Snooker star breaks down in tears as he opens up on quitting drinking after turning to booze as a 'coping mechanism' - and reveals why playing is like 'brain damage'
Snooker star Daniel Wells broke down in tears as he revealed he has gone teetotal after turning to alcohol as a 'coping mechanism'.
Wells, 36, has compared playing his sport to 'brain damage' and said he suffered from 'bad experiences' as he turned to the bottle to cope with the pressure.
The Neath-born star is at his first World Championship in Sheffield after qualifying at the 16th attempt.
It has been a meandering journey for Wells, who turned to beer as a 'coping mechanism,' though he has now gone seven months dry.
His sponsors South Manchester Resurfacing suggested he should seek help during his dark days and that encouraged him to go teetotal.
'I have quit. Seven months now without a drink. It was just my lifestyle. Probably drinking too much, dealing with the pressure of,' he said.
I turned to it. For the day-to-day pressures of practice. Like a coping mechanism.
'But it's not the best way to cope with it. I'm really proud of myself. I feel better.
'There were a couple of bad experiences. I was drinking when I shouldn't have been.
'Turning up to some tournaments, having a few drinks the night before to try and deal with the pressure. But it became a bad habit.
'Drinking when I didn't want to be drinking really. A sponsor came on board and put me in touch with a therapist.
'That has been massive as well, dealing with my own personality and stuff, dealing with the pressures of the game.
'I can only take it day-by-day. I think a lot of snooker players have addictive personalities.
'You have got to be addictive to keep coming back, to the brain damage that is the game really.
'Any habit can form and I got myself into a bad habit. Luckily I have broken the habit. It's day-by-day.'
Wells will need to overturn a 7-2 deficit against former World Champion Shaun Murphy at the Crucible.
Murphy, 42, won four frames in a row to establish a commanding lead and their clash will resume on Wednesday morning.
In 2007, Wells was awarded the inaugural Paul Hunter Scholarship, and he had the chance to test himself at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield, but his career has not reached the elite level since then.
Of his drinbking habits, he also said: 'It starts out with a couple of cans, watching the football.
'A good day's practice, have a couple of cans. A bad day's practice, have a couple of cans.
'But you know, you have got a bit of an issue. It's a tough game to deal with mentally.
'I know there are a number of players who go through similar things with different addictions and it is a tough gig. We can only try our best.'
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