“By far this has been not only the toughest year of my life but also the toughest year of my recovery,” Osbourne wrote on Instagram.
Reality television star Jack Osbourne celebrated 16 years of sobriety this week.
Osbourne, the son of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, wrote about his recovery milestone in an Instagram post. He said that although he has been in recovery for a long time, this year was one of the most difficult that he has had to navigate sober.
“By far this has been not only the toughest year of my life but also the toughest year of my recovery. I have learned so many things about myself. Some good, some not so good,” he wrote. “But I continued to do it sober even in the face of legit pain and sadness. From divorce, to learning how to be a single father of 3 little girls, to showing up for my family when they have needed support.”
Osbourne first went to rehab for prescription opioid addiction when he was 17. Now he is 33, and has been sober for nearly half his life.
“If at 17 someone told me where I’d be at 33 with 16 years of continual sobriety I would have laughed and told you to fuck off,” he wrote.
Staying Sober During Hard Times
This year, Osbourne and his wife, Lisa, filed for divorce in May after six years of being married. Osbourne said that he is glad to have been able to handle that without turning to drugs or alcohol.
“Even though this last year of sobriety was filled with so much pain it all led to some fantastic personal growth,” he wrote. “I would love to tell you I managed this by being some kind of spiritual giant who roams the halls of recovery meetings, but it’s not the case. I’m here writing this today sober because of the friends in my life who showed up for me when I needed support the most.”
He still needs that support, he wrote, even after all these years.
“I will forever be grateful for all you did,” he wrote. “You know who you are. I love you all.”
Osbourne ended his post with a quote from The Big Book: “Through my years of darkness, some spark of spirit remained in me, helped me survive until I found my way into AA. Then, nurtured by the program, that inner spirit grew, deepened, until it filled the emptiness I had so long felt inside. Step by step I moved to a spiritual awaking [sic]. Step by step I cleared up the past and got on with the present.”
