Ozzy Osbourne has recalled his disdain for the Christmas period, and recalled the time that he drank “28 gallons” of alcohol to get through it.
The 76-year-old metal icon, most famously recognised as the frontman of Black Sabbath, has been open about his former addictions throughout his career, and has candidly spoken many times about his battle to get sober.
During a new interview, he recalled how he used alcohol in the past as a coping mechanism, including a time that he used it as a way to get through Christmas.
As quoted by The Sun, Osbourne is far from a fan of the festive season and once drank the equivalent of 224 pints in order to get himself through it. “I fucking hate Christmas. It gets right up my arsehole,” he said. “When I used to do booze and get fucked up, I bought a barrel with 28 gallons of booze for me. I drunk it before it was Christmas fucking Eve.”
The comments come in light of the Prince Of Darkness recently opening up about his ongoing journey to sobriety, and admitting that he is “not completely sober” yet and has been “tempted” to use “stronger drugs” due to his ongoing health issues.
The metal icon has dealt with various health conditions over the years, such as being diagnosed with Parkinsons’ disease in 2020 and undergoing spinal surgery in 2023. He has also shared how the medication used during his surgery led to him being tempted to use drugs again.
His spinal surgery came after a fall in 2019 dislodged multiple metal rods which were put in his body after a quad bike crash in 2003. Last January, he shared an update with fans saying that although the recovery process was going slow, he was on the mend.
Last March, his wife Sharon also discussed the singer’s long-running battle with addiction, and claimed that he was “stoned” in every episode of their reality show The Osbournes, which ran between 2002 and 2005.
As for future plans, Black Sabbath bandmate Geezer Butler recently shared that Osbourne has plans for the band to get together for one final show.
Rumours about the possibility of a one-off reunion show from the band have been swirling in recent months, particularly since Osbourne shared that he would “jump at the chance” to play a final Black Sabbath show with co-founding drummer Bill Ward.
In the recent interview, Butler said: “Ozzy was talking to me about, when he does his farewell concert – which he still wants to do – he’s dying to still get out there and play.
“He suggested, at his very final concert, for the four of us to get up on-stage and maybe do three or four songs together. And that would be it, finished,” he went on, also noting that the potential show would be a “one-off” and not any kind of Black Sabbath reunion, adding: “Definitely no more tours.”