Member-only story
Ronnie O’Sullivan: The Edge of Everything
The high stakes and low opinions of self in the frame of addiction
I’m sitting here watching the Ronnie O’Sullivan documentary on Amazon Prime.
He talks about snooker, he talks about growing up, he talks about his dad…
And his troubles with alcohol and drugs are mentioned, though not by him, so far. Then he’s shaking hands with Stephen Hendry, walking away from the table early,
It’s old footage, so it’s old news for him and us, that particular dark depth.
My mind is casting back as on-screen it starts moving his story into the 2022 World Championships at The Sheffield Crucible.
I know his addiction story from the inside. When living within that dark glass. Going home and waking up with that dark beast. The dog that gnaws you inside.
Later, he says, “I look back and I think wow how have I got through that ‘cos it was that bad. The darkness and stress and addiction, I didn’t know how to live sober… it’s not healthy to wrap your identity up in what you do as your work.”
I couldn’t agree more. When he says, “Wow how have I got through that”, I know the feeling. When he says, “It’s not healthy to wrap your identity up in what you do as your work”, I know…
