The 1970s are memorable for the many musical personalities (especially rock stars) who defined an era, including Ozzy Osbourne.

Ozzy Osbourne is a wildly eccentric character whose lifestyle has sometimes overshadowed his musical career.

At the height of his career, Osbourne (like most rock stars at the time) was more into alcohol and drugs.

He recently shared how he quit using acid.

The horse

Classic rock animated the rise of Black Sabbath and the making of the classic 1972 album, Volume 4, as Osbourne recounted how he held himself back.

“We lived together in a house in Los Angeles, rehearsed there, did loads of drugs and made an album: simple,” said Osbourne.

“Those were good times.”

“At that time in America, people were very fond of lacing your drinks with acid. I didn’t care. I used to swallow handfuls of tabs at a time. The end of it came when we got back to England.”

“I took ten tabs of acid then went for a walk in a field,” he continued.

“I ended up standing there talking to this horse for about an hour. In the end, the horse turned round and told me to fuck off. That was it for me.”

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Black Sabbath and their drug experiences

Ozzy Osbourne wasn’t the only one involved in psychedelic drugs, as the other members also shared their experiences.

In 2017, drummer Bill Ward talked about drug use before performing in front of a large crowd.

“It’s interesting to talk about the phenomena of LSD when you’re playing in front of 25-30,000 people,” he said.

“But in hindsight, I was taking huge risks with not only my performance but the entire performance.”

Guitarist Tony Iommi told Classic Rock in 2016 that LSD was the worst drug he had ever taken.

“I hate being out of control. With cocaine, I felt I was in control, I knew what was going on. But acid…”

“I was in America and I had a terrible headache, and this girl said she had a couple of pills for it. And she gave me some acid,” he revealed.

“Bloody hell, I didn’t know what hit me! Thank God the rest of the band came and sat in my room and calmed me down. I was gonna jump out the window.”

In 2020 bassist Geezer Butler talked about his first trip to Metal Hammer, saying:

“I thought I was a skeleton. I got in the van and they all went ‘What’s wrong with you?’ I said ‘Can’t you see? I’m a skeleton.’”

“We were driving along and there was a park on the side of us with all these flowers in it, and I thought the flowers were trying to get into the van.”

“I went onstage and thought it was on a boat and the crowds were waves. It was horrendous. I was watching my hand playing the songs and I thought it wasn’t connected to my body. Scary.”

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Ozzy talks about his past

Ozzy Osbourne has already talked about his past with the Orange County Register and revealed that he no longer indulges in vices.

“I don’t drink alcohol anymore… I don’t smoke tobacco. I don’t use drugs… I’m doing good right now.”

“I now think, ‘How did I think going into a bar and getting smashed and doing all that cocaine was fun?’”

“I have come to think that if right now you had a gun, a bag of cocaine, and a gallon of booze and you said ‘Take your pick,’ I’d pick up the gun. It’s not worth it.”

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Ozzy Osbourne gave up LSD after talking to a horse for an hour