In a candid jungle conversation, Jack Osbourne has shared the profound story of his early struggle with addiction, revealing he entered rehab at just 17 years old. The 35-year-old opened up about his journey to lasting sobriety during Tuesday night's episode of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!, as his campmates inquired about his life during the filming of the iconic reality show The Osbournes.
From Teenage Excess to a Lifeline
As the stars settled into camp life, Ruby Wax turned the conversation to Jack's past, asking how being constantly watched affected him. Jack admitted the experience was 'really odd,' attributing his downward spiral to a lack of structure. He was only 16 when the show propelled him to fame, a period he described as being given 'a ton of money and not a lot of rules' in Los Angeles. 'You're kind of just like "let's go play",' he recalled.
This environment led to severe substance abuse. When pressed by Wax on what he was using, Jack was forthright: 'A lot of pills, a lot of alcohol, a lot of weed.' This culminated in him getting sober at 17, a decision that would define the rest of his life.
A Battle with Depression and Addiction
Jack's substance abuse was not an isolated issue but a misguided attempt to combat depression that began in his early teens. His situation reached a critical point in 2003 when he was admitted to a child psychiatric ward after developing an addiction to the powerful painkiller OxyContin.
His struggles intensified when his mother, Sharon Osbourne, was diagnosed with colon cancer. The devastating news led Jack to a place of such despair that he attempted to take his own life. After this low point, he committed to a path of recovery, attending an adolescent treatment centre in California. Remarkably, after this initial stint, he has never relapsed.
Sobriety as a Continuous Journey
In a 2021 interview with Variety, Jack elaborated on the mindset required for his sustained recovery. He explained that staying clean is a continual process, not a one-time achievement. 'I found after the first year, you’re like, "Oh, OK. So I guess I've just got to do that over again,"' he recalled.
He credits his success to a fundamental change in attitude, centred on 'honesty and open-mindedness, and willingness, to do whatever it takes.' For Jack, this has meant a long-term commitment to accountability and support. He continues to attend meetings to maintain his sobriety, even raising his hand as a newcomer in different recovery groups years into his journey. 'Whatever I did has continued to work, because I continue to do it,' he stated. 'It’s never over.'
