Welcome to our coverage of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew! To recap the episodes, we'll be running an interview series every week, which will allow Dr. Drew to delve further into the episode's main points and issues. After the jump is our first installment, in which Dr. Drew gives us his initial impressions of each of the Rehabbers.

Jeff Conway

Dr. Drew: Jeff arrived on multiple drugs and the question was: was it safe for him to be in this environment? Everyone was willing to give it a shot. We kept a close eye on him and he seemed doing OK, he really looked good for a while. And then he just crashed. That was that, we had to move him. Jeff is in chronic pain with his addiction and he knows it. He knows clearly what he's got. But I love Jeff. I absolutely love him.

Seth "Shifty" Binzer

Dr. Drew: He's one of our truly hardcore, poly-drug addicts. He was straight-up crack cocaine, and it turned out that he was taking opiates also. I didn't know that until Day 2 or 3 when he developed opiate withdrawal and, like many addicts do, then magically remembered to tell me. Good guy, bad disease, ready to be treated, knows what treatment is. He was really grateful for the opportunity because he has no resources and he knew he needed treatment. This gave him that chance. It was a big deal for him to be able to have this moment.

Mary Carey

Dr. Drew: Mary Ellen was completely loaded. She was obviously intoxicated: Xanax, alcohol, just a mess. I was anticipating her withdrawal to be severe. Xanax withdrawal can be very problematic. It turns out that it wasn't. I try to, refer to her only as "Mary Ellen," and not "Mary Carey." Mary Ellen is the person I got a good glimpse of and it's a much better person for her.

Jessica Sierra

Dr. Drew: Jessica's our other really hardcore drug addict. She was also severely depressed when she came in. She had some medical procedure, and everyone was like, "Appendicitis! She had her appendix out!" I thought: drug addict? No way. It turned out it was pelvic inflammatory disease, and she was strung out on the opiates they gave her for the surgery. I said, "Why are you taking this?" and she said, "Because it feels good. Why shouldn't I take it?"

Brigitte Nielsen

Dr. Drew: I didn't quite fully understand what was up with Brigitte because she looked so good coming in. I was thinking, "Is this another Chyna? Does she not know why she's here? What's going on?" But then, as her story unfolds, you really hear what's going on. Her having been at Cri-Help, which is one of the most intense drug-treatment centers in Los Angeles. I mean, it's like jail to people. It's a great program, but it's hardcore. She left prematurely and was discharged against medical advice so she could attend the Flavor Flav Comedy Central Roast, and you can't do that. You can't leave treatment to do a TV show. She knew she needed more treatment and that's where we got her.

Jamiee Foxxworth

Dr. Drew: Straight-up, hardcore marijuana addict. That's one of our more common situations today. Marijuana is severely addictive to people. I see it all the time. That it isn't addictive to people is a severe misconception.

Daniel Baldwin

Dr. Drew: He said he'd been sober, but his sobriety was suspect coming in the door. But he knew sobriety and he gave it a shot. People don't usually enter rehab sober. One thing we don't explain in treatment is what these different levels of care are. There's in-patient care, which is an intensive detox program, often at a psychiatric hospital. And there's in-patient rehabilitation, and then there's residential rehabilitation and detox and stabilization. [The show] was residential care. Daniel was in a sober-living, which is the next step down, and sort of coming back into residential for more treatment. And that happens. People feel unsafe or unstable and they look into more professional services.

Chyna

Dr. Drew: Her not knowing why she was there in the first place remained a struggle throughout treatment. We finally got somewhere with her, I think. From a standpoint of symptoms, she was really happy by the end of treatment. I think she had a good experience, but we were just able to scratch the surface. Her bewilderment as to why she was there only bewildered us more. Are you acting? Are you here because you want to be on TV? What's her motivation? But that motivation helped us sometimes. Normally, when you push on people in treatment, they just leave. They go use. In this case, nobody left. Everybody wanted to stay to be on TV. That's a pretty cool thing. And that same mechanism is in play now. People are careful to stay sober because they know people are watching. And that's great for the patients.

Related content
Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew show page

Comments

[lyza]

Dr. Drew,
I am really touched by seeing Seth Binzer and hearing his story. How outwardly he has changed from just seeing the video clip for "Butterfly" and his introduction into the show was shocking to say the least! I am a new "Crazy Town" fan and I really pray for his recovery and look forward to hearing his music when he is "clean and sober"..One day at a time, Seth...you aren't alone" Lyza

[Janet Veal]

Dr. Drew,

I am not a fan of reality shows but I am glad that "Celebrity Rehab" was created to show the negative side of a party lifestyle and the downward turn it can take anyone, even the rich and famous.
Unfortunately, I realize as I watch the show, the majority of these celebs will not stick with and work "the program".
Thanks for bringing this subject to the forefront. I lost a good friend to a crack addiction.

Janet

[j g]

you guys are extremely lucky. i went into rehab in NYC at Roosevelt and it was the hardest/easiest 25 days of my life. this place was disgusting, and we only were allowed outside once a week for 15 min. i was one of 3 white people there, and so everyone made fun of me. i dont think that ANY of you guys could deal with what i did. Your place looks like an oasis.

[Rosey]

Dr. Drew, Thanks for shedding the light on why people are medicating themselves, (usually being abused as children). I hope all your patients learn to love themselves because they deserve it!
Rosey

[Dan]

Dr. Drew,

This show is the most impressive and inspiring that I've seen in a long time. I watched it with my girlfriend which was uncomfortable because of my own issues. I was in rehab last year but relapsed just a couple of weeks afterwards. Like Jeff Conway, I am dealing with chronic pain and a severe opiate addiction. I am definitely empathetic to Jeff's situation. I wish him and the rest luck on their recovery.