Kelly Osbourne just released her first book “Fierce” (how very Tyra Banks of her) about her family and her struggle with addiction. Kelly once told 20/20 that she took 100 pills a day, but in her book she says it was 50. I’m guessing that in her original statement, she meant that once she took a hundred pills a day, and in her book she means she took an average of 50. While there’s a huge difference between the two, both numbers are shocking and the point remains the same: the girl had a serious, serious problem. And Kelly’s admitted there’s a decent chance she’ll relapse, so I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to say it in the past tense.

Kelly, who’s been an addict since she was 16, gives some shocking details about her drug use, and it’s hard not to empathize with her.

But it was when she began clubbing at 16 that she developed a habit, after being offered pills of the drug [vicodin] by an acquaintance. ‘I was relaxed, tingly and happy. The next morning, I called the guy and bought two or three pills for about $20,’ she writes in her new book Fierce. Kelly’s addiction grew serious when her mother, former X Factor judge Sharon, was diagnosed with cancer in 2002. ‘I was trying to stay strong so I took Vicodin to hide the terrible sadness. But by this point, I was waking up and emptying six Vicodin into my hand. Soon I was taking 50 pills a day. Most people would overdose on ten.’

It was only when photographs of Kelly buying drugs were sent to the family home that her parents discovered her addiction. Sharon and Black Sabbath star Ozzy searched her room – discovering 500 pills scattered around. Kelly, now 24, was sent to rehab, for what would be the first of three stays. A year later Kelly was sent to a psychiatric ward, where she finally managed to control her addiction. But, despite saying the thought of relapsing makes her cry, she says there is a ‘strong chance’ it could happen again.

[From The Daily Mail]

Kelly also details some funny and profoundly sad stories about her family. You’d think you’d heard every crazy Osbourne tale there could possibly be… but you’d be wrong. There was an incident – which doesn’t seem to be told with much humor from Kelly’s point of view – in which Sharon decided she needed to wax the 14-year-old’s upper lip. It didn’t go well, and Sharon laughed so hard she peed herself.

In her autobiography… Kelly also reveals what it was like growing up with famous parents. With older sister Aimee and brother Jack she had a far from normal childhood – their babysitters were heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. Her father fell asleep during parents evenings and entertained her school friends by drunkenly chasing them in his underwear. He occasionally went too far – once terrifying her young friends by dressing as a werewolf and locking them in the garden shed.

Another time he spotted Kelly was wearing a thong, and in front of her friends cut it off and pulled it from her jeans. ‘I died of embarrassment and burst into tears,’ she wrote.

In another incident her mother decided to wax 14-year-old Kelly’s top lip. She found her daughter’s protestations amusing, and the wax stuck solid while she was laughing. ‘She did eventually pull it off but half of my skin went with it. To make it worse, she was laughing so hard she weed on me.’

[From The Daily Mail]

While I thought the waxing story was hilarious, it was only one of those “it’s funny because it didn’t happen to me” sort of things. If my mother had done that no way would I have forgiven her – even now. And peeing on the carpet is just about the only thing that could make it worse. But the thing with Ozzie and the thong is totally out of line and not funny at all. If it were any other person I’d wonder what he was thinking, but because it’s Ozzie there’s obviously no point.

Kelly got out of rehab most recently this past spring. From her comment about relapsing, I don’t necessarily get the feeling that it’ll be her last time, though I hope so. Addiction is a nasty disease, and my general impression is that it plagues you for most of your life, even if you can keep it under control. Hopefully with each visit to rehab, Kelly at least gets a better handle on it, and gets closer to total sobriety.

Here’s Kelly attending a party for “Dancing With the Stars” held at Coco De Ville in West Hollywood on August 25th. The man photographed with Kelly isn’t identified in any of the pictures, but he’s not her fiance Luke Worrall. Images thanks to Fame Pictures .