OZZY OSBOURNE: 'For The Last Year And A Half, I Have Been Drinking And Taking Drugs'

Ozzy Osbourne has admitted to a year-and-a-half-long alcohol and drug relapse but has denied that he is planning to divorce his wife of 31 years, Sharon.

After a report surfaced in the British tabloid The Sun claiming that the BLACK SABBATH singer and his wife/manager are living apart and haven't seen each other in weeks, a spokesman for Sharon released a statement claiming that Ozzy and his wife "were still together."

The spokesman added: "They’ve both got huge work commitments. She is at the hotel for work and he is starting his BLACK SABBATH tour.

"Of course they row, but they are still together. Sharon and Ozzy have spent long periods of time apart before when she was working in the U.K. The marriage is not on the rocks."

In a statement posted earlier tonight on his Facebook page, Ozzy said: "For the last year and a half, I have been drinking and taking drugs. I was in a very dark place and was an asshole to the people I love most, my family. However, I am happy to say that I am now 44 days sober.

"Just to set the record straight, Sharon and I are not divorcing. I’m just trying to be a better person.

"I would like to apologize to Sharon, my family, my friends and my bandmates for my insane behavior during this period… and my fans.

"God bless, Ozzy."

In a 2011 interview with Classic Rock Revisited, Osbourne — whose struggles with addiction have been widely reported and acknowledged throughout his career — was asked if moderation was something he could achieve. "I can‘t drink and I can't do drugs," he replied. "I mean, I live in California and I could get a bag of mild marijuana from the doctor, but who I am fucking kidding? I'd start out with a mild bag of marijuana and I'd end up with a fucking bag of crack. My mind runs away with the fantasy because one drink, or one joint, or one whatever doesn't apply to me but my head still thinks it does. I will think about it and my head runs away with the thought."

Asked why it was different now after he has tried to stay off drugs so many times before, Ozzy said: "I got fed up with quitting. The first thing I stopped was tobacco, and don't ask me how I did that. I have been in nearly every rehab around. I have been in rehab with heroin users and they say, 'I can put the smack down but I can't give up tobacco.' I put it down first. My voice would crack in concert and I felt like a soccer player kicking the fucking wall when he was not in the game. To be honest with you, I was not having a good time. I would make all of these grandiose statements about how I was Mr. Sober, now. In the National Enquirer, the following day, you would see me on the floor in a bog covered in piss. There is a lot more help these days than there used to be. It is a lot more openly spoken about then when I was a kid. My folks didn't say, 'He's got a drinking problem.' You just didn't talk about it. My drinking problem was that I couldn't get e-fucking-nough. If I knew, and I honestly thought to myself, that I could drink moderately, then I would, but I know I can't. I never ever did, I never ever will and I don't want to."