Ronnie O’Sullivan (47 years old) has not had an easy life. The seven-time world snooker champion has revealed in an interview with BBC Radio that lost “seven years drinking and using cannabis” at the presentation of his book “Unbreakable”. He admits that he became a “horrible person” during his time battling addiction, which led to his losing his Irish Masters title in 1998 due to a positive for cannabis.
The snooker number one has always talked about the depression and problems with drugs and alcohol. O’Sullivan’s troubles began in 1992, when his father was jailed for murder. He was only 16 years old. “That’s when the crazy seven years began. The partying, the blackouts. She wasn’t aware when she was in the middle of it all. I lived in the moment. I was trying to fit in most of the time, doing the things I thought I should be doing, like a guy my age with a bit of money.”
His personality changed. “I turned into a horrible person”, he admitted. In 1998, the Irish Masters title was taken from him after he tested positive for cannabis. Two years later, he entered a rehab center to treat his addiction. “I wasted seven years drinking and using cannabis. Then, for four years, I had to deal with things outside of snooker that I didn’t handle very well. I think going to rehab taught me that happiness is an inside job., in what I really believe”, commented the champion. His personal problems also affected his career. “I wasn’t focusing on snooker. I guess everyone has those problems, although there were ten years when I didn’t perform well. I didn’t practice much, I didn’t have the mental space to win”, assumed O’Sullivan.
In 2022 he won his seventh world title, and this year he has not been able to add another one when he fell in the quarterfinals against the champion Luca Brecel. A sport that he loves and that is “the most important thing” for him. He has helped her focus on life and get away from the addictions that dragged her down in her younger years.