A new season of the reality treatment show features a new batch of B-list stars and reality and tabloid fixtures hoping to deal with their demons and get a handle on sobriety.
December 2010 kicks off a fourth season of the VH1 reality show Celebrity Rehab with addiction specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky. This latest cast includes former teen idol Leif Garrett, The Hills alum Jason Wahler, aging supermodel and reality star Janice Dickinson, actor (and Julia Roberts’ brother-in-law) Eric Roberts, Tiger Woods’ mistress Rachel Uchitel, Keyshia Cole’s mom Frankie Lons, actor Jeremy London and billionaire heir Jason Davis.
Do the Cameras Effect Treatment?
While many have questioned the wisdom of televising the treatment process, Pinsky defends the benefits.
“Most of them do want to exploit us for the celebrity they’ll get from being on the show … but what happens is the tables get turned,” Pinksy tells The Huffington Post. “Most drug addicts leave when you start to squeeze them, but these people, because they feel that pull to stay on camera and get famous, they stay and go through the steps it takes to get clean. I never would have predicted it would work that way, but it does. Once they get clean, they feel motivated to go out and help other people get clean. And because they’re now celebrities, they have this platform to do that.”
No matter what you think of the show, it’s raised the profile of addiction as a disease and has served to educate about the reality of the treatment process. “Addiction really is the medical problem of our time,” Pinsky says. “It’s so destructive, and yet it’s so common.”
Drug Treatment at La Paloma
If you or someone you love is battling an addiction, call La Paloma at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.
Tags: Addiction Treatment, Celebrity Drug Addiction, Celebrity Rehab
