Ronnie O'Sullivan has a busy snooker schedule to thank for helping him get out of the huge troubling spell he suffered earlier in his career.
That is the theory of former world No 2 Tony Knowles, who claims the Rocket's ability to bounce back and not quit has been 'amazing'.
O'Sullivan has never hidden the mental struggles he faces, both while playing and during his personal life.
He had a six-year spell in particular where he battled alcohol and drug abuse and regularly threatened to quit professional snooker.
Ronnie O'Sullivan has often flirted with the idea of quitting snooker
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O'Sullivan has often credited the help of sports psychologist Steve Peters for playing a huge part in a change of mentality in the last decade.
But Knowles believes O'Sullivan's ability to immerse himself in snooker enabled him to get over any outside struggles and stopped him from quitting.
Knowles had problems dealing with tabloid scrutiny during the height of his career but had fewer tournaments to play than modern-day stars.
He said on BBC's Framed podcast: "I think Ronnie has done amazing to come back because he went through a bad period.
"I fully understand the period that he went through. I think the only reason he's come out of it and I didn't is that we didn't have the matches to play.
"He's had a lot of matches to actually recover. Being able to come back and build it back up again.
"Now he's got into a position where he's happy with it.
"So many times he's been in a position where he's wanted to quit. I've been through that. Of not feeling right."
Knowles says he speaks to O'Sullivan on occasion and believes people underestimate the pressures he goes through.
The 68-year-old added: "I don't think people appreciate the actual pressure it puts you under when there is a general public out there.
"A lot are very nice, and some who aren't nice. You've got to just stand there and take it.
"That's why I relate to Ronnie, and talk to him a bit. I don't think they understand the volume."
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Tony Knowles says a busy snooker schedule has saved Ronnie O'Sullivan's career
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Following the release of his documentary last year, O'Sullivan opened up on the demons he faced at the height of his struggles.
He said on the Stick to Football podcast: "I was going out all the time. Every day and every night constantly for six years.
"There would be time when I’d need to get clean as I had a tournament coming up, where I’d lock myself at home as I couldn’t say no.
"I couldn’t train well during that time. It was the worst time of my life when I think about it.
Ronnie O'Sullivan has often spoken of the struggles he has faced away from the snooker table
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"The first two or three years it was fun, but in the last three years it wasn’t fun anymore and I felt like I had let myself down. I hated myself and that was when I couldn’t look at myself.
"My biggest regret was picking up a drink and a substance to get through my bad times, and it got out of hand.
"I think that’s why I feel grateful for everything I’ve got now because I remember those six years with people telling me they were going to get me out of it at the time, and I was going to be happy and clean and playing snooker."
O'Sullivan will next be in action at the Tour Championship in Manchester next week, where he will enter at the quarter-final stage.
