Objectives: This article presents a psychological approach to substance use in sport using a dynamic and situated activity framework. The aim was to analyze the various relationships between activity and the consumption of substances during the sporting life course of athletes who recognized doping violation. Design: Data were collected from secondary sources and biographical and self-confrontational interviews to build traces of the past activity. Method: Twelve doping athletes or those admitting to having used banned substances volunteered to participate. The data were coded and compared to identify typical activities and their intrinsic dynamics. Results: Six activities were identified: "Agree to use," "Drop out of a non-viable state," Return to a former state," "Prevent a potential deficiency," "Maintain an acquired state," and "Balance the sporting life with substance use," comprising 11 patterns. Conclusions. The athletes' activity embedded substance use in reciprocal relationships that consisted of freezing, exploring and exploiting fields of possible actions created and offered by the situation dynamics. Recommendations for situated and dynamic prevention are provided.
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