(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Ozzy Osbourne insists you "couldn't invent" the story of his life.

The veteran rocker has been in the music business for more than 40 years and is best known as the front man of heavy metal rock band Black Sabbath.

The 62-year-old musician abused drugs and alcohol for a large chunk of his life, and although he is sober now, the star frequently comments on his former wild lifestyle.

Ozzy says coming from a poor background made the thrill of abusing substances even more appealing.

"You couldn't invent my story. From the very first Black Sabbath record things took off and we were living the lifestyle. We didn't know what we were getting into. It was touch and go whether we were going to stay alive," he explained in an interview with Kerrang! magazine.

"As the success got bigger, so did our heads. We thought cocaine was the champagne of drugs. It was so expensive. But coming from Aston [in Birmingham] to spending 100 on a gram of cocaine was like Wow!'"

The long-haired singer says he never imagined his life to pan out the way it did. Ozzy has revealed he was totally overwhelmed after he received his first pay cheque.

"I always remember when I got my first royalty, for 105 quid. I'd never seen 100 pounds in my life. F**king hell, 105 pounds!' Obviously I then took that money and went out and got p**sed," he added. (C) Cover Media