Reality TV star Kelly Osbourne revealed that her struggle with drugs and alcohol landed her in substance abuse rehabilitation facilities seven times.
The daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne discussed recovering from addiction in the “TMZ Investigates: Matthew Perry and the Secret Celebrity Drug Ring” documentary, which is streaming on Hulu.
“First rehab I went to was like university on how to be a better drug addict,” Osbourne said. “I'd learned so many tricks, so many things that I never even thought of from my fellow addicts that were in there.”
She rose to prominence after appearing on “The Osbournes” with her family from 2002 to 2005.
The TMZ documentary discussed the circumstances of Hollywood actor Matthew Perry’s death and imperfections at rehab facilities that lead addicts to relapse.
“I'd also seen people threaten to leave until they got given what they wanted, whether it be Ambien for sleep or Valium for nerves—they would somehow end up getting it,” Osbourne alleged. “All of my drug dealers were doctors.”
Perry died on Oct. 28, 2023, after being administered a fatal dose of the ketamine drug. Five people have been charged so far, including two physicians, Drs. Mark Chavez and Salvador Plasencia.
“When looking for treatment online, be sure to consult reviews, take a look at the staff/team page for credentialed and listed staff,” Dr. David Campbell told The Epoch Times. “Beware of aggressive/pressure-driven marketing tactics, unusual financial agreements, incentives for referrals, and a lack of focus on aftercare and long-term recovery.”
Campbell is the clinical and program director at the Recover Together Bend immersive addiction treatment facility in Bend, Oregon. He said that most of those suffering from substance abuse often deal with relapse and require multiple attempts.
“Some of the reasons for this may include inadequate or incomplete treatment, underlying mental health conditions, lack of individualized care, environmental and social triggers, lack of coping skills, and unrealistic expectations,” he said.
At the time, she blamed it on pandemic lockdowns and being happy about her boyfriend and the direction of her life, thinking she wasn’t an addict anymore.
“This is something I am going to battle for the rest of my life,” she said. “It’s never going to be easy. I am an addict and had thought that I had enough time under my belt and I could drink like a normal person, and it turns out I cannot and I will never be normal. I don’t know why I even tried it. It’s not for me and it took me a matter of days and I was like done, not doing this.”
“After that, they gave me Vicodin, and that was all I needed,” she said. “All of a sudden, every single voice was silenced and it felt like life gave me a hug. And then very quickly, I went from Vicodin to Percocet, from Percocet to heroin eventually, because it was cheaper,” Osbourne said.
Campbell added that it was common in the past for younger people to be prescribed opioid medication, but this is no longer the case after the exposure of Purdue Pharma and the recognition of opioids becoming an epidemic.
Purdue Pharma, owned by the Sackler family, faced multiple lawsuits after earning billions of dollars from the sale of OxyContin. The company was accused of improperly branding the opioid as an alternative to pain medications and being less addictive.
“Since the opioid epidemic, prescriber practices and the general discourse on opioids have changed, and health professionals have been cautious to prescribe opioids where lesser painkillers such as NSAIDs will suffice,” Campbell said.
“Most often, it’s a result of a patient being duped by what appears to be a legitimate representative of a treatment center either online or through a call center,” he said. “People can die because of this terrible practice that harms patients, undermines trust in the field, and is downright illegal and wrong.”
