The Worst Of What We Are

It’s a chilly November night in the Ozarks with a low of 28. The sun came out for awhile today but it didn’t take.

Looking around at some news items, I found this from Media Bistro about a new VH1 reality show.

VH1’s Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew promises to scare anyone straight.

This series will follow the real-life experiences of nine celebrity patients undergoing detoxification and treatment at a center in the Los Angeles area. While these patients may be accustomed to receiving special treatment in their everyday lives, they came in for a major surprise when they entered this no-frills treatment facility. All but one of the patients completed an intensive 21-day round-the-clock program with both group and one-on-one therapies. Dr. Drew was aided in the process by his experienced and trusted staff of counselors, including registered nurses and other addiction experts. After they completed the program, the patients were given the opportunity to continue their treatment in a sober living facility or treatment center for at least three months at VH1’s expense.

This is so wrong that it’s hard to decide where to begin.

It is exploitation, pure and simple. It’s taking a group of sick people who have some degree of “fame” and profiting from their illness. If you just take a bunch of non-famous people and do the same thing, it is not as easy to sell. So, the show exploits the fact that the participants are well known but, it also exploits the fact that these people are sick. Those two things, in tandem, are the entertainment value.

Now, the above quote, taken from a press release for the show, makes it sound like there is some moral objective to this circus. That this Dr. Drew is really doing this to help these sick celebrities and, possibly viewers that are in need of rehab. That is what they are pitching when they say; “Dr. Drew promises to scare anyone straight”. I have a hard time imagining that there are a bunch of drunks and junkies out there that will tune in to VH1 and reach epiphany from watching “Celebrity Rehab”. No, the folks will be watching to view the celebrities stumbling and falling. We get a kick out of seeing famous people at their lowest ebb.

Speaking of that, you often hear the phrase “rock bottom” in any discussion of alcohol/drug rehab. The theory is that one needs to reach rock bottom before they can begin recovery. If you are at rock bottom, you need to detox, you aren’t in shape to negotiate showbiz contracts/releases etc. So, approaching somebody that is in this shape with a spot in an entertainment show is, once again, exploitation.

Add to that the knowledge of how VH1 is using guerrilla marketing tactics (YouTube videos of celebrities high and/or using) to promote this show and it just gets uglier.

No doubt, Dr. Drew will be promoting some type of “feel good” aspect to justify this series. In other words, celebrities will be portrayed as getting their lives together; Remarkable transformations and awakenings that never would have happened without this show. Don’t buy it folks. A 21 day detox/rehab and 3 months of continued care is no yardstick. The rate of recidivism on rehabs like this is huge. That is the reality of rehab.

I don’t view exploitation of people who need help as entertainment. I see it as an example of the worst of what we are.

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Tags: Celebrity Rehab, Dr. Drew, VH1