Ozzy Osbourne Talks AA Meetings, Getting Sober

After decades of struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, rocker Ozzy Osbourne has been sober for well over a year and is doing everything he can to stay that way.

His notorious use of drugs – including cocaine, hash and alcohol– became legendary during the 1984 Motley Crue tour, known as one of the “craziest drug and alcohol-fueled tours in the history of rock and roll.” He was arrested for public intoxication in February of 1982 in San Antonio, TX, and again in May of 1984 in Memphis, TN. The first incident resulted in Osbourne being banned from the city for a decade after he drunkenly urinated on a memorial for those who died at the Alamo.

The 65-year-old Osbourne has entered rehab numerous times throughout his career with Black Sabbath and as a solo artist, most recently in early 2013. He revealed in a Facebook post in April of 2013 that, “for the last year and a half I have been drinking and taking drugs. I was in a very dark place and was an asshole to the people I love most, my family. However, I am happy to say that I am now 44 days sober.” His wife, Sharon, had moved out of their home due to his drug use, but the pair have since reconciled.

The singer has referred to Sharon as the rock that helps him remain sober, largely due to her zero tolerance approach to his drinking and drug use. “She’d wait like a praying mantis to catch me out drunk or stoned. And when she did she would throw books at me, all sorts. She once broke all my platinum discs, smashing them over my head,” he said in an exclusive with British publication Mirror. “Last year when I was in a hotel, and she found out, she gets a pot of coffee and throws it in my face. It fucking hurt and I had a red face for days. But she’s been great and we have seen it through.”

He’s currently on tour with Black Sabbath, but the days of wild partying are a thing of the past. Osbourne said the band gets “straight onto the van and back to the hotel” after a gig. Although he currently “doesn’t want to drink,” he continues to work a strict program to ensure this and credits AA meetings with helping him stay on the right path.

“If I don’t go, then I end up in Shit Street. I’m not in control,” he said. “It’s been 480 days since my last drink and I go to the meetings as many times a week as I can. When we were in Stockholm on tour I went to one. I couldn’t understand a bloody word they were saying but it still helped. It’s just the act of going there.”

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