The Doper Next Door

My Strange and Scandalous Year on Performance-Enhancing Drugs

By: Andrew Tilin

Narrated by: Eric Michael Summerer

Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's Summary

What happens to a regular guy who dopes? Surprised to learn that pro athletes aren’t the only ones taking performance-enhancing substances, journalist Andrew Tilin goes in search of the average juicing Joe, hoping to find a few things out: Why would normal people take these substances? Where do folks get them? Does the stuff really work?

But these controversial drugs often silence their users, and so his queries might have gone unanswered had Tilin not looked in the mirror and succumbed to curiosity. Soon wielding syringes, this fortysomething husband and father of two children becomes the doper next door.

During his yearlong odyssey, Tilin is transformed. He becomes stronger, hornier, and aggressive. He wades into a subculture of doping physicians, real-estate agents, and aging women who believe that Tilin’s type of legal hormone-replacement therapy is the key to staying young, and he often agrees.

He also lives with the price paid for renewed vitality, worrying about his health, marriage, and cheating ways as an amateur bike racer. And all along the way, he tells us what doping is really like: empowering and scary.

©2011 Andrew Tilin (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Interesting Experiment

What did you like best about The Doper Next Door? What did you like least?

A frank and personal look at what it's like to go on performance enhancing drugs from a middle-aged, amateur cyclist, who's a husband and father. He starts taking high dosages of exogenous testosterone and DHEA and talks about all the pro-'s and con's of this decision.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I thought it was fine as is.

What about Eric Michael Summerer’s performance did you like?

Eric did a very good job narrating - smooth reader.

Was The Doper Next Door worth the listening time?

Yes - what I found fascinating was the 'hidden' side effects of the drugs that the author experienced. He was always worried that he might get caught, he felt like a fraud to his cycling coach, there were the mood swings, and also risking his family with secondary contamination. The author did a very good job about taking the reader through his decisions, even going back to key events from his childhood, and recent adulthood, which seemed to have shaped his decision to 'juice' and take the risks.

Any additional comments?

This book probes at the heart of the anti-aging industry. Supplemental hormones are the new panacea for men and women, it seems. This book should shed some good light on the overall effect of these drugs - moth physically, emotionally and psychologically.

What a wimp. He needs a hug or more testosterone.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

No, If you are in to cycling go read another book. If you expect this book to get juicy and really dive into doping then you will disappointed. Mr Tilin doesn't dope, he just takes normal prescriptions for his low testosterone levels. With the way this guy explains his life it seems like he has always been low on T. He behavior while on T just seem to be normal male behavior and don't really warrant a book with a great tittle.

What could Andrew Tilin have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Go beyond bringing his testosterone to normal numbers. I expected him to cross the line and live it up for the sake of a book.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Been a better cheater and told a story of what it was like for all the real cyclist get themselves into.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A man without a pair lives a year of his life like the average man.

Any additional comments?

Derrick Perrin of Corpus Christi is the writer our of this review.

I Really Wanted to Like This Book But.....

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. The story could have been interesting but there was more time spent talking about the author's life than the experience of being the "Doper Next Door". The writing was not very good and I felt my eyes rolling more than it should have.

What aspect of Eric Michael Summerer’s performance would you have changed?

The performance of the reading was fine.

Did The Doper Next Door inspire you to do anything?

There were some interesting information about the anti aging industry.

Any additional comments?

I felt a little misled by the title and summary of the book. This book should have been titled "To T or not to T".

Must Read

As an amateur cyclist and competitor I wish his tail were just that, it isn't. Three of the five positive tests on USA Cycling 2016 doping wrap up were 45+ year old cyclist, to include one woman. I believe it is only a drop in the bucket generally. There are folks doping to ride not race. Interesting stuff.

Don't waste a credit or money.

Painful to listen and rather pointless. Yawn yawn yawn yawn yawn yawn yawn yawn yawn yawn yawn.

interesting

I think the author is pursicuting himself way to much. It was a bicycle race.

Needs more focus on before/after results

The novel part was interesting but distracting from the core message: What was the impact of doping beyond a boner and feeling stronger. He cites one race and a handful of training runs but not before / after metrics. Was the impact marginal? Significant? Neither? He does delve into this details

For a cyclist this is a great story

As a cyclist myself I've often wondered if these drugs would help me and what the risks would be, I now feel as though I have a good idea. It's an honest look into the mind of a middle aged competitive cyclist looking to get back to that glory of youth.

Fun, interesting

Would you listen to The Doper Next Door again? Why?

Not sure it is a read twice type of book for me. Interesting info delivered in an entertaining way.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

not really

Any additional comments?

If you are into biking it is a added bonus.

Dull

There was little in here about bike racing, or the effect of a doping "programme". It is essentially an account of a middle aged man and his dysfunctional marriage, written with a teenaged boy approach which is more like watching "American Pie" than an illuminating account of how a professional doping programme affects the arthletes undergoing it. I didn't download it to hear about his sex life, neuroses or psychoanalysis, I'd hoped for an insiders account of the epidemic of doping in sport. That is not what this is though.

I've never written an audible review but this was so disappointing that I felt I should. It is also narrated in a nauseating accent which makes the whole thing even less enjoyable.

interesting but neurotic

Great idea for a book but not enough time was spent examining the performance enhancing effect of the drugs on sport, there was way too much psychoanalysis of his childhood & middle aged life.

Deception in all areas.......

The real scandal of this book if the fact that us masquerades as a sport book. In reality, the main body of the work deals with the authors dysfunctional mid-life existence and the padding is at the very least extreme. I was utterly bored by the authors 'bedroom life', where we are treated time and again to a Mills and Boon account of his attempts enact a physical relationship with his wife. It seemed as though the advertised topic of the book was just a prop to tell a meandering life story. The fact is that this book is about a man who dabbles with a female HRT programme modified for a male patient, including the use of the totally legal hormone 'testosterone'. Then he does some cycling on the side - where the hormone is not allowed. The zenith of achievement in this sport changing scandal is coming 7th in a local race with an FTP of 250W. The only real feat of endurance is actually getting to the end of the book.

good read

interesting read good detail and content if at bit rambling at times. often disappears on an aside of pointless detail

not all what I expected

so much more than the story of a self confessed doper. I was disappointed at first but then found I thoroughly enjoyed this story in its entirety. well worth a listen. the narration is in my opinion, excellent.

Very well written and personal account

Listened to the entire book in one go, and enjoyed it. Some parts of the story I found the protagonist irritating, but that goes to show how well it has been written.
After listening I discovered that Andrew Tillin has since been killed in an accident, very sad news, and gives the book a different feel.

interesting insightful and compelling

I got through this quickly ... clearly I enjoyed it, not least because I am a cyclist at a similar life stage as the author. I would have like him to experiment more and take it a stage further but understand why he didn't . I would recommend