Dwain Chambers admits he was unlikely to have stopped taking performance-enhancing drugs had he not been caught.
Sprinter speaks about drug-fuelled past
Dwain Chambers admits he was unlikely to have stopped taking performance-enhancing drugs had he not been caught.
The British sprinter served a two-year ban after testing positive for designer steroid THG in 2003.
He has subsequently returned to athletics and insists he is glad - for the sake of his health - that he is now clean.
The 30-year-old spoke frankly on Wednesday during a surprise appearance at a legal conference in central London on tackling doping in sport.
Asked "would it have gone on for you if you had not been caught?", Chambers replied "pretty much so - more than likely."
But he also added: "I'm glad that it happened (being caught) when it happened because I did not know what it would have done to my health.
"I could not go on as I had to go on each day and lie to athletes - never mind the ones that I thought were doing it too.
"It killed me."
Harsh
Chambers has re-established himself as Britain's top 100 metres runner since his comeback, but was unable to compete at the Beijing Olympics due to the British Olympic Association's hardline stance on drug cheats.
The BOA hand out life bans to those convicted of doping offences, a rule that Chambers unsuccessully tried to overturn at the High Court last July.
"Although I knew that I could get caught I never realised that the punishment would be this harsh," he said. "We need to be educated.
"Going down that road is never good for anybody. It makes you look bad and it makes the sport look bad."
Chambers feels he could have won a medal if he had been given a second chance and been allowed to go to the Olympics.
"I was hoping that my performance would sway the judges' decision," he admitted.
"I ran 10 seconds flat - the fastest in Europe to date - and felt that my performance would have got (at least) a bronze medal.
Second chance
"I deserved a second chance considering that Christine Ohuruogu (the 400m runner) got a second chance and she was able to become an Olympic and world champion because of it."
Ohuruogu returned victorious to the track after serving a year's ban for missing three out-of-competition tests.
Chambers claims the "thrill of winning" now spurs him on and he hopes to be back in a British vest after hearing positive noises from new UK Athletics head coach Charles van Commenee about welcoming him back.
He said: "It's pleasing to know that we can move forward and people are not just concerned with the question of whether Dwain should be here or not.
"I just want to get back on the rostrum again and hopefully be invited to British meets."