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February 01, 2008
Examining Rehab with Dr. Drew (Episode 4)

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Dr. Drew's weekly commentary on Celebrity Rehab continues! After the jump, the hardest-working doctor in showbiz talks Daniel's departure, the perfect recipe for addiction, the danger of seeing things as good guys vs. bad guys, and -- who else? -- Jeff.

celebrity_rehab_4_1.jpgEpisode 4 begins with people begging Jeff not to leave. But isn't this a case of that cliché you always hear: he has to want to help himself?

Yeah. The motivation isn't what you'd like to see, but Jeff's got so much stuff going on. I'd just like to see him off drugs and how he feels sobered up, when he's off chemicals. His perception might be totally different. So no, it's not a good prognostic sign that he's wanting to get out of there, but Jeff is not your average patient. This is not his first time at the barbecue. He's been treated multiple times, he's struggled with this for a while and I'm still more than willing to struggle with him. He's just really deep in it. He knows recovery, he's been there before, and so it's just a matter of trying to hook him into it again.

celebrity_rehab_4_5.jpg Sexual abuse comes to the forefront of the discussion in this episode. You say that this is extremely common.

In my world, it's not just sexual abuse, but physical abuse. If you're sick enough to need my help, you're approaching a 100 percent probability that you will have had a history of trauma. That's just the way it is in my world.

It seems like there's nothing worse that you could experience as a kid.

Yeah, terror. You add terrorizing experiences to the genetics of addiction, and you end up with a bad addictive disease. It's sort of a recipe for it.

celebrity_rehab_4_3.jpgDaniel starts complaining about the cameras intruding. Was that legitimate?

Well, as time has gone on, my affection for Daniel has grown. I think everything he said was a reflection of what he was experiencing. Maybe it was a little more complicated than that, but I think he was genuinely experiencing it, yes. He was sort of right-on with a lot of stuff. He was helpful with Jessica and Brigitte. And the environment was weird, and he really did have to think very hard about whether this was right for him. He had a lot riding on it, as far as legal problems go. So, I mean, God bless him. Great softball player.

celebrity_rehab_4_2.jpgBut he knew what he was signing up for.

I think so. But in the wake of what he left behind, the show didn't make it as clear as it was in the actual experience, but it was a blessing to those people, his behavior. It really go the group working again. Everyone was sort of stalled-out emotionally and him having stirred it up the way he did brought them back in the game, all of them and in a big way. It was an interesting thing. It's not such a great thing that happened there, and I'm still not even sure exactly what did happen, but it was an opportunity for everyone to take a harder look.

celebrity_rehab_4_11.jpgIn light of Mary's allegation, for him to have been complaining about women in the pool, it just all seemed really fishy to me.

Yes, and I'm not sure that "ironic" is a strong enough word. Even facing the questionable quality of all that, though, he wasn't alone in his behavior. What I think is always dangerous, and this was so vividly pointed out by Daniel's departure, is to think in terms of good guys and bad guys. These are all people who need help. They're flailing around the best they can to participate in treatment, and s*** happens. It's not because somebody's good, and somebody's bad, but because everyone's in this soup together and s*** goes down. Sometimes, there are bad people. The one thing, for instance, that is an absolute no-go is giving someone else drugs. It's one thing if you use drugs, but if you give them to someone else, you're endangering their life directly and knowingly. You're an addict, you know what that means. That is totally out-of-line behavior. But everything else is just people struggling to get by.

celebrity_rehab_4_6.jpg We see cell phones being collected this episode. Is that because everything must be said openly in treatment?

Well, it's because everything has to be done under our supervision. We don't want people calling out to score and to end up bringing in drugs. By the same token, one of the big qualities of treatment is to get them to comply with structure. I mean, Mary would run three phones at once. She'd text and be having two conversations simultaneously. You can't perform treatment when someone's so distracted. Now, she was one of the ones that secreted away a phone. We didn't know celebrity_rehab_4_7.jpgshe had it and we didn't know that Daniel had his. You could say that that's our fault. We should have been on top of that, and yeah, we should have been. But at the same time, these two got in trouble right there. If they hadn't had their phones, none of this nonsense would have happened. This is exactly why we're trying to contain the environment. It's a great example of how the slightest little crack in the wall makes stuff start happening.
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Comments
jeannie

I love the show. i'm a recovering addict and i enjoy seeing others get treatment. and lets face it....Dr. Drew is HOT!! that doesn't hurt!! but seriuously, i would like to see more of the rehabbing and less of the drama, even though i know they go hand in hand sometimes. i worlked at a rehab. Great job Dr. Drew and celebs, keep up the good work. wish i was there with you all.

Brad

Thank you, Dr. Drew for producing your VH1 Recovery Reality program. I am a recovering alcoholic and am impressed with the willingness you have to "be there" for your patients. It's the kind of dedication that you usually only see when a sponsor works with another alcoholic. So, I was wondering what the impetus was for that dedication. Are you a recovering alcoholic/addict also? Regardless, you're doing a wonderful job. Best wishes to all your patients there.

My heart especially goes out to Mary Ellen. I remember early in my sobriety, about 2 years into it, I worked the steps on my sex addiction. I am gay and my sponsor at the time was straight. I was particularly scared to read my 4th step to him. But 15 minutes into the reading, I started laughing as the thought hit me that I was not a bad person for acting out sexually. Rather it was my way of filling that God-sized hole inside of me. I realized I wasn't bad, just desperate. It was one of the only ways I knew how to feel better. Thank God for people like you who are willing to pass the steps along.

Jennifer

I'm not usually into reality TV, but this one hit home for me. As a recovering alcoholic who's relapses many times I've learned things about addiction I wasn't aware of before. Knowledge is power! With continueing my education on alcoholism, being a member of a 12 step program and having a higher power, I believe I'll make it this time, one day at a time......

Just gotta ask what is up with Jeff's girlfriend? She's a phoney as far as I'm concerned, along with being a drama queen. Is she looking for an acting gig for herself? or does she need professional help also?

Regardless, my prayers go out to all participating in this.

Thanks Dr. Drew. You're awesome!

Leslie

Dr. Drew,
I just gotta say I love the show. I think you are doing a great public service. I am 24 years old from Pa. I am now currently going through detox myself. I visit a doctor now once a month to get my meds. It has been a blessing. I am able to safely and comfortably detox in my own home. I was addicted to perks I was taking 15 perk 10s a day. I can now proudly say I have been clean for 6 months, but I could not have done it without two key things. My wonderful exelent doctor and this mircal in modern medecine. Suboxon This drug really saved my life. And I wanted to share my sucess story I know you do give some paitents meds but the whole first 2 or 3 shows really went out to jeff I can totaly relate. I was just watching the show yelling at the tv give him suboxon. So I guess my question is was any medication offered to jeff during that detox to help with his pain? I truly know how painful that procecc can be but with the suboxon it totaly gave me a second chance. Well I just wanna say I love the show keep making a difference in peoples lives and god bless
Leslie

Patsy Breton

I think this is one of the best shows I've seen in a long time! I hope kids watch it and see for themselves what an addiction can do to your life. I think everyone thinks it would never happen to them! Please educate the public more on signs of addiction. Most people say I don't have a problem, but in fact they do!

Good Show!

Anna

I truly appreciate this show for the truthfulness it displays by Dr. Drew. I am glad to see Jeff stop the drug seeking behavior; I watched him through-out my teens and twenties and I would like him to succeed. I am appalled by Daniel Baldwin's behavior. I felt his bristling at the constant camera coverage was due entirely to his thought that he may have an opportunity to engage in sexual behavior. This would have been tragic for Mary Ellen and even at this point Mary Ellen was again exploited and abused by someone who should have been safe; in a place where she should have been safe. Even the comments from the new male patient (Ex-Ultimate Fighter)were offensive to me and painful to hear knowing that Mary Ellen is carrying mis-placed guilt in this situation. Keep your head up Mary Ellen, we all have people in our lives that couldn't care less about how their behavior hurts us. You will get the chance to learn how to recognise these people. Use your new tools and go out there and win!!

dee tee

Absolutely THE BEST show on TV right now. I hope there's another 12 seasons! I'm counting days, myself. Seven today! Yaaaay for me!!!!

But that dude, Rocco, he's major anger issues. I pray for him, that he'll stay clean/sober.

Dr. Drew, I wish you were in NYC!

-Dee Tee

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