Ozzy Osbourne Admits He’s ‘Not Completely Sober’ These Days

Ozzy Osbourne recently confessed that he's been indulging in the sweet leaf after decades of widely reported drug abuse and subsequent attempts at sobriety.

On a September installment of The Madhouse Chronicles, Osbourne's new online talk show with Billy Idol guitarist Billy Morrison, both cohosts discussed their long, tumultuous histories with drugs. Osbourne, who has been reportedly substance-free for much of the past decade, admitted that these days he is "happier, but I'm not completely sober. I use a bit of marijuana from time to time."

The 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee attributed his abstinence from harder drugs to his wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne. "I'm lucky: My wife kicked my butt all the time. She would fucking make life so difficult," he said. "Even the marijuana, she'll fucking find it and get rid of it."

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Ozzy Osbourne Is Not a Believer in Microdosing

Morrison asked Osbourne if he'd had any experience with microdosing drugs, a process by which some of his friends and collaborators swear. Osbourne was not convinced of its utility, arguing that microdosing was simply "lighting the fuse" for addicts like himself.

"I went to a doctor recently 'cause somebody I know very well started doing this ketamine," Osbourne said. "He put a tiny bit in me, but that was enough to spark me. That feeling, that thing came back, that weight in my brain, waiting for somebody to go, 'Bing.'"

He then added, pointedly: "They don't make smack-lite."

READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne Says Cocaine Was the 'Meaning of Life' to Black Sabbath

Ozzy Osbourne Says Drugs 'Will Bite You in the Balls'

Osbourne and Morrison both noted that Osbourne's first No. 1 album in the U.S., Black Sabbath's 13, was the first album he made while completely sober. Osbourne said drugs would ultimately zap his creativity and memory, and he shared words of encouragement for others struggling to quit.

"The message is: If you're out there and you're using dope and you want to get off, there's plenty of help," he said. "A.A. [Alcoholics Anonymous] is a 12-step program. It got me sorted out to a certain degree. I don't go to meetings myself anymore. Maybe I should, I don't know."

He ended the episode on a more acerbic note. "If you're out there [using drugs] and you're having the blast of your life, my hat goes off to you," he said. "But I guarantee — and I don't give a fuck who it is — it will bite you in the balls."

13. 'Down to Earth' (2001)

Zakk Wylde is here as a guitarist, but – importantly – not as a songwriting partner. Instead, Ozzy turned to a series of outside collaborators, and Down to Earth suffered for it. The results are so unfocused and disjointed that even the presence of all-stars like Faith No More's Mike Bordin and Metallica's Robert Trujillo can't turn things around. (Nick DeRiso)

12. 'Under Cover' (2005)

While this set of covers has moments of campy fun (Leslie West nearly bowls over poor Osbourne on Mountain's "Mississippi Queen"), Under Cover ends up feeling more like a tie-in product than anything providing real insight into Ozzy's influences. And some of it (John Lennon's "Woman," the Moody Blues' "Go Now," Mott the Hoople's "All the Young Dudes") is just plain weird. (DeRiso)

11. 'Scream' (2010)

Osbourne again collaborates with Black Rain producer Kevin Churko, who co-wrote every track. What keeps this project from falling into easy continuity is the arrival of Gus G. The new guitarist, joined here by Tommy Clufetos and Adam Wakeman, adds a progressive bent that elevates even some of the more run-of-the-mill material. (DeRiso)

10. 'Ozzmosis' (1995)

Admittedly a touch too slick at times – the fault of one-off producer Michael Beinhorn – Ozzmosis overcomes those missteps with help from Osbourne's old Black Sabbath buddy Geezer Butler, and a set of songs that underscores Ozzy's more emotional side. (DeRiso)

9. 'Black Rain' (2007)

The songs are far from Osbourne's best, but Black Rain might just include his most furiously heavy music. Ozzy's last album with Zakk Wylde as sole guitarist, and first with producer Kevin Churko, is also rumored to be the first LP Osbourne ever recorded sober. (DeRiso)

8. 'Ordinary Man' (2020)

There was a chilling moment on Ordinary Man as Ozzy Osbourne, then recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, sang: "When I speak my final words, what will it feel like?" But this turned out to be an audacious return rather than the expected career summation. In fact, as he mixed now-traditional doom and gloom with some punky, even poppier fare, the re-energized Osbourne sounded like he was just getting started. (DeRiso)

7. 'Patient Number 9' (2022)

The star-studded Patient Number 9 is a more focused work than Ordinary Man, most likely a result of producer Andrew Watt's growing relationship with Osbourne. "Degradation Rules," one of two songs with Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, even achieves the nearly impossible: a close-to-great solo track four decades removed from the classic Blizzard of Ozz. There was initial speculation that Ordinary Man would be Osbourne's final LP. Patient Number 9 proves that theory wrong. Don't count him out just yet. (Michael Gallucci)

6. 'No Rest for the Wicked' (1988)

Zakk Wylde arrived with a bang, adding new guitar crunch and smart co-writing credits throughout this gritty double-platinum hit. Highlights include Osbourne's delicious jab at fallen televangelists, "Miracle Man," and Wylde's presence punches up even rote MTV hits like "Crazy Babies." (DeRiso)

5. 'Bark at the Moon' (1983)

Given the unenviable task of following Randy Rhoads, guitarist Jake E. Lee shows plenty of muscle, if far less panache. He joined bassist Bob Daisley as uncredited co-writers on an album that could never live up to the lofty standards of Ozzy's first two solo projects, but still provided its share of sturdy favorites. (DeRiso)

4. 'The Ultimate Sin' (1986)

Jake E. Lee saved the best for his finale, again collaborating extensively with Ozzy and bassist Bob Daisley. Together, they update Osbourne's sound for a sleek new age, but keep just enough danger to make things interesting. Daisley was ultimately replaced by Phil Soussan, who brought along the huge hit "Shot in the Dark." (DeRiso)

3. 'No More Tears' (1991)

Osbourne's last great album found him working on four tracks with Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister, but there was much more to this layered triumph. Ozzy blended contemporary metal with sharply involving ballads and incisive social commentary, while spinning off hit after hit after hit on this four-times platinum-selling smash. (DeRiso)

2. 'Diary of a Madman' (1981)

Criticizing this album became a lot tougher when the youthful genius of Randy Rhoads was extinguished in a plane crash while on tour. Still, Osbourne's second solo album – also featuring the initially uncredited Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake – can at times sound like the rush job it was. So, it falls to second, if only by a fraction. (DeRiso)

1. 'Blizzard of Ozz' (1980)

Osbourne's quintuple-platinum debut didn't just reestablish his legend, it helped jump-start modern metal. Credit typically goes to the remarkable guitar prowess of Randy Rhoads, a figure who – with Eddie Van Halen – redefined the instrument. Maybe just as importantly, however, were Rhoads' neo-classicist arrangements, which made a striking platform for Osbourne's doomy narratives. Together they did things that Black Sabbath never dared try and that Osbourne – after Rhoads' tragic death – unfortunately never matched again. (DeRiso)

Next: Black Sabbath Albums Ranked