Jack Osbourne Announces that He Is 17 Years Sober

The Osbourne family has been a fixture on our television screens and radio airwaves for the past several decades, with dad Ozzy leading the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, mom Sharon hosting on The View, and kids Kelly and Jack making media careers of their own.

So, too, have the Osbourne family battles with drug addictions made headlines, as the family lives under a microscope, and even documenting their lives via The Osbournes in the early 2000s, one of the first reality shows of its kind on MTV.

Today, son Jack has announced a happy milestone: he is officially 17 years sober.

Taking to Instagram a few days ago, Jack marked the occasion with a screenshot from his Twelve Steps app, along with a powerful caption that captured his struggles and his hopes for the future.

“If someone would have told me 17 years ago I’d be celebrating my 17th year of sobriety locked down at home because of a global pandemic I’d of literally laughed in their face,” he started the post.

He goes on to say that although the current circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic are tough, he has many reasons to be grateful—his sobriety chief among them.

Now 34 years old, Jack is a father of three children, and has continuously spoken out about his journey to sobriety, which began at the tender age of 17.

Seeking Help at a Young Age

Growing up in the spotlight, Jack was exposed to drugs and alcohol at a young age, and was caught with marijuana in an episode of The Osbournes.

At the time, his dad Ozzy stated, “You hate to say things that will upset your kids, but then sometimes you have to because you can’t let them run around wild.”

Jack entered rehab at 17, and the family’s publicist stated that he was seeking treatment for marijuana and alcohol abuse. Though after Jack completed rehab, he revealed to MTV that he had also been addicted to the painkiller OxyContin.

Speaking to MTV in a candid interview, Jack said, “I took myself out of the picture for a second and I looked around at every single person in the room, at who they were, how old they were and what they had going on in their lives. A lot of them were near 30, unemployed, living off their parents. There were heroin addicts, there were the world’s biggest couch potatoes. And it was like, ‘I don’t want to be like that. I don’t want my life to be controlled by a drug.’”

Jack went on to reveal that he had decided on his own that he was ready to attend treatment.

Jack’s parents were in full support of his seeking treatment, and would later state that they made many mistakes along the way.

“The mistake that Sharon and I both made, and we both agree on this, is we never set any boundaries,” Ozzy told MTV.

The disease of addiction is often a family disease, and in the case of the Osbournes, addiction touched each family member in some way. From Ozzy, who struggled with addiction for decades; to Sharon, who fought desperately to help her husband battle his disease; to Kelly, who battled drug and alcohol addictions of her own.

Each of the Osbournes has forged their own path with recovery and substance abuse, and for Jack, that path has included working the Twelve Steps, attending meetings, and “surrounding [himself] with strong sober people,” as he wrote in his Instagram post.

After another year in the fight for sobriety, Jack, who also battles multiple sclerosis, reminds those who are struggling during this difficult time of isolation that there are countless resources available to help.

“The road map is simple, but it doesn’t make it easy,” he said—a perfect summation of recovery, and the battle that millions are winning each day.