget him.

Today, I have dedicated my life to teaching others about the dangers of using steroids and other harmful bodybuilding drugs. I hope, in some small way, I can help prevent tragedies like the death of Momo or the vain pursuits of the old Steve Brisbois. My message is to tell body-builders and athletes everywhere that drugs are a dead end street. And I mean DEAD. With intelligent training, proper nutrition and supplementation you can greatly improve your body. No. . . you won’t look like an IFBB champion, but the reality is that even those guys don’t look like IFBB champions most of the year. You see, they gear everything for the night of the contest where they will look their muscular best, but in all probability, be one step from the grave. The rest of the year, they look pretty bad — bloated, fat, misproportioned. Is this what you are really after?

The beauty of natural training is that you can look really good 365 days out of the year. You don’t need a contest to validate yourself. When you do it naturally, what you earn in the gym is what you keep. I can’t tell you how much happier and healthier I am today.