John Higgins has been teetotal since an embarrassing incident after the Northern Ireland Open in 2018 where he was snapped sleeping in the back of a taxi.
John Higgins has been alcohol-free for years
Snooker icon John Higgins decided to quit drinking after an embarrassing incident where he was photographed sleeping in the back of a taxi. The 49-year-old had been out sinking pints with friends following the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast in 2018 before catching a taxi back to his hotel room.
Cab driver James Crawford claimed he picked up the four-time world champion outside the Merchant Hotel, where Higgins stood against the railings. They reportedly made the journey to the nearby Hilton hotel, with one of Higgins' friends requesting Crawford to make sure the Wizard of Wishaw got back safely. According to Crawford, Higgins began to chant: "Up the Celts! Up the Celts!" But he stopped doing so in the cab when he was asked to. The driver recalled: "He stopped straight away and I thought, 'that was easier than I expected it to be', but when I turned around he was out of it."
Chaos ensued as Crawford attempted to wake up Higgins at his hotel, at which point he later accused Higgins of dodging the fare. The cab driver alleged: "I told him we'd arrived at his hotel and that the fare was a fiver, but he just turned around and said 'you're getting f*** all from me'.
"My mate came to see what was going on and I was trying to calm the situation down and explain who he was – but the next minute he was out of the car and bolting down the street back towards the town."
Crawford claimed that he left a note at the reception of Higgins' hotel demanding payment for the ride, after which a photo of a sleeping Higgins in the cab surfaced on the internet. Higgins, embarrassed by the image, decided to go teetotal after the incident. The world No.3 said in 2023: "I've not had a drink for five or six years.
"You think back and you realise you don't need it to enjoy yourself. You can't go back in life, but there are parties and stuff where you had a great time, but you don't remember them.
"I was over in Belfast and I was enjoying some pints with some mates I hadn't seen for a couple of years, and before you know it, you're in the back of the taxi and you've fallen asleep before you're dropped off, and a guy's taking a picture of you. It's things like that that make you think, 'it's no use, it's no use whatsoever'."
He added while appearing on the Talking Snooker podcast: "I've never had it that bad where I had to go to meetings, but I realised it's not for me and I've never touched it since. It's not a part of my life now. I packed it on the head that day and never touched it again. You can never say never, but I don't think I will touch it again."
Higgins, who has won more than 30 tournaments and was first crowned world champion in 1998, takes on fellow veteran Mark Williams on Tuesday in the World Snooker Championship quarter-finals. The two 'Class of 92' members clash for the sixth time at the Crucible Theatre, where they have a combined seven victories.
The Wizard is making his fourth consecutive appearance in the Crucible quarter-final – and his 19th overall – after narrowly defeating Xiao Guodong in the second round. Despite leading 12-10, Higgins squandered two match-winning chances, allowing Xiao to equalise at 12-12 before triumphing in the deciding frame.
Meanwhile, Williams secured his victory against Hossein Vafaei 13-10 in the second round, clinching his win with an impressive break of 115. The 50-year-old now has an eighth appearance in the one-table setup in his sights and needs to be at his best against a resurgent Higgins.
The winner will face either 2019 World Champion Judd Trump or 2023 World Champion Luca Brecel in the semi-finals. The match begins at 10am (BST) on Tuesday with the first eight frames. The action continues at 7pm (BST) with another eight frames, before reaching its conclusion at 10am (BST) on Wednesday.
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