“I was in a very dark place”

radio driver Jackie “O” Henderson has opened up about a secret drug addiction and subsequent recovery in a vulnerable on-air statement.

On Tuesday morning, Jackie took to the airwaves to speak candidly about her struggles with addiction to alcohol, painkillers and sleeping pills two years ago, a secret she kept from most people in the his life, including his professional other half. Kyle Sandilands.

Fortunately, after a month’s stay at the Betty Ford Center in Palm Springs, California, Jackie was able to kick her addiction.

The 49-year-old revealed her struggles with addiction ahead of her memoir, Jackie O: the whole truth, which will be released on October 29.

“I was scared to tell people and say it out loud, I know people will look at me differently and love me,” she said.

“I was in a very, very dark place.

“I had no self-esteem, so I was insecure, vulnerable and heartbroken. It was a recipe for disaster, and I took the coward’s way out to escape those feelings.”

Jackie revealed that her struggles with addiction began more than 15 years ago after being prescribed painkillers for endometriosis. After admitting he was taking a little too much, he stopped. However, after her divorce in 2018, she found herself returning to drugs.

“I went back to it as a way to go to a happy place, and it was a way to escape and it was so wrong,” she said.

Unfortunately for Jackie, the isolation caused by the COVID-19 lockdowns only made things worse.

“The dosage started to increase more and more and it became extreme and I was averaging about 24 Panadeine Forte a day and then I was averaging about 10 to 12 Stilnox (sleeping tablets),” he said.

“Someone was watching me because I don’t know how I woke up most days on that kind of high.”

According to the Therapeutic Goods Administration, Stilnox should not be taken with alcohol.

After a tearful admission to her best friend Gemma O’NeillJackie encouraged herself to enter the rehab facility, a move she credits with saving her life.

Although coming clean about her struggles with addiction has been a long and hard process for the radio star, she says it’s a relief to be her most authentic self with the public and happy to answer questions about her journey .

“I can only speak from my experience because my addiction is very different from anyone else’s,” he said.

“People can ask me whatever they want, and I’m fine with that. I came up with it, I put it on myself, so I’m really good talking about it. I’m excited to be more authentic than ever.”

As for why she kept her addiction a secret from her larger circle and the public, Jackie admitted she wanted to wait until she knew she was strong enough in her sobriety to face it head-on.

“I didn’t want anyone to know until I had at least a year or more of sobriety under my belt,” he said.

After sharing her story, Jackie apologized to him Kylie and Jackie O listeners

“I want to apologize to our listeners and everyone in my life,” he said.

“I just needed to focus on that part first, that recovery.”

While we may feel like our favorite media personalities like Jackie O are our friends because of all the information they willingly share about their lives, let’s not forget that they don’t owe us anything. The stigma around addiction is still very real, and it was incredibly brave of Jackie to share her story and be so vulnerable on air.

We are proud of you, Jackie.

If you need mental health support or support related to substance misuse and addiction, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or chat online.

You can also contact the Information Service on Alcoholic Drugs on 1800 250 015 or chat online.

You can find helplines and resources at DrinkWise.