‘Lucky to be alive’ – Ronnie O’Sullivan, 49, reflects on drink and drugs after watching Charlie Sheen Netflix doc

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN caught a glimpse of his old self as he watched a documentary about Charlie Sheen.

Snooker legend O’Sullivan, who turns 50 a week on Friday, is just glad he did not party hard for 30 years like reformed Hollywood hell-raiser Sheen.

Both men have battled drink, drugs and depression while reaching the pinnacle of their craft.

O’Sullivan watched Sheen’s hedonistic story from his own sofa, and cast his mind back to his own issues while he was growing up when his dad was in prison for murder.

Between the ages of 19 and 25, the Rocket caused “a lot of damage” as he drank and took drugs.

Netflix released a documentary called ‘aka Charlie Sheen’ about the ‘Two and a Half Men’ star in September.

O’Sullivan said: “I just watched the Charlie Sheen documentary and he went on for about 30 years. I got out earlier after three years. So I had a result!

“Charlie Sheen went for like 30 years. I’m thinking, wow man. He’s lucky to be alive.

“There are times where you feel like that could have been me.

“Don’t get me wrong, the first two or three years [of drinking] were great. We had a great time.

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“But it gets to a point where it’s like fun — and then it’s fun with problems. Then it is just problems. Everything became a bit of an effort, especially as a sportsperson, there’s no hiding place. You’ve got to be on the ball.”

O’Sullivan, who got clean after a spell at the Priory rehab clinic, said: “If I could turn the clock back, I’d do things so much differently.

“I’d have not gone a bit wayward when I was like 18 or 19. I wish I’d just not ventured out into that drinking, partying sort of thing, that way of life.

“I caused a lot of damage in those years to my game. Which caused a lot of damage to me off the table. I think I’ve become quite vulnerable, quite unconfident…”

O’Sullivan — who hit TWO 147s in the same match in Saudi Arabia in August — is motivated as he nears his sixth decade to win a record eighth World Championship.

The world No 5, who shares seven Crucible crowns with Stephen Hendry, told TNT Sports: “I’m still capable of winning tournaments. I’d love to win another World Championship.

“The bottom line is to enjoy the game. Irrelevant of winning tournaments or not. I’ve never been driven by records.

“But I think at this stage of my career if there is something that’s going to motivate me, it will be to try and maybe win another one.”

O’Sullivan returns to England this week for the UK Championship, which starts on Saturday in York.