Jack Osbourne Celebrates 20 Years of Sobriety, Reflects on ‘Journey’ + ‘Struggle’

Congratulations are in order for Jack Osbourne, who just celebrated 20 years of being sober following his 2003 stay at a California drug-and-alcohol rehabilitation center. In fact, the rock-star-son-turned-television-personality posted a beautifully introspective and inspiring reflection about his “journey” and “struggle[s]” to Instagram last Friday (April 21).

As reported by Entertainment Weekly in April of 2003, parents Ozzy and Sharon checked Jack Osbourne into Las Encinas Hospital for an initially undisclosed reason. (That said, Entertainment Weekly mentioned that Osbourne was often seen “with a drink in his hand” on The Osbournes, as well as that he “joked at a press conference last year that he wanted ‘to be on the cover of High Times magazine someday.’”)

READ MORE: Jack Osbourne + Fiancée Aree Welcome Baby Daughter

Three months later, he discussed his addiction to OxyContin with MTV News, contemplating:

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. . . . And it was like, “I don't want to be like that. I don't want my life to be controlled by a drug.” I want to be in control of my life. I was really loaded and I just sat on my mom's bed and I just said, “I am going to go pack my bags, I'm, I'm ready to go. I want to go, I need to go.”

This past Friday, Osbourne shared to Instagram an image commemorating how many years, months, days and hours he’s been sober.

Alongside it, he wrote:

20 years. I can’t really believe it to be honest. I can remember being a newcomer and thinking about how old I would be at 20 years sober and what it would be like. I can say it’s nothing like what I imagined. 5, 10, or 15 years felt like such impossibility when I was new, but it didn’t just happen, it came from hard work and a desire to never go back to the place I was in. Don’t get me wrong, my road hasn’t been void of struggle. I’ve never wanted it to be. In fact ive found the struggle has yielded the most rewarding moments in my recovery. But it’s been tough. But I walked through it using the tools I was taught as a young man in recovery. The things I’ve seen and done over the last 20 years are tails of fantasy and adventures novels.

Afterward, he humbly detailed many of his successes and failures over the last two decades, from meeting “some of the most interesting people alive” and becoming “a cop and an EMT” to creating (and subsequently losing) “tons of tv shows.”

He continued:

I’ve seen 4 beautiful girls born into this mad world. I’ve been divorced. I’ve found the person I wanna spend the rest of my life with. The point I’m trying to make with all of this is that I’ve had an absolute adventure. Jordan Peterson said it best “in life we are not guaranteed happiness, we are guaranteed an adventure”. That has been my journey. I know in my heart and soul that the life I have lived is a complete byproduct of working the 12 steps, surrounding myself with like minded sober people, and being of service to where I can. I know I can never stop trying to improve and get better.

For people who are new just trust me and give this your all. It leads to so many wonderful things but also teaches you how to deal when it isn’t wonderful. Thank you to my sober brothers and sisters. Thank you to my family. Thank you Aree. Thank you to my girls. And thank you to my friends (you know who you are).

You can see his full post below.

Endearingly, his followers were eager to share in his happiness. For instance, one person wrote, “Wow! Congrats Jack- you are a tremendous human being, who has put in the work. The girls chose wisely when the picked you to be their father. Light and Love always.”

Another person commented: “I am in a puddle of tears. I am so grateful for you. I am beyond proud of the man and father I have watched you become. Without your sobriety, there would most likely not be my sobriety.”

Again, all of us at Loudwire extend our congratulations to Jack Osbourne and his family.

If you or someone you know is struggling with drug and/or alcohol dependence, help is available through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website. To speak to someone on the phone, dial 1-800-622-HELP (1-800-622-4357) or send a text message to 1-800-487-4889.