Kelly Osbourne has spoken out about rehabilitation centers, which she likened to a "university on how to be a better drug addict."
Osbourne began battling addiction with prescribed opioid medication at age 13, after a standard tonsil removal procedure. By age 19, she was admitted into rehab.
"First rehab I went to was like university on how to be a better drug addict," she said during an appearance on an episode of "TMZ Investigates: Matthew Perry & The Secret Celebrity Drug Ring"
"I'd learned so many tricks, so many things that I never even thought of from my fellow addicts that were in there," she said, according to NME.
Osbourne recalled observing other patients "threaten to leave until they got given what they wanted, whether it be Ambien for sleep or Valium for nerves — they'd end up getting it."
Osbourne also noted seeing "body brokers" who would "sit outside of AA meetings looking for weak and vulnerable people that they encourage to relapse so they can then pick you up again."
"I swear on everything that it is true, and it is heartbreaking," she said.
The TV personality has previously opened up about her first rehab attempt, once recalling a "kind" gesture from the late Matthew Perry, who had been vocal about his struggles with addiction. He was found dead in his hot tub last November at age 54, with an autopsy showing that he died from acute ketamine effects and drowning.
"One time I was at a really, really horrible place, I was 19 years old and it was the first time I had ever been in treatment," Osbourne said on "The Osbournes" podcast, according to NME.
"It was the very first AA meeting I ever went to and it was the one in the Palisades on Sunday in the morning.
"I was [expletive] myself about being in there and there were so many people, and I hated it," she continued. "I didn't think that I belonged, and I felt worthless, everything. I just wanted to run because I knew where I was, and I knew how to get home from there.
"He [Perry] came up to me, because I guess I was visibly struggling. He handed me a 60-second chip and he was like, 'Just hold this for 60 seconds. If you can get through that, you can get through the next 60 seconds.′ "
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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