The lovely Sharon Smolarz O'Hara asked me this question on Face Book:
"Wondering if you think Oprah's intentions for Lindsay was to help her? Or help others to see what Lindsay went through post rehab? Or help herself?"
"Wondering if you think Oprah's intentions for Lindsay was to help her? Or help others to see what Lindsay went through post rehab? Or help herself?"
Honestly? Don't get me started on Oprah. I haven't seen the Lindsay show, but since OWN offered her a reality show before she even left her umpteenth rehab, and because OWN is desperate for ratings, I can't help but question their intentions.
All under the guise of “helping an addict get her life together.”
Yeah, right.
All under the guise of “helping an addict get her life together.”
Yeah, right.
Despite 100 people dying A DAY, it still doesn’t seem to register with people that this is a life-long disease that kills.
Instead, most are led to believe you’re "cured" after rehab, which even Ms. Lohan can attest is far from the truth. In fact, 40 -60% of people relapse after drug treatment (NIDA).
Spending 28 days in rehab barely scratches the surface of recovery.
Dr. David Lewis, Vision’s medical director, who in the 70’s helped establish the first addiction treatment program in the U.S. Air Force, told the LA Times that 30-day stays were scheduled for bureaucratic reasons -- men and women didn't need to be reassigned if they were away from duty for no more than 30 days. Other treatment centers followed suit, and insurers adopted the standard of 28 or 30 days of inpatient care.
Obviously, it’s ridiculous to continue with this brief time frame, especially since addiction experts say that longer treatments (90 days) lead to far fewer relapses.
It’s medically proven that the longer the treatment, the higher the success rate.
For me, I ended up staying for 3 weeks at the aftercare program my rehab offered. Aftercare programs are set up as a sort of “bridge” between the safe cocoon of rehab and the real world. You’re given counseling sessions, but you also have a lot of freedom, too. (Which, in Wickenberg, Arizona, meant spending a wild afternoon at the Piggly Wiggly.)
Despite the fact that I found the counseling offered at my aftercare a bit too “earthy” …acupuncture, EMDR sessions, meditation, etc., it was essential for my recovery. We finally had unlimited phone & Internet usage, and I spent many hours sitting in the dusty backyard, setting up my “post-rehab” life.
I was able to connect with Joe Schrank & Dr. Scott Beinenfeld, who run Loft 107 & Rebound Brooklyn. Both of them saved my life that first really terrifying year. I made sure to find out where AA mtgs were, and scheduled who I was going with. I had a cleaning lady rid my apt of all remnants of drugs & alcohol. I found a therapist. I called everyone I knew who was sober (back then, a MUCH shorter list) and asked them for help.
The day I was tempted to buy a cowboy hat, I knew I was ready to get the hell back to NYC. I attended 90 meetings in 90 days, which I highly recommend even if you don't like AA. Because what an addict in early recovery needs most is support, a regular schedule & stability.
What nobody really tells you is that staying sober in rehab is a breeze. It’s learning how to stay sober everywhere else that’s unbelievably difficult. Recovery experts all agree that the weeks immediately after rehab are when the addict is most vulnerable to relapse.
As Dr. David Sack says : "It can take up to a year for the areas of the brain responsible for impulse control and emotion regulation to return to normal functioning. In addition, people are often still struggling with powerful drug cravings and then return to an environment where they are surrounded by reminders of their drug use. Particularly when addicts receive short-term treatment (30 days or less), they haven't had much time to address the issues underlying their addiction or practice their new coping skills. Old, familiar coping strategies remain far more comfortable and automatic. A recovering addict who thinks they’ve got their drug problem under control after a short stay in rehab is likely to return to life as usual rather than creating a new life in recovery, greatly increasing the risk of relapse.”
What nobody really tells you is that staying sober in rehab is a breeze. It’s learning how to stay sober everywhere else that’s unbelievably difficult. Recovery experts all agree that the weeks immediately after rehab are when the addict is most vulnerable to relapse.
As Dr. David Sack says : "It can take up to a year for the areas of the brain responsible for impulse control and emotion regulation to return to normal functioning. In addition, people are often still struggling with powerful drug cravings and then return to an environment where they are surrounded by reminders of their drug use. Particularly when addicts receive short-term treatment (30 days or less), they haven't had much time to address the issues underlying their addiction or practice their new coping skills. Old, familiar coping strategies remain far more comfortable and automatic. A recovering addict who thinks they’ve got their drug problem under control after a short stay in rehab is likely to return to life as usual rather than creating a new life in recovery, greatly increasing the risk of relapse.”
I believe what would have helped Ms. Lohan’s recovery would have been a 90 day stint at rehab, as well as a few months of aftercare.
Not a reality show.
Now, someone with a few years of recovery under their belt? That’s another story.
But to offer Ms.Lohan a few million dollar contract before she’s even had a chance to figure out just how she’s going to stay sober was so fucking wrong on OWN’s part. Not only did it once again send Lindsay the message that no matter what she does, she’ll be rewarded.
It also keeps addiction a scandalous spectator sport.
And addicts remain a joke.
I mean, where are all the "celebs with breast cancer" shows? Or "Alzheimer House"?
Finally, to expose someone just out of rehab to camera crews and all the pressures that Ms. Winfrey knows first-hand comes with creating “an interesting show,” is the height of callousness, irresponsibility and desperation.
Shame on Oprah.
I will not be watching.
Shame on Oprah.
I will not be watching.