Complete details regarding the singer’s motivation are unknown, but friends who have spoken out on Sarah’s behalf say that it is no coincidence that her decision followed hard on the heels of a break-up with long-time fiancé DJ Tom Crane. Mr. Crane is reported to have long requested that Ms. Harding seek help in reforming her “party” lifestyle.

Other reports point to pressure from other Girls Aloud members, asking Ms. Harding to clean up her act, as the catalyst for her decision to enter drug rehab. Unconfirmed rumors have been buzzing that fellow group members wanted Sarah to be in better shape for a reunion and issued an ultimatum to “get help or lose out.” Friends around Ms. Harding say they had been suggesting for months that the celebrity seek out professional help.

Details are unclear, but what does seem clear is that Ms. Harding has been dealing with alcohol addiction for some time. Her entry into drug rehab was listed as encompassing treatment for depression as well. Since alcohol abuse and depression are often partnered, it isn’t much of a leap to believe that the singer is battling on both fronts. Friends say that she “hit bottom” and is ready to get her life back on track.

The singer had been involved in making a new adult comedy film, was looking into a much anticipated Girls Aloud tour, and from the outside seemed to be enjoying many blessings that youth, talent and beauty can provide. Ms. Harding’s words immediately following the split from her fiancée expressed fear, excitement and optimism. Then reports surfaced that she had followed Mr. Crane abroad in an effort to patch up the relationship. Alcohol abuse had apparently robbed Ms. Harding, as it has so many others, of the meaningful relationships which make up a happy life.

More recent reports indicate that her former fiancée has agreed to stand by Ms. Harding as she seeks alcohol treatment and may even attend counseling sessions with the star. While some tabloid reports have been distinctly cruel in mocking her drug rehab check-in, most of the press seems sympathetic toward her efforts. Having a support network to back up her alcohol treatment greatly improves her chances of overcoming alcohol addiction and depression.

Girls Aloud Singer Sarah Harding Entering Drug Rehab is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Melanie Griffith, daughter of the Hollywood beauty Tippi Hedren, says that her entrance into a life of addiction started at a young age. The 54-year-old actress says that she never felt fully loved as a child and so began to erase difficult emotions with alcohol as early as age 10. Drinking wine as though it were soda pop led her down a dangerous path.

By the time she was 18, she says that she was living a wild lifestyle that included alcohol, cocaine and sex. She married actor Don Johnson (twice) and the two lived in addiction until they were finally divorced. Next, Ms. Griffith married and divorced actor Steven Bauer. When that marriage ended, she turned again to alcohol to blunt the pain.

In 1989, she entered a drug rehab facility for the first time (which would be followed by two other drug rehab attempts) after the director on a movie set pulled her aside for showing up to work drunk. It was in drug rehab that former husband Don Johnson, himself now clean of drugs, offered to support Griffith’s efforts to change her life.

Ms. Griffith eventually married her current husband Antonio Banderas and the couple has remained together for over 15 years. He stood beside her when she entered drug rehab in 2000 for addiction to painkillers and again in 2009 when she succumbed once again to the abuse of prescription drugs. Mr. Banderas described his wife as a lion in her fight against addictive behavior.

The couple has been open about other fights, too. Hollywood couples have marriage issues just like the rest of us. But their determination to fight for health and family seems to have won the day. During her last visit to drug rehab, Ms. Griffith says that the entire family went with her to therapy and spent at least two weeks together actively supporting her efforts to change.

As often happens in lives marked by substance abuse, Ms. Griffith tried for years to muffle the pain of emptiness in her life with a temporary “buzz.” It doesn’t work, even for the beautiful, talented and famous. Thankfully, she has been as open about the value of her support network in battling addiction as she has been about the battle itself.

Melanie Griffith’s Life-Long Battle with Addiction is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

De La Hoya, called “The Golden Boy,” was a figure larger than life, one that transcended the gritty sport of boxing. He used his bilingual skills to appeal to both Latinos and whites, and served as a role-model for adolescents, many of whom saw in De La Hoya their own path to success.

Quotes from the former boxing great are quite revealing. As he told Univision, “Rock bottom was recently. Within a couple of years, just thinking if my life was even worth it. I don’t have the strength, I don’t have the courage to take my own life but I was thinking about it.”

What this points out is just how desperate alcoholics and addicts often become. Once they sink into a pit of despair, suicide may seem the only way out.

Fortunately for De La Hoya, he sought help in the form of treatment and going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. He says he has been sober for three months now and talks in more detail in an LA Times article about how he hit bottom and ended up at Promises rehab in Malibu.

The drugs, chiefly cocaine, and alcohol also took a toll on his marriage. Unfaithful to his wife, the couple was separated for a while. “We are obviously not talking a Tiger Woods here,” De La Hoya said, “but I was unfaithful.”

As for the progression of his addiction, De La Hoya indicated that “my drug of choice was cocaine and alcohol…Cocaine was recent. The last two years, last 2-1/2 years and I depended more on the alcohol than the cocaine.”

The boxer retired in 2009 following a 16-year career during which he won 10 world titles in six divisions. He was, without a doubt, the most popular fighter in boxing. His last fight ended in defeat at the hands of Manny Pacquiao. His last win was against Ricardo Mayorga in May 2006, where De La Hoya beat his opponent in six rounds to win the World Boxing Council 154-pound belt. De La Hoya’s record wound up at 39-6, including 30 knockouts.

De La Hoya began boxing at the age of five, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. He won an Olympic gold medal in the 1992 Barcelona Games, and was delivering on a promise he made to his late mother Cecilia, who died from breast cancer two years earlier.

“[Cocaine] took me to a place where I felt safe, it took me to a place where I felt as if nobody can say anything to me, it took me to a place where I can just reach out and grab my mom.”

As for his future, De La Hoya says he is determined to move forward and to mend the wounds he has inflicted on those he loves. He acknowledges that this could be a lifelong battle, but it’s one he’s committed to fighting.

Boxing Great Oscar De La Hoya Admits Addiction, Stay at Drug Rehab is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

An article posted on Fox News discusses the dangerous methods used by celebrities to stay thin. When traditional diets don’t produce fast results, many actresses and models will turn to drugs in an effort to remain thin. One popular choice used by many celebrities is Adderall, a drug prescribed to treat ADHD, and one that can result in significant weight loss.

Some celebrities go so far as to fake the symptoms of ADHD to obtain a prescription for Adderall, while others talk friends who are legitimately diagnosed into asking a doctor for more medication than they need. Others simply buy the drug overseas or online.

Two other dangerous drugs used by celebrities are crystal meth and cocaine. Crystal meth can aid in weight loss, but is also associated with psychosis and meth mouth, a condition of rapid oral decay caused by the use of the drug. Cocaine is also highly addictive and associated with psychosis.

Celebrities who become addicted to drugs in an effort to lose weight often ruin their careers in what is originally an effort to preserve them. While many celebrities can seek treatment for drug addiction in a program designed for that purpose, many struggle in a cycle of treatment and relapse and regret choosing illegal drugs for a faster way to lose weight.

Celebrities Use Drugs for Weight Loss is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

The actor said in interviews that his story started during his teen years with experimentation with cigarettes and marijuana, along with alcohol use. Eventually, the experimentation included crystal meth and other substances, leading Jeremy Jackson to describe periods of total desperation in his discussions with media sources. Jackson made a decision to leave the Baywatch cast, a decision many reports say are linked with the changes the drug addiction caused.

In 2000, Jackson faced arrest for producing methamphetamines; his total rehab experiences stand at five attempts. Now in this 30s and calling himself in full-time recovery, Jeremy Jackson has also appeared on VH1′s “Celebrity Rehab,” addressing his multi-year drug and alcohol addictions on the national camera.

While the actor is reported to be living without drug and alcohol addiction today, and has been for a few years, his addiction story also includes another element – injected steroid abuse. Jackson says the pressure to have a body that would be accepted at acting auditions pulled him in to steroid use, which he addressed on Celebrity Rehab. He said that the steroids quickly drew him away from meaningful activities and led him down a path of unhappiness.

Reflecting on his work to overcome the steroid addiction, Jackson says the realization that his inner life and inner-self were more important than his outer self marked a tangible turning point. This turning point, he says, began to occur through his time on Celebrity Rehab, helping him escape the use of steroids as a way to boost his self-esteem. Now, says Jackson, his life focus includes assisting others with substance abuse addictions to chart their own path to recovery.

Steroid abuse, or anabolic steroid abuse, is linked to serious health risks and death, including severely elevated blood pressure and dangerously abnormal cholesterol levels. Liver damage, skin problems and heart damage are also side effects linked to steroids. The drugs were medically developed in the 1930s to treat growth-related conditions, but abuse by athletes led to a ban from all major sporting institutions and events. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, teen use of steroids is at 1.3 percent for eighth graders and sophomores, with around 2.2 percent of high school seniors experimenting with steroids.

Many teens and young adults can be drawn to steroids for the short-term feelings of strength and confidence, but the mental effects of steroid abuse are also severe. Bouts of mania or aggression can lead users to commit acts of violence or self-harm. Severe mood swings are also reported, and can be escalated by coexisting substance abuse or alcohol abuse problems.

Addiction Recovery from Drugs, Alcohol, Steroids is New Message from Jeremy Jackson is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Brand, who gained fame for serving as the MTV Video Music Awards in 2008 and as a role in the movie “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” hasn’t held back in sharing information about drug recovery and the influence the drugs had on him. The actor has addressed his drug addictions in several interviews, stating that some of his odd public behaviors were the byproducts of drug abuse, which included heroin and alcohol.

Like others recovering from substance abuse addictions, Russell Brand has hinted that personal doubts or insecurities may have played a part in his addiction. While he is outgoing and self-assured on stage, the feelings on the inside, Brand says, may harbor more doubt. He has also admitted to overcoming sexual addiction, which is believed by many experts to be rooted more in self-esteem or fear of intimacy problems rather than an addiction to sex itself.

Brand also shed light on the depth and complexity of sexual addiction, stating that while attending a treatment center, he became more fully aware of the true reality and impact of emotions. The comedian also recovered from addictions to heroin and alcohol, and has compared sexual addiction to drugs because those involved in it are unable to stop – even though they are aware of the ways the addiction will destroy their life.

Also an author, Brand elaborated on his addiction in his work “My Booky Wook: A Memoir of Sex, Drugs and Stand-Up.” The book became a British best-seller and continues to get strong reviews for its melding of Brand’s comic thought process while presenting the truth about life with an addiction.

The actor and comedian is married to Katy Perry, a pop music star, and has stated that while addictions to alcohol or drugs can bring a sense of comfort for a time, he realized that they only brought him deeper into a place of not caring about his self-worth. Russell Brand’s road to recovery included encouraging friends, a commitment to counseling and a strong sense of steadfastness. Having declared himself addiction-free for several years, Brand admits that the work to remain this way is ongoing.

Today, Russell Brand says his odd public acts come more from lowered inhibitions and a sense of nervousness than the influence of drugs. The actor has said that many of the funny situations he finds himself in become public knowledge as he incorporates them into his humor routines – but that in all seriousness, recovery from substance abuse addiction is an endeavor that he focuses on one day at a time.
 

Comedian Russell Brand Addresses the Seriousness of Drug Addiction and Recovery is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Known worldwide for her pop music career and role as a judge on the talent search television show “American Idol,” Paula Abdul said in interviews in 2009 that she guarded an addiction to prescription painkillers for over a decade.

Like many celebrities and non-celebrities, the addiction to prescription painkillers began as a pain treatment. Abdul began receiving treatment for a painful illness that is believed linked to her previous back surgeries, as well as incidents sustained in both a car and a plane crash. In reflecting on the addiction, Paula Abdul said that it became a way to carry on with her performances and meet expectations while enduring pain from a series of sports and dance-related injuries.

With honesty and an open proclamation of herself as a former drug addict, Abdul revealed her story in an issue of Ladies Home Journal magazine in 2009. The pop-singing legend was also honest about her experience with withdrawal from prescription painkillers, which she said brought on severe symptoms including hot spells, cold sweats, teeth chattering and physical pain. In interviews, she described the withdrawal process as terrible, but even at its worst, better than living with the addiction.

The singer also tried alternative therapies, like Chinese medicine. Pain medications for Abdul also included a patch infused with painkillers 80 times stronger than morphine along with medications for nerve-related pain. Side effects from her various pain medications led Paula Abdul to endure insomnia and other problems, even fueling suspicions that she was under the influence of drugs while working on the American Idol set.

Paula Abdul said her addiction was close to a tragic or fatal ending when she decided to take steps to stop the problem. Abdul voluntarily entered California’s La Costa Resort and Spa to begin rehabilitation and withdrawal.

Now fully embracing recovery, Abdul works to remain pain-free with exercise and yoga and is living with a new outlook on life apart from the physical, occupational and emotional consequences of an addiction to pain medications. Her story serves as a reminder that even long-held addictions to drugs can be broken.  

Paula Abdul Breaks Longtime Addiction to Pain Medications is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

What sets Garrett’s story apart, however, is a teen tragedy linked to drunk driving, and a new life that includes recovery under the observation of millions of viewers. Leif Garrett’s drug recovery, like many aspects of his life, will be open for public view as part of the fourth season of the VHI television series “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.”
Leif Garrett, known during his music heyday for blonde, wavy locks of hair, saw his celebrity career escalate from being a five-year old television star to packing arenas full of rock fans in his late teens and early twenties, with hits like “I Was Made for Dancin’.”

Leif Garrett’s substance abuse took a notable tragic turn in 1979, just before he turned 18, when he paralyzed his best friend during a car accident while driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Garrett was sued for negligence by his friend’s mother, and claims the guilt and pain of the incident have haunted him ever since.

Like many people who struggle with drug and alcohol abuse, Garrett’s use of drugs and alcohol laid out a path filled with emotional and financial problems. Garrett reunited with his paralyzed friend in 1999 during a VH1 “Behind the Music” episode, but the decade was marked by arrests for drug use, and his problems with alcohol extend into recent years.

Now 44 years old, Leif Garrett’s drug-related charges include possession of heroin and probation violations for cocaine. His recent individual decision to attend a 30-day rehabilitation center, however, sheds a new light on his resolve toward recovering from drug problems.

As part of his court-mandated program for drug arrests, Garrett will complete drug testing and counseling throughout a minimum of twelve months. Heading to an inpatient center for rehabilitation was a personal decision the star says reflects his sense of gratitude toward having a chance to recover, according to an ABC News interview.

Garrett says a major factor in stopping drug abuse is having the inner resolve to really commit to quitting. He was attempting to stop using heroin when he was arrested in December in California, and has recently discussed the intense controlling factor of drugs.

Experts in drug and alcohol recovery often say that the support network of a person can make a critical difference, and this holds true whether the addict is a celebrity or a non-celebrity. Leif Garrett’s mother has openly stated that people in his past who caused him pain are partly responsible for the problems that led to his drug abuse.

Within a year, Leif Garrett says he plans to see a new reflection staring back from the mirror. Garrett will join the ranks on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, season four, with Tiger Woods and Jason Wahler at a private recovery center – but he looks much like other people struggling to defeat addiction who have asked for help as they commit to a new path, and a new life.

1970s Superstar Leif Garret’s Battle with Addiction is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Family struggles, health problems and a drug-using peer group are said to be possible factors in Winehouse’s addiction story. In 2009, reports of her almost complete recovery circulated, and interviews with the celebrity’s father, Mitch Winehouse, encouraged the media to focus on her success and apparent new start.

While Winehouse made an open vow in 2009 to end her drug addiction, she was reported to continue abusing alcohol while living in St. Lucia. She began living on the Caribbean island following a hospitalization for what was called a medical reaction. The star is also reported to have a fluctuating cycle with rehab centers.

Her vow to stop abusing drugs came after what Winehouse described as hitting an all-time low, which she referred to as “hell.” Marital problems have also been cited by Winehouse, who said her marriage to Blake Fielder-Civil was heavy with drug use – in comparison with her time in St. Lucia, which she openly described as peaceful and removed from her previous drug-filled environment.

It is Winehouse’s openness about her problems with drugs and alcohol, and those of her intimate relationships that may be part of the London singer’s success. Her first album, titled “Frank,” describes bluntly her relationship break-up; a 2007 song titled “Rehab” expressed her straightforward opinion about the therapy, with lyrics including “no, no, no.”
Recently, the star declared herself as having been drug free for three years – but friends commented that she has taken a drug that is known to create an extremely skewed sense of time for users. London government officials say the drug – made partly with chemicals from toilet cleaner – is becoming a rampant problem among young people in Britain.
Winehouse’s father said his daughter’s poor choices in relationships have contributed to her problems, and he hopes she will make different choices that may keep her from returning to old addictions.

A 2003 article published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence seems to reinforce Winehouse’s pattern of behavior. Study authors Kara Riehman, Marin Iguchi, Michelle Zeller and Andrew Morral studied how relationship power influenced a partner’s use of drugs, using interviews from people undergoing drug detoxification at a California facility.

Results indicate that females had a higher likelihood than men of choosing partners who abuse substances, and that people whose intimate partner showed greater levels of power in the relationship also had shorter time spans of drug abstinence. Other studies have also shown that if a person’s partner makes a transition from one drug to another, the person may also be more likely to experiment with the drug.

Celebrity status or not, stories like Amy Winehouse’s battle with drug and alcohol addiction can serve as a reminder that emotional problems and peer influence can be serious factors in a person’s recovery success.
 

Winehouse Addiction Story Suggests Peer Group Connections to Drug Abuse is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Calling it a way to get away from reality and hidden emotional pain, the actress says her problem with pain medications began more than fifteen years prior and links it to a series of plastic surgeries. Seeking a more youthful appearance to support her acting career through surgery, she says the sense of depression that resulted prompted her use of pain medications to help escape from personal issues.

Curtis even reveals taking medications from her sister to combat a growing sense of loneliness. She says she is fortunate in that she was able to recognize areas of pain in her life, and eventually the actress moved into recovery from the addiction.

Also known as opioids, the poppy plant is the source for prescription medications for pain – the same source for heroin and opium. For most users, it is the sense of ecstasy that gets them “hooked.” The drugs saw a rise in popularity during the later years of the 1990s, when pain clinics and specialists began to prescribe them in higher levels.

Director of the Pain Center at Massachusetts’ Lahey Clinic, Dr. Andrew Kowal says addiction to prescription pain medications like opioids is not exclusive to one type of person or lifestyle, but instead affects people from the gamut of rural counties to Hollywood celebrities. In fact, a study published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services warns that people in the age group of 60 years and above are among the groups seeing the greatest rise in prescription drug abuse.
Curtis recognizes the struggle with pain medications is extremely difficult, calling her recovery from the addiction more significant than any of her other life accomplishments. She also comments on Michael Jackson’s struggle, saying the late pop star seemed to be suffering on many levels and seeking escape wherever it could be found.

In reflecting on Michael Jackson’s death and use of prescribed medications, Curtis believes the star’s personal friends and family members tried to help, but the addiction oftentimes remains the source of escape from a person’s emotional pain.

Today, Curtis serves other people with similar drug problems as a volunteer counselor. With a combination of interventions, including counseling, medical observation and in-patient or out-patient treatment centers, people from all walks of life who struggle with pain medication addiction may also have a story of recovery to share.
 

Actress Jamie Lee Curtis Discusses Prescription Drug Addiction, and Recovery is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment