Existing research on contextual or environmental aspects of substance use typically focuses on spaces or aspects associated with substance use. This mixed-methods doctoral research took a different approach by mapping and comparing a range of spaces, places and situations, including spaces of no or rare substance use. Participants were 24 female university students. The study drew on Löw’s (2001, 2016) ‘sociology of space’ theory to understand if and how spaces were interpreted differently and how this related to situated substance use patterns. The exploratory data suggest that spaces of no or rare substance use do not all hold the same meaning for substance users, but that some are associated with positive feelings while others are associated with ambivalent or negative feelings. Developers and evaluators of environmental prevention interventions would likely benefit from considering how substance users interpret spaces.