Sport addiction: between passion and compulsion

It is this invisible boundary, this insidious shift, that we wanted to understand. At 3Bikes, we hit the road to meet Dr. Jean-Christophe Seznec, psychiatrist, sports physician, and author of the recent book Le sport, psychologie d’une passion (Odile Jacob). This recognized expert, who was part of the French junior road cycling team and the medical committee of the French Rugby Federation, received us with kindness and frankness. As he had already done in his teachings and books, he opened our minds to the ambiguities of sport: a formidable tool for health and balance, but also fertile ground for excess.

When Passion Remains a Choice

Right away, Dr. Seznec offered us an illuminating distinction. Passion, he says, is “a controlled, voluntary activity that brings one closer to what matters to oneself.” It nourishes joy, enthusiasm, the desire to go further. It adapts to life’s constraints: one can ease off, interrupt a training session for a family dinner, or put one’s practice on hold in case of injury. Passion opens, connects, enriches.

What struck us was the way he describes freedom as a decisive criterion. A healthy passion always leaves the possibility of choice. It remains a tool at the service of existence.

When Addiction Imposes Its Law

Conversely, addiction is a grip. “It feeds on impulsivity and generates a loss of control,” he explains. The athlete no longer chooses: they are compelled. Stopping is no longer an option, as it triggers anxiety, guilt, a feeling of craving. Time, relationships, sometimes money, are sacrificed on the altar of practice.

This slide is rarely spectacular. It occurs in small touches: one more ride, an extra competition weekend, a missed evening for a session deemed “essential.” Until the entourage worries, or the body gives out.

The warning signs are clear: isolation, conflicts with family or friends, rigidity of schedule, inability to slow down despite injuries or fatigue. Where a passionate person knows to interrupt their practice to preserve their health, the addict persists, even if it means losing everything.

“The athlete no longer chooses: they are compelled. Stopping is no longer an option, as it triggers anxiety, guilt, a feeling of craving.”

Very Real Damage

One might think that sports addiction remains a benign affair, almost enviable. After all, isn’t it better to run than to drink or smoke? Dr. Seznec refutes this common misconception. Addiction, he reminds us, is always a suffering. It leads to isolation, conflicts, breakdowns, loss of professional opportunities. Sport, meant to support health, can become destructive.

He also emphasizes the role of the entourage. Too often, loved ones oscillate between reproach and resignation. However, help lies in kind words, in the expression of sincere concern. “It’s not by asserting ‘you must’ that one helps someone, but by inviting them to observe their own choices,” he points out.

Healing, Rebalancing, Restoring Meaning

Should we have asked if one can live with a sports addiction? Seznec’s answer is clear: no. An addiction is not managed, it is treated. It deprives of freedom, it traps, it damages.

But this does not mean that one must radically cut ties with sport. The psychiatrist likes to use a striking metaphor: “Sport is like a hammer. Used well, it builds. Used poorly, it causes damage.” The challenge is not to banish, but to regain a free and flexible practice.

He also points out that high-level sport has recently integrated longitudinal psychological monitoring, a sign that society is beginning to become aware of these risks.

The example of rats placed in a wheel — to the point of preferring to run than to eat — particularly struck us. This experiment, he says, illustrates how pathological movement can become. In humans too, the pursuit of effort can obscure fundamental needs.

At the Roots of Addiction

Why do some people tip over, and others not? Here, Seznec blends biology and psychology. Some individuals are more sensitive to the activation of the dopaminergic system, the reward circuit. Others exhibit narcissistic fragility: they only feel they exist through their performance. Still others, particularly those suffering from ADHD, are more vulnerable to compulsive behaviors.

He also warns us against the simplistic idea of transfer: that by stopping sport, the addict will necessarily turn to another dependence. In reality, when treating an addiction, one acts on the overall terrain, on the difficulty of managing emptiness, anxiety, the quest for value. Treating sports addiction also soothes other excessive behaviors.

And in a message he sent us after our interview, Dr. Seznec also reminds us that “the race for results increases addictive risk.” What makes champions like Léon Marchand strong, he explains, is having learned that their value does not depend on their performance. Thanks to this work with his mental coach, Marchand can focus on what he truly loves: swimming and competing against others. Victory comes afterward. In individual sports, focusing on the stopwatch increases the risk of tipping into addiction, especially when performance matters more than the life experience that sport is. “The practice of sport is greater than a stopwatch,” he insists.

Rediscovering a Free Relationship

So, how can one regain a peaceful relationship with sport? For Seznec, it’s about giving the practitioner back flexibility and awareness. “Life is a huge playground,” he says with a smile.

This involves diversifying sources of balance: social relationships, creative activities, family or community commitments. But also through the use of concrete therapeutic tools:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapies, to deconstruct automatic thoughts.
• ACT, which helps to act according to one’s values rather than under the compulsion of a craving.
• Meditation, which teaches to observe emotions without getting bogged down in them.

These approaches, by restoring room for maneuver, allow sport to be transformed into an ally rather than a tyrant.

When Society Encourages Excess

What we also take away from our meeting is the lucidity with which Seznec analyzes the cultural context. Our era values performance, surpassing oneself, the obsession with efficiency. Sports addiction, in this climate, is tolerated, even encouraged, because it feeds the spectacle.

“Sports addiction is more accepted than others because it masks suffering behind the show,” he observes. But more and more athletes are daring to speak about their mental health. Perhaps this is a sign of change to come.

The real boundary, he says, lies between effort and obsession. Effort is formative; it teaches humility and endurance. Obsession, on the other hand, is a mental prison. It is up to us to choose what model of sport we want to promote.

Testimonials and Concrete Images

Throughout the interview, we thought of those amateur cyclists who, week after week, increase their mileage, convinced that more will always be better. Of that runner who refuses to go on vacation without his pair of shoes, unable to envision two days of rest. Of that triathlete who, injured, pedals despite the pain and ends up compromising her entire season.

All these scenes, put together, illustrate what Dr. Seznec describes. Passion, yes. But when it devours, it ceases to be an ally.

A Book to Go Further

His latest work, Le sport, psychologie d’une passion, extends these reflections. It contains precise analyses of the psychological mechanisms of sport, but also a plea for a more conscious, less sacrificial practice. It is a book that speaks as much to high-level athletes as to amateurs, and that questions our collective relationship to performance.

In Conclusion

When we left Dr. Seznec, we felt we had taken a step forward. Not only did we better understand sports addiction, but we also looked differently at our own practices, our own excesses. What he offered us was an open mind, an invitation to reflect on the deep meaning of our efforts.

As we had already felt with Dr. Stéphane Cascua a few weeks ago, this meeting was an opportunity. So, once again, we want to say thank you. Thank you to Dr. Seznec for taking the time to enlighten us, to share his knowledge with us, but above all to remind us that behind every pedal stroke, every stride, every drop of sweat, there should always be freedom, meaning, and joy.

=> All our Coaching articles