Detox is Second (or Only) Home for These Addicts

Lohan, Spears 'waltzing' in and out of treatment sends wrong message

(NEWSER) - The debauched lifestyles of celebrities like Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears are turning substance-abuse rehab into a punch line, making light of a process that helps thousands of people each year, say experts. Lohan was arrested on suspicion of DUI this week just days after finishing rehab; in February, Spears checked into rehab three times—in one week. More»

Dr. Drew Pinsky 'is not helping anyone'

(NEWSER) - With the death of Mike Starr, a former Celebrity Rehab participant, the time has come to talk about why the show needs to be shut down. No, not because of Starr’s death—“If every recovery center had to close down after a former patient relapsed and died, we'd have no facilities left,” notes Drew Grant on Salon —but because it’s become completely obvious that Dr. Drew Pinsky “is not helping anyone,” Grant writes. By mixing true addicts with people like Rachel Uchitel, who was supposedly addicted to love, the show is no longer about treatment. More»

Jailbird starlet will enter rehab for addiction

(NEWSER) - Lindsay Lohan will undergo treatment for addiction to methamphetamine and bipolar disorder when she enters rehab after she's released from jail, TMZ reports . Meth and opiates are Lohan's "drugs of choice," a source says. The troubled actress, who's proving to be a high-maintenance inmate as she serves 90 days for a probation violation, may be sprung as soon as today. More»

Gone Too Far features Goldstein as mentor to drug addicts

(NEWSER) - MTV intends to air a drug-intervention reality show starring the late Adam Goldstein, better known as DJ AM. In Gone Too Far, Goldstein plays sober mentor to addicts. Given Goldstein’s recent death from a drug overdose, MTV was concerned the show could be seen as hypocritical or exploitative, but ultimately decided that the unique circumstances could strengthen its anti-drug message, sources tell the Hollywood Reporter. More»

(NEWSER) - Portugal decriminalized drug possession 8 years ago, so it must have high abuse rates, right? Not according to a new study from the Cato Institute, Time reports. Teen drug use and HIV infection from needles have declined, and more addicts now enter treatment programs. "Judging by every metric, decriminalization in Portugal has been a resounding success," one researcher says. More»