‘38 pills a day’: Jackie O’s tragic struggle

Jackie O Henderson has shared a heartbreaking insight into her struggles with addiction, and revealed just how close to death she came.

Jackie O Henderson has bravely opened up about her inner demons and the extent of her heartbreaking drug battle.

At the height of her addiction, Henderson has revealed that she was taking up to 24 codeine tablets daily, up to 14 sleeping pills, and washing them down with alcohol.

Sharing insight into her personal journey on the Mental As Anyone podcast, she said that doctors warned her that the sleeping tablets alone could have been enough to kill her.

“When you look at the actual medication I was taking, I don’t know how I survived that,” she said.

Jackie 'O' Henderson has shared insight into the depths of her addiction struggles. Picture: Supplied.

“I am (lucky to be alive). I mean, that’s a lot of sleeping pills just for a start. A lot of people think, how did she even function? My body just built up a tolerance to them, so I may as well have been taking one or two with the way they were affecting me. The 10 just wasn’t, I think it was honestly just bringing my body to an even keel in a way. That’s just an awful lot for the body to take.”

The KIIS 106.5 breakfast host continued: “I really feel like someone was watching over me. They must have been, because, I was just abusing myself so much, abusing that body and how it held up. I have no idea.”

She added: “It was a miracle really that I didn’t do an extreme amount of damage.”

It took the radio star a long time to reach a point where she felt comfortable enough to share her struggles with the world.

Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson have been on the radio for years, but Henderson kept her battle hidden. Picture: Supplied.

She explained that she felt it was important to wait until she felt “sturdy enough” to know that she couldn’t slip back into her addictions.

“I was very mindful not to come out too soon with it because I think recovery is something that can worsen when you’ve got all eyes on you, that kind of pressure, judgment. You’re doing it for yourself. You’re not doing it for other people.”

She added: “My life is so much better being sober. I can’t imagine ever wanting to go back there.”

Henderson copped criticism for not acknowledging that while she could afford expensive care at the Betty Ford Clinic, other Aussies can’t even access basic care locally.

Following this, Henderson announced that she was donating all profits from her book to an Australian rehab clinic.

Originally published as ‘38 pills a day’: Jackie O’s tragic struggle