Ozzy Osbourne's son Jack celebrates 16 years of sobriety

Ozzy Osbourne and son, producer Jack Osbourne visit the Tribeca Film Festival 2011. Photo / Getty

Jack Osbourne says being sober is a "part of his life" now as he celebrates 16 years of sobriety.

The 33-year-old television personality decided to get sober at the age of 17 but he hopes opening up about his past struggles will encourage other people to seek help.

He told People magazine: "It's a part of my life. I got sober at 17 and ... it's a long time. I chose to kind of commit myself to living life sober. I think in this day and age when the opioid crisis is what it is - it's the number one killer of men under the age of 50, it's actually lowered the life expectancy of Americans now - I think people need to be more open about, 'Hey there is a solution to this problem. It might not be the only solution but there is one out there.'"

View this post on Instagram

Fresh cut. New glasses. Sunny day. All is well. Now I’m off to see dad. He’s doing much better. Thanks for all your messages)

A post shared by Jack Osbourne (@jackosbourne) on Feb 7, 2019 at 12:27pm PST

Jack revealed he had been 16 years sober in a lengthy Instagram post, where he admitted the past year has been the "toughest year of his life and recovery".

He wrote: "By far this has been not only the toughest year of my life but also the toughest year of my recovery. I have learned so many things about myself. Some good, some not so good. But I continued to do it sober even in the face of legit pain and sadness.

From divorce, to learning how to be a single father of 3 little girls, to showing up for my family when they have needed support the post. If at 17 someone told me where I'd be at 33 with 16 years of continual sobriety I would have laughed and told you to f*ck off. Even though this last year of sobriety was filled with so much pain it all led to some fantastic personal growth."

Where you can get help:

If you are worried about your or someone else's mental health, the best place to get help is your GP or local mental health provider. However, if you or someone else is in danger or endangering others, call 111.

If you need to talk to someone, the following free helplines operate 24/7:

DEPRESSION HELPLINE: 0800 111 757
LIFELINE: 0800 543 354
SAMARITANS: 0800 726 666
YOUTHLINE: 0800 376 633 or text 234
1737 NEED TO TALK? Call or text 1737