House has admitted to using steroids in the 1970s, making him one of the earliest players to admit to using performance-enhancing drugs. In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, he described his use of steroids as "a failed experiment", although he increased from around 190 pounds to around 220 while using them. He viewed the experience as a failure since the extra muscle did not enhance his substandard 82-MPH fastball, while the drugs contributed to knee problems, eventually necessitating a total of seven operations. He claims to have stopped using them after learning about the potential long-term effects of steroid use in college classes during the off-season.

House has stated that "six or seven" pitchers on every major league staff in the 1970s were "fiddling" with steroids or human growth hormone. He attributes players' willingness to experiment with performance-enhancing substances to the permissiveness of the drug culture of the 1960s, and he believes that steroid use has declined in major league baseball since the 1970s, as players have become more aware of the potential long-term drawbacks.

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A few interesting points from what House said:

- He believes steroid use has actually DECLINED from the 1970s. Is that proof? No but it's quite an interesting point of view.

- He felt that steroids did not help him become a better pitcher. I find it interesting that almost every player who has actually tested positive or admitted to using steroids has not been an exceptional player.

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Also from House's wiki entry:

House and Hank Aaron were both members of the Braves in 1974, the season when Aaron broke Babe Ruth's record for career home runs. Aaron hit the record-setting 715th home run in the fourth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, on April 8, 1974 against pitcher Al Downing. The ball landed in the Braves' bullpen in left-center field, where it was caught on the fly by House. The game stopped to celebrate the achievement, and after sprinting to the infield, House presented the ball to Aaron at home plate.

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I find it rather interesting that "saint" Hank Aaron's home run was caught by his admitted steroid using teammate. While House never mentions hitters using steroids, it seems pretty crazy to think that 6 or 7 pitchers per team would be using steroids and no hitters. Most people admit that Aaron probably used amphetamines (they've been a staple of baseball for a very long time until their recent banning.) But it's also possible that Aaron used steroids. His teammate was an admitted steroid user, so clearly it was around. Aaron did have some of his best seasons in his late 30s in the early 70s. Not much more than this sort of circumstantial "evidence" is enough to incriminate people today, so why isn't it enough to incriminate Aaron?