Substance use and doping pressure

Athletes can face pressure around substances from two directions - the temptation or pressure to use performance-enhancing drugs, and the risk of using alcohol or other substances to cope with pain, pressure or downtime. Both deserve honest, non-judgemental attention.

What it is

Doping pressure is the explicit or implicit push to use banned substances to gain an edge, recover faster, or manage pain enough to keep performing. It can come from a desire to compete, from teammates, or occasionally from within a support structure. Separately, substance use as coping happens when alcohol, sleeping tablets, painkillers or other substances become a way of managing stress, pain, injury, boredom or the comedown after high-adrenaline competition. Both carry serious risks - to health, career and mental wellbeing - and both are more common in high-pressure, high-injury environments like professional sport.

Signs to notice

• Feeling pressure, explicit or subtle, to use substances to improve performance or recover faster
• Using alcohol, painkillers or sleep aids more often, or in larger amounts, than intended
• Needing a substance to relax, sleep, socialise or cope with pressure
• Hiding use from teammates, coaching staff or medical staff
• Using substances to manage pain instead of addressing an injury properly
• Anxiety about doping tests, or knowingly taking risks with unverified supplements

What helps

• Always check medications and supplements against your sport's banned substances list, and use your team doctor or an anti-doping helpline before taking anything new
• Address pain and injury through proper medical treatment rather than self-medicating
• Build non-substance ways of managing stress and downtime - exercise outside training, hobbies, social connection, rest
• Speak honestly with team medical staff about pressure to use substances, whether performance-enhancing or otherwise - most have a duty of confidentiality and care, not punishment, as a first response
• If you're worried about your own or a teammate's substance use, raise it with an EAP counsellor confidentially
• Remember that a single lapse or slip does not undo your career or define you - reaching out early keeps a small problem from becoming a bigger one
• Build a relationship with team medical staff based on trust before a crisis arises, so you feel able to speak up when something feels wrong

When to reach out for help

If you're using substances to cope, feeling pressured to dope, or worried about your control over alcohol, painkillers or other substances, reach out for confidential support. This is a health issue, and getting support early protects both your career and your wellbeing.

Getting help in South Africa

Cleared Mind's EAP counsellors offer confidential, non-judgemental support for substance use and related pressures. SADAG's Mental Health Line (011 234 4837) can also provide guidance and referral to specialist support.