{"id":288925,"date":"2025-11-29T01:49:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-29T01:49:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/288925\/"},"modified":"2025-11-29T01:49:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T01:49:14","slug":"i-wish-i-could-go-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/288925\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I wish I could go back’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan has spoken frankly about his battle with substance abuse that plagued his early professional years. <\/p>\n

In a revealing interview with TNT Sports before this weekend’s UK Championship in York, the 49-year-old discussed how he became consumed by drink and drugs during the 1990s.<\/p>\n

The seven-time world champion, who began his professional career at just 16, acknowledged that whilst he appreciates public support, he doesn’t seek sympathy.<\/p>\n

“It’s life – life throws you whatever, and you have to deal with it,” he said, admitting he hadn’t always managed to cope effectively with life’s challenges.<\/p>\n

\"Ronnie<\/p>\n

Ronnie O’Sullivan admitted he would go back and change things if he could<\/p>\n

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TNTSPORTS<\/p>\n

O’Sullivan expressed deep remorse about his choices during his late teens and early twenties.<\/p>\n

“If I could turn the clock back, I’d do things so much differently,” he revealed, specifically highlighting the period between 19 and 25 as years he would change.<\/p>\n

The snooker star believes those six or seven years inflicted significant harm on his career.<\/p>\n

“I think I caused a lot of damage in those years to my game, which in effect caused a lot of damage to my off-the-table sort of way of life,” he explained. <\/p>\n

He admitted the experience left him feeling “quite vulnerable, quite unconfident.”<\/p>\n

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Ronnie O’Sullivan has toiled on and off the table<\/p>\n

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REUTERS<\/p>\n

O’Sullivan drew parallels between his experience and actor Charlie Sheen’s struggles, having recently watched a documentary about the Hollywood star.<\/p>\n

“I just watched the Charlie Sheen documentary, and he went for about 30 years,” O’Sullivan noted, reflecting that his own escape from addiction came much sooner.<\/p>\n

The snooker champion recognised his relative fortune in breaking free after three years.<\/p>\n

“I got out early. I got out after three years. So I had a result,” he said. He acknowledged the severity of Sheen’s three-decade battle, observing: “Wow, man, he’s lucky to be alive.”<\/p>\n

O’Sullivan admitted there were moments when he felt his own story could have mirrored Sheen’s trajectory.<\/p>\n

“I couldn’t live sober” <\/p>\n

Ronnie O’Sullivan opens up about a “vulnerable” period of his life \ud83d\udde3\ufe0f<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa Watch Roll the Tape: Ronnie O\u2019Sullivan at 50 on discovery+ pic.twitter.com\/NfUr8tbZKr<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 TNT Sports (@tntsports) November 26, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n

O’Sullivan detailed the extent of his substance abuse, describing extended periods of excess. <\/p>\n

“Binges, long binges. Days. Days, yeah, days,” he revealed, painting a stark picture of his darkest moments.<\/p>\n

Despite the eventual devastation, he acknowledged the initial appeal of his lifestyle. “Don’t get me wrong, the first two or three years were great. We had a great time,” he admitted.<\/p>\n

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However, the enjoyment proved temporary. O’Sullivan described how the situation deteriorated progressively: “But then it gets to a bit of a point where, like he says, it’s like fun, and then it’s fun with problems. Then it’s just problems.”<\/p>\n