i really think you're making a good call for the time being, bro. it's hard to do the right thing, especially in this world when everyone wants everything yesterday. there is no shortcuts without a price. with aas, there is always risks to weigh out but in a couple of years, you'll have less risks to worry about. stick around and if i can help direct you on your path naturally, i'd be happy to do anything i can and when the time comes, if you decide to go "on" we'll set you up right

as far as creatine, i've had good experiences kre alkalyn type creatine. that being said, i dont always use it. most of the time, i stick to mono and use whichever mono is available for a good price. mono is very inexpensive and can be found at your online supp stores for $10-$15 a tub. no need to go with the expensive name brands. if you're not already, i would suggest 5g preworkout and 5 g either intra workout or post. usually, i take 5 g preworkout and then sip on a intra workout drink with 5g along with 10g bcaa and dextrose. often, i dont use dex powder, in favor of mixing the mono and bcaa into a bottle of gatoraid. i'd also suggest taking 3-5 g fish oil a day as well as a decent multi. another supp i'd highly suggest is a good good sugar free fiber powder. use every day. it'll keep your digestive system moving quickly. its easy for us to get sluggish on our high protein diets

most important and most expensive is food. i spend a few hundred dollar every wk on food alone and i try to buy in bulk and go with sales. nothing is going to help you grow like red meat, IME. i use chicken brest 3 times a day, liquid egg whites, one meal of steak or lean ground beef. in contest season, i eat more fish. if you get your diet nailed, you'll do better than if you take all the supps in the world, including aas. at 18%, it sounds like you have a little room for improvement. i would work on getting a high protein meal in about every 2-3 hrs, whey right after you train, followed by soild food 1 hr later. sounds like you might be getting too many carbs..this is just a guess, but thats usually the issue when BF% is closer to 20%. keep your carbs clean and slow burning, brown rice, oatmeal, yam. i would start with about 175g a day and after, centered around the part of the day that you do most of your activity and try to eat protein/fat meals when you're less active. an example would be 5oz chicken breast with 1/4 cup almonds and a large green salid without any type of dressing that would add calories. for the meal before training, try something like 5 oz chicken or lean ground turkey with 4 oz yam. post training, maybe 5 oz beef and 35-40g carbs from brown rice. eat clean and eat often. maybe add in a little slow steady state cardio a few times a wk. you can grow as you burn the fat.