Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew

So far in this show's run, which isn't over yet as of the time this review is written, the show hasn't really been as exploitative as I had expected. I thought this show would ultimately sugar-coat the whole rehab process. Especially with the show being on VH1, my intuition told me that "Celebrity Rehab" would be this BS game show-type reality show similar to "The Surreal Life" or "Celebrity Fit Club".

In a lot of ways, I think VH1 executives may have wanted "Celebrity Rehab" to be that kind of show. Fortunately, it didn't turn out to be that way, especially with Dr. Drew Pinsky as the head doctor on the show. Dr. Drew is a guy with a good sense of humor, as anyone who has heard the radio show "Loveline" knows. However, he is also a good, smart doctor who takes his field of work seriously despite his celebrity status. When you see him on camera, you can tell that he really cares about his patients, and is doing this reality show to help them and others who may be watching. He does all this without constantly looking into the camera or looking down on his patients. I think that approach to rehabilitation is unorthodox, but it appears to be effective.

I think the main focus of this show is redemption. You look at these B and C-list celebrities, and you see humans, especially in the case of Jeff Conaway. Conaway made a brief and belligerent appearance in 2006 on the third season of "Celebrity Fit Club", and it was made quickly aware to millions of viewers that he had a drug problem that affected everyone around him. On "Celebrity Fit Club", he came off as a jerk, but he's in the process of redeeming himself on "Celebrity Rehab". It is a shame seeing him in a wheelchair because of his back problems, but it's a relief that he's making efforts to improve himself. He has said on the show that this show marks his eleventh time in rehab, but hopefully this stay will be his last.

This show is a good change for VH1 amidst the usual "Best Week Ever" and other shows which involve mostly celebrity gossip. It's educational as well as not sugar coated. I sure hope the celebrities on this show improve in the long run. Of course there are some who are having an easier time than others, but it's good to see most of them trying to improve. Above all, this show, along with "Celebrity Fit Club", is one of the few TV shows, let alone reality shows, that I actually look forward to seeing every week.

Despite the negative reviews, this s is a really interesting and sensitive show. It's so sad that so many of the contestants have passed away. But what a blessing that so many others have gotten the help they needed. They should bring this show back!

Thoughts From A Rehab-er

I have been to Rehab and, Sir, this is not the rehab I have been to...

OK. Maybe they did have to make their own beds and they DID all have to eat together and go to their groups, do their own makeup, and other stuff that "regular" treatment patients have to do, but this just did not seem like the "rehab" I went to when I overdosed on Butalbital and Amaretto. This Rehab is cushier and affected. I was not babied, as it appears some of these folks were, and there was a NO SMOKING rule (they might as well have taken my caffeine from me, too).

Of course, there were no cameras and I was not accustomed to fame and fortune, but I was still an addict looking for help. I wonder what it would have been like if I had been famous...

Hmmm....

I believe that the more "special" these people are taught to believe that they are, the harder it will be for them to accept their realities of being addicts and alcoholics.

The plain truth is that our little "sacred circles," as Bob Forrest wisely coined them, are simply circles of addicts and alcoholics who have progressively gone down further and further to the point that they cannot stand to live with or look at themselves any longer.

There is no "special-ness" about any addict/alcoholic and THAT, my friends, is what helps us to accept the idea that we are all the same and when it comes down to it, we are all responsible for our own behavior and misbehavior.

The sooner that this recovery community of "stars" accepts this, the better (for them).

I am thinking that it would even be a wise move to mix it up a little bit. Let's put the celebs and the noncelebs together in treatment. Let's gently move the famous into the real world with us regular addicts and see how that works?

A big part of sober living and sober mentality is the idea that you are not any more special than anyone else. I believe that should be the next move in Celebrity Rehab II.

The topic of drug addiction has been discussed on so many levels as of late; from talk shows, movies, TV, radio, and of course the internet. You name it. True, some of the facts and opinions being said on such facts tend to sometimes lead to no easy answers, but when the process of being physically involved in saving the person's life from their doom is portrayed so poorly on a show such as this, it leads me to wonder if the addicts can be reformed, in this case, celebrities. Or is it that the so-called doctor is actually doing his job and not trying to cash in on the fad. I beg to differ because I don't think this show is addressing the issues that these addicts are facing in a professional matter. Drug addiction is NOT meant to be televised for entertainment. It's to help those who are truly struggling against a debilitating disease. Like it or not, drug addiction is in fact A DISEASE. Those that try to sugarcoat is being in denial and arrogant. The callousness of the shows staff and it's ringleader of this circus from hell couldn't be more clear. In that respect alone, these celebrities deserve each other. I can recall another well-known show that is nothing more than pure exhibition, but that's another topic for another time.

What I really felt is that no matter how adamant the host seems to be at trying to help these poor, lost souls, the pain truth is that none of them want to be helped. They just want fame and attention; albeit in a dark and absurd manner which goes as far as to say to something of the effect of "bringing a loaded gun to school". When your a celebrity, you are loved and adorned all throughout the world and people like to see that. But the life of a celebrity is a double-edged sword because the last thing people want is to see them fall. That is the sad reality we live in and it's having a negative effect on children and teens, some of which, aspire to be just like them. If these people are willing to rid themselves of their inner turmoil, then by all accounts they should seek out private and professional help, NOT let themselves be paraded like a bunch of jackasses on live television. In the case of Lindsay Lohan, personally, I don't think she wants to be helped. The recent news of her sentence being shortened to a mere 3 weeks is nothing more than a slap on the wrist. This same arrogance, this same blatant disregard for not only for his/her safety, but for the public, is definitive proof that America's drug culture is being ignored by politics and media. This show does nothing for them, nor does it cover any ground relating to this national crisis. It is pure exhibitionism. And that's the sad truth.

Dr Drew Pinsky helps drug addicted celebrities get treatment. Exploitation! At least that's the complaints from most of the critics. Sure somewhere along the line, somebody has to make some money. But I'm not going to be so cynical. As for the other criticism that these are B-list or lower celebs, I think those people missed the point.

The journey these people go thru is fascinating and eye opening. Dr Drew is not as critical of these people as maybe I would want to be, but I think these aren't in-depth investigations as much as personal recovery. In that sense, digging up old wounds may be counter productive. I really get invested in these people's lives. Sometimes, I do feel the celebs are a little self serving. Dr Drew may treat some with kid gloves. But overall, it's a compelling watch.