Ozzy Osbourne reveals argument with son Jack helped him to get sober
Ozzy Osbourne was helped into sobriety by the thought of his children following an argument with son Jack.
The 72-year-old Black Sabbath singer has been sober for around seven years while Jack, 35, has 17 years of sobriety under his belt. Now, the father and son along with Sharon Osbourne have opened up about addiction in the family in a new interview with Variety.
Ozzy’s seven year sober streak comes after several attempts to get clean from drink and drugs over the years, but wife Sharon, 68, began to doubt he could ever recover following his fifth rehab stint.
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"After about the fifth time I’m like, 'He’s never going to get it.' And you just accept it. That’s the way it’s going to be," she told the publication.
Ozzy, who took his first trip to rehab in 1984, then shared how an argument with Jack had changed things for him and his determination to tackle his addiction.
"But then you realise the kids have got this fear in their eyes. I mean, it’s a very selfish disease. My kids needed me… I had a row with Jack. I had to talk business. And I said, 'What have you ever f***ing wanted? I’ll give you whatever you want.' He says, 'What about a father?'"
"That kicked me in the balls so hard. It knocked me sideways. I went, 'Oh, my God.' I’d give whatever materialistic things they ever wanted. But the most important person wasn’t there," he remarked.
One of the rock legend's attempts at sobriety came when a judge ordered him into treatment after he attempted to kill Sharon while high on drugs.
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Upon marking 17 years sober last April, Jack explained in an Instagram post how he made the decision to stop drinking.
"Getting sober can be hard and staying sober is even harder, but I am here today because I threw my hands up and said 'f*** it tell me what I need to do'," he wrote.
"I surrendered to the fact that I will never be a 'normal' drinker and that drugs and alcohol will only ever lead to bad things for me."
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