Eric Roberts has tweeted about his stint in Celebrity Rehab, posting the message that he is doing the show. He also tweeted, “I’d like to move out of the weed garden & into a place where things can blossom & grow.” Roberts, according to his wife, quit alcohol and other drugs about 15 years ago, but then became hooked on medical marijuana. He reported uses medical marijuana to deal with anxiety.

Participants in the show receive treatment at Pasadena Recovery Center under the auspices of Dr. Drew.

There has been some controversy around the show because many of the participants are at a low point in their lives, and some argue they are not in the right frame of mind to give permission to follow their treatment and recovery.
 

Celebrity Rehab Launches Fourth Season is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

"He just really wants to get better," a source told the magazine. "This has been an ongoing battle for him."

New York Daily News writes that the 32-year-old actor’s latest attempt to get sober follows a RadarOnline.com report that claimed he recently became "belligerent" and "disruptive" when airport staff prohibited him from boarding a flight after noticing he was "pounding drinks" before take off.

The drunken incident, which reportedly occurred at New York’s John F. Kennedy airport in early May, is said to have resulted in the actor getting banned from flying United Airlines in the future.

This isn’t the first trip to rehab for Rhys Meyers, who has had a string of airport-related incidents end in scandal

The actor first checked into rehab for alcohol abuse in May 2005. Seven months after completing a second rehab stint in 2007, the actor was arrested at a Dublin airport and charged with public intoxication and breach of the peace.

He checked into rehab a third time in February 2009 to seek treatment for his addition to alcohol. In June 2009, Rhys Meyers was detained after an alleged drunken assault on several bar employees at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.

Actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers Returns to Alcohol Rehab is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Haim, 38, died of natural causes from "community-acquired pneumonia" that damaged his lungs, according to an autopsy report.

Low levels of eight drugs, including both prescription and over-the-counter medications, were found in his system along with marijuana, coroner’s spokesman Craig Harvey said.

"But nothing was at a level that would have contributed to his death," Harvey said.

They included tranquilizers and some common cold and flu medications, such as ibuprofen and a cough-suppressant, the report said.

Haim, who had struggled with drug problems throughout his life, died March 10 after collapsing in his mother’s apartment. Haim was ill with flulike symptoms before his death, and police said he was taking over-the-counter and prescription medications.

"The pneumonia is what killed him," Harvey said.

Mark Heaslip, the actor’s agent, did not return a phone message seeking comment Tuesday.
California Attorney General Jerry Brown said in April that Haim employed "doctor shopping" to obtain 553 prescription pills in the two months before his death. Brown called Haim — the star of 1980s films such as "The Lost Boys" and "License to Drive" — a poster child for prescription drug abuse. He said Haim obtained powerful sedatives such as Valium and Xanax and painkillers such as Vicodin and OxyContin.

However, no OxyContin was found in his body, Harvey said. He noted that Haim’s heart was abnormally large and factored in his death.

"His heart was 530 grams. The average normal heart weighs 300 grams," Harvey said.

Haim also had damaged lungs and arteriosclerosis of his coronary arteries, with some vessels 50-percent and even 75-percent blocked. Haim also had an enlarged liver.

Harvey said it was unclear how long Haim had suffered from the medical problems or the pneumonia or whether earlier treatment might have saved him.

A message left with Brown’s office was not immediately returned Tuesday.

The report said that Haim had been feeling ill two days before his death and had a fever and severe cough. The report said he stayed in bed all day March 9 and his mother gave him tea, vegetable soup, Robituson, Tylenol and Advil, and Zophren. He appeared disoriented and collapsed to his knees at about 12:30 a.m. the next day.
"His mother helped him back into bed. His body began to shake in all directions and his eyes rolled back. His mother called 911," according to the report’s synopsis.

He stopped breathing and his mother performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation until paramedics arrived. Haim was pronounced dead in an emergency room at 2:15 a.m.

The report said that Haim had a history of drug abuse and had taken several prescription medications about five days before his death. He also had a history of heart murmur and possibly hypertension.

Drugs found in Haim’s system included the cough-suppressant dextromethorphan; the antihistamine diphenhydramine; carisoprodol, a prescription muscle relaxant; the tranquilizers diazepam and meprobamate, which are found in Valium and other medications; and the antidepressants fluoxetine and olanzapine.

Corey Haim Died from Pneumonia, not Prescription Drug Abuse is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

This is the question standing before the judge presiding over the case of Cameron Douglas, son of celebrity Michael Douglas, according to an article in The Frisky.

The younger Douglas is facing a mandatory 10 years in prison for selling drugs in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District in 2009. He admitted to the crime and has spent the past eight months in a correctional facility. The elder Douglas believes leniency is in order simply because those eight months have been good for his son.

Traditionally, the sins of the father are said to be carried by the son. In this case, the father claims the family’s fame and history of addiction contributed to the son’s drug problems and criminal behavior. In a letter written to the judge, he states: “We do know, however, that genes, family, and peer pressure are all a strong influence on a substance abuser.”

This article’s writer is bluntly opposed to the use of celebrity to escape accountability and that Cameron Douglas should serve every day of a mandatory sentence. He highlights that while Cameron did not get to choose his family, he did make the choice to break the law. His relation to anyone in particular should not weigh on the decision to hand down a sentence as mandated by law.

In the end, Cameron Douglas was sentenced to five years in prison and will spend another five years in a supervised released program. He was also ordered to pay $25,000 in fines.

Celebrity Son Faces 10 Years in Prison for Drug Crimes is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Haim, who died earlier this month, obtained drugs using prescriptions written under the names of these doctors in the past year, Los Angeles County Deputy Coroner Ed Winter told CNN on Friday.

California drug investigators found evidence that Haim, who fought a decades-long battle with drug abuse, used at least one fake prescription to obtain a narcotic in the months before he died, California Attorney General Jerry Brown said last week.

The coroner is waiting for toxicology results before deciding if drugs were involved in the death of the 1980s teen movie actor, Winter said. Those test results are several weeks away, he said.

An autopsy revealed that Haim, 38, suffered from pneumonia, an enlarged heart, and water in his lungs when he collapsed at his Los Angeles home on March 10, Winter said.
"We get medical records all the time," Winter said. "What’s kind of unusual in this is how many doctors are involved."

Pharmacy records show the actor got thousands of potentially dangerous pills from multiple doctors in the past year, according to Brown.

State investigators know that Haim obtained "massive amounts" of legal drugs "in what looks to me like a questionable manner because of so many doctors," Brown said.
"How many people go to 10 or 15 or 20 doctors and then run around to 10, 12 and more pharmacies to go fulfill them and sometimes two different doctors in the same day?" Brown asked.

Haim did not necessarily visit all of the doctors, but the prescriptions carried their names, he said.

An arrest was made last week in connection with an "illegal and massive prescription drug ring" connected to at least one of Haim’s prescriptions, Brown said. The ring involved the use of stolen identities from doctors to order official prescription pads, he said.

"Once they get that prescription pad in the doctor’s name, then they can write a prescription, or they can sell it to someone to write a prescription like Corey Haim," Brown said. "Then he can go into the pharmacy and get his legal drugs illegally."
Although the actor’s family said Haim had reduced his drug use to near zero, Brown said that he didn’t see "any ‘zero’ pill consumption."

"If he took all the pills that our records show he was prescribed over the last year and three months, he took very damaging assaults on his body," Brown said.

Haim’s most recent prescription was filled March 5 for Vicodin, he said. "In the weeks before that, more Vicodin, more Valium and other things," Brown said. "If you go back to 2009, you’re talking thousands of pills," he said. "You’re talking many, many doctors. I doubt if they know about each other. You’re talking about many, many pharmacies."

20 Doctors Subpoenaed in Corey Haim’s Death is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

The former pitcher for the New York Mets and New York Yankees had a child in his vehicle at the time of the two-vehicle crash around 9 a.m. Tuesday, Franklin Lakes police Capt. Joseph Seltenrich said. Police wouldn’t say whose child it was, but they said no one was hurt.

Gooden also was charged with child endangerment and motor vehicle violations, authorities said. They wouldn’t release details, including the type of drugs.

The Associated Press reports that Gooden, 45, was released on his own recognizance until a municipal court hearing. It was unclear whether Gooden, who has waged a well-publicized battle with alcohol and drugs, including cocaine, had an attorney.

The driver of the other car, Phil Schmidt, of Franklin Lakes, said he recognized Gooden right away.

“I looked at him, and I knew it was Dwight Gooden,” Schmidt told WABC-TV in New York. “I think he was surprised I recognized him, (and) he shook my hand.”

Gooden, nicknamed Doc Gooden and Dr. K because of his phenomenal strikeout numbers early in his career, had served as a senior vice president with the minor league Newark Bears baseball team, which plays in the Atlantic League. But he left in November 2009 when the Mets invited him to join them at spring training, an offer he ultimately turned down.

“He did great things while he was here,” said Tom Cetnar, the Bears’ senior vice president. “We’re very saddened by the reports we’re hearing. We don’t have any details on what happened. Doc did right by us and the city of Newark.”

Mets spokesman Jay Horowitz said the team “was aware of the situation,” but he declined to comment further.

Gooden’s dominant pitching helped lead the Mets to a World Series title in 1986 and another National League East crown in ’88, and he also was a member of the championship Yankees teams of 1996 and 2000. After making his major league debut in 1984 at the age of 19, he went on to win the Rookie of the Year award that season and eventually won 194 games over his 17-year career, which included a no-hitter for the Yankees in 1996.

But drugs and legal troubles derailed his career and continued after his retirement in 2001. He was arrested several times and repeatedly entered rehabilitation facilities.
Besides the two New York teams, Gooden also pitched for Cleveland, Houston, and Tampa Bay.

Former MLB Star Charged with Drugged Driving is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Falco said on CBS’s “The Early Show” that she has a role many actors are looking for. “You hope you get to do something like this, where you get to be dimensional and hopefully play stuff you haven’t played before. So I consider myself very lucky,” she said.

Falco said television seems to be moving toward characters that have layered or flawed personalities. “I think people may be tired of seeing the sort of cookie-cutter versions of what people should be and, in fact, they prefer to see people that look more familiar such as themselves or people they know,” she said. “Give people a chance to feel like you don’t have to be perfect.”

“Early Show” co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez noted Falco’s own battle with alcoholism, and asked her if she draws on her past experience for her current role.

“I think addiction is a very specific physiological mindset. So it certainly does help to have some background with that. Because if you explain it to a non-addict — that you’re pulled to something that’s so bad for you — it doesn’t make sense. But to me, it makes perfect sense,” said Falco.

As for the second season of “Nurse Jackie,” Falco says her character’s not ready to “cash it all in.” She said, “She’s still got to create a little more chaos. She’s still trying to make it work for her.”

Rodriguez pointed out that it was amazing how, in the first season of the show, Falco’s character got away with so many secrets.

“That’s addiction for you,” Falco said. “Really some of the most wily, resourceful individuals you’ll meet.”

“But eventually it has to catch up,” Rodriguez added.

“It does,” Falco said. “Either it catches up with you or you die from it. So hopefully she’ll get her life together.”

Falco also responded to criticism from nurses who say “Nurse Jackie” doesn’t accurately represent the nursing profession.

“I don’t think it’s relevant,” she said. “I think we’re not saying, ‘This is what nurses are like.’ We’re saying it’s what this woman was like. And I think if she was a plumber, she’d be dealing with this problem. She just happens to have easier access.”

Edie Falco’s Past Addiction Helps Inform Her Role on “Nurse Jackie” is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

“What I try to always explain to people is that we can’t blame Hollywood, it’s not Hollywood,” he said. “Those are bad choices that I made. I made some stupid personal choices. But I can’t blame Hollywood.”

“When the show got canceled is when my whole life fell apart because everything caught up with me,” he explained. “At 12 years old I was molested by my publicist and my father took my publicist’s side."

Bridges said it was after the successful ‘70s sitcom ended its eight-season run that his drug addiction ensued. “People don’t realize that during the process of the show, I was always very professional, so that kind of kept me together,” he said.

Once the actor had more time on his hands, he said he began to deal with his past.
“No one ever goes into addiction thinking that you’re going to get addicted to drugs. You do it to cover the pain up,” he said. “But then when I got caught up in addiction, Hollywood didn’t throw me away, I threw Hollywood away.”

Karen Berg of FoxNews.com writes that luckily for Bridges, his mistakes did not cost him his life, as they may have fellow child star Corey Haim, who died last week of an apparent prescription drug overdose.

“A lot of people don’t feel like they have a problem and that’s one of the biggest problems,” said Bridges. “One of the biggest things with Corey Haim was [that he] thought that he was just taking prescription medication, which if you take it according to what the doctor tells you, you’re going to be okay. But if you take it the way an addict is going to take it—take a bunch of them and don’t listen to what the prescription bottle says—that’s what happened.”

Bridges’ co-star, Dana Plato, who played Kimberly on the show, also battled an addiction to prescription drugs and used them to end her life in 1999.

But Bridges’ wake-up call happened years before. “For me, 17 years ago, I woke up one day and decided things had to be a little different,” said the 44-year-old. After pleading guilty to drug possession in 1993, the judge gave Bridges two options: jail or rehab.

“I chose to go to rehab,” he said. “I still wasn’t quite ready at that moment. So when I got in there I got really angry and I got really mad at the hospital [staff]. And they strapped me at four points and I was in there for three days. When you’re in your 20’s and you have a big diaper on and you were on a hit show, there has to be a change in your life,” he said.

Bridges, who has two young children, has advice for parents everywhere. “Never give up on your child. But also, you have to love your child. What I do with my kids is I tell them I love them every day, but also I tell them the truth," he said. "Our parents back then would say, ‘Do as I say, not as I do.’ And you can’t do that anymore. Children need explanations and they deserve explanations."

Former Child Star Todd Bridges Talks Addiction, Hitting Bottom is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

“What I try to always explain to people is that we can’t blame Hollywood, it’s not Hollywood,” he said. “Those are bad choices that I made. I made some stupid personal choices. But I can’t blame Hollywood.”

“When the show got canceled is when my whole life fell apart because everything caught up with me,” he explained. “At 12 years old I was molested by my publicist and my father took my publicist’s side."

Bridges said it was after the successful ‘70s sitcom ended its eight-season run that his drug addiction ensued. “People don’t realize that during the process of the show, I was always very professional, so that kind of kept me together,” he said.

Once the actor had more time on his hands, he said he began to deal with his past.
“No one ever goes into addiction thinking that you’re going to get addicted to drugs. You do it to cover the pain up,” he said. “But then when I got caught up in addiction, Hollywood didn’t throw me away, I threw Hollywood away.”

Karen Berg of FoxNews.com writes that luckily for Bridges, his mistakes did not cost him his life, as they may have fellow child star Corey Haim, who died last week of an apparent prescription drug overdose.

“A lot of people don’t feel like they have a problem and that’s one of the biggest problems,” said Bridges. “One of the biggest things with Corey Haim was [that he] thought that he was just taking prescription medication, which if you take it according to what the doctor tells you, you’re going to be okay. But if you take it the way an addict is going to take it—take a bunch of them and don’t listen to what the prescription bottle says—that’s what happened.”

Bridges’ co-star, Dana Plato, who played Kimberly on the show, also battled an addiction to prescription drugs and used them to end her life in 1999.

But Bridges’ wake-up call happened years before. “For me, 17 years ago, I woke up one day and decided things had to be a little different,” said the 44-year-old. After pleading guilty to drug possession in 1993, the judge gave Bridges two options: jail or rehab.

“I chose to go to rehab,” he said. “I still wasn’t quite ready at that moment. So when I got in there I got really angry and I got really mad at the hospital [staff]. And they strapped me at four points and I was in there for three days. When you’re in your 20’s and you have a big diaper on and you were on a hit show, there has to be a change in your life,” he said.

Bridges, who has two young children, has advice for parents everywhere. “Never give up on your child. But also, you have to love your child. What I do with my kids is I tell them I love them every day, but also I tell them the truth," he said. "Our parents back then would say, ‘Do as I say, not as I do.’ And you can’t do that anymore. Children need explanations and they deserve explanations."

Former Child Star Todd Bridges Talks Addiction, Hitting Bottom is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Nancy Dillon and Stephanie Gaskell of the New York Daily News report that Los Angeles County Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter told RadarOnline.com that when emergency personnel arrived, the 38-year-old actor was alive but weak and complaining of flu-like symptoms. Haim’s mother, Judy, called 911 at 12:53 a.m. after he was found unresponsive. Haim was rushed to Providence St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Burbank, where he was pronounced dead at 2:15 a.m.

Law enforcement sources said four prescription bottles were found nearby, according to TMZ.com, but said his death appeared to be accidental.

Haim’s mother told RadarOnline.com that the actor moved in with her to help care for her while she undergoes chemotherapy for breast cancer. "I am a cancer victim and Corey was helping me at home," she said. "He was a good boy. I’m devastated by his death."

The Canadian-born actor starred in the 1987 vampire flick "The Lost Boys," but was probably best known for his rocky relationship with co-star Corey Feldman. Feldman has not commented on the loss of his longtime friend.

The Los Angeles coroner’s office said an autopsy would be performed to determine the cause of death. "There were no signs of trauma," a spokesman at the coroner’s office told the Daily News.

Haim, who has been in and out of rehab, also starred in "The Two Coreys," a reality show with Feldman that aired in 2007 and 2008. The show was cancelled during its second season. Feldman reportedly refused to continue working with Haim until he sought help for his drug addiction.

Haim, in a 2007 interview with Britain’s The Sun newspaper, talked about his struggle with drugs, specifically prescription pain killers.

"I started on the downers which were a hell of a lot better than the uppers because I was a nervous wreck. But one led to two, two led to four, four led to eight, until at the end it was about 85 a day – the doctors could not believe I was taking that much," he said.

"And that was just the Valium – I’m not talking about the other pills I went through."
Haim, who filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1997, also admitted to abusing cocaine and crack.

In 2007 told ABC’s "Nightline" that drugs had ruined his career. "I feel like with myself I ruined myself to the point where I wasn’t functional enough to work for anybody, even myself," he said. "I wasn’t working."

Haim’s official website was last updated on Jan. 18 and promotes his upcoming film, a thriller titled "American Sunset."

A woman who worked at a convenience store located inside the apartment complex said Haim came in on Tuesday to buy food and cigarettes and "appeared to be upbeat and in good spirits," according to RadarOnline.com.

Born in Toronto, Haim began acting at the age of 10. He got his big break in 1986 with the film "Lucas" and then with "The Lost Boys," co-starring Feldman and Kiefer Sutherland. He later starred alongside Heather Graham in the cult classic "License to Drive."
 

Corey Haim Dies of Apparent Prescription Drug Overdose is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment