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 VH1 has once again partnered with Dr. Drew Pinsky for a second season
of the hit reality series Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew. The series,
consisting of eight one-hour episodes, is slated to premiere Thursday,
October 23 at 10pm.
Similar to the first cycle, the second season of Celebrity Rehab With
Dr. Drew will follow the real-life experiences of celebrity patients
undergoing detoxification and treatment at a center in the Los Angeles
area. The show will follow Jeff Conaway as he checks back into rehab
after a series of back surgeries, setbacks and subsequent reliance on
pain medications. Joining him in rehab are Sean Stewart (Sons of
Hollywood), Amber Smith (model/actress), Rodney King, Nikki McKibbon
(American Idol), Steven Adler (ex-GUNS N' ROSES ) and Tawny Kitaen
(Actress). Gary Busey, who is 13 years sober from his cocaine
addiction, will also be joining the cast to take the journey with the
others and to share his experiences on the recovery process.
The series will chronicle the patients' intensive 21-day program
with both group and one-on-one therapy and non-traditional therapies
like art and music. Returning to the show to help Dr. Drew are drug
counselor Bob Forrest and resident technician Shelly Sprague who have
each spent years on both sides of the rehab fence. Dr. Drew is also
bringing in some additional prominent physicians to help him give the
patients supplementary one-on-one care. The patients' families will
also be more involved with their recovery programs and, in some cases,
will receive treatment themselves. After they completed the program,
the patients will be strongly encouraged to continue their treatment in
a sober living facility or treatment center for at least three months
at VH1's expense.
Dr. Drew is a highly respected practicing MD and assistant clinical
professor at KECK USC School of Medicine, who will once again give
viewers an unflinching look at exactly how the rehab process works and
what it feels like for participants. Dr. Drew hopes to use his
celebrity patients to humanize the process and show viewers that
treatment is a viable way to break the cycle of addiction.
"Over the course of the first season we were inundated with
positive feedback about the series from our viewers and those in the
rehab community. Dr Drew is a powerful, positive force for those
seeking recovery and I am quite simply amazed not only by the quality
of his medical care, but for how much Drew and his team truly care
about the people they are treating," said Jeff Olde, Executive Vice
President, Original Programming and Production, VH1. "This series is a
deeply transformative emotional experience in front of the cameras and
behind the scenes for everyone involved and I believe it resonates with
the viewers because the stakes are so high and the journey is so very
human."
While most people know Dr. Drew as the host of the syndicated
radio show Loveline and the MTV show of the same name, Dr. Drew is a
medical doctor on staff at Huntington Hospital, a board certified
addictionologist and service director of the Chemical Dependency
Program/Residential Treatment Center, where he has been treating
addicts for over 20 years. Although he is an associate professor of
clinical psychiatry at the KECK USC School of Medicine, he is not a
psychologist or psychiatrist. His book, Cracked: Putting Broken Lives
Together Again (Harper-Collins,) is all about what treating addicts is
like from a caretaker's perspective. Dr. Drew co-authored the first
academic study on celebrities and narcissism. The study was published
in the Journal of Research in Personality (Elsevier) in September 2006,
and is the first systematic, empirical scholarly study of celebrity
personality. Dr. Drew can also be heard during the day Monday thru
Friday on the nationally syndicated radio show Dr. Drew Live.
As it did in the first season, VH1 will present on-air PSA's about
addiction and the possibilities of recovery as well as online resources
for those in need of assistance.
Additionally, VH1.com will launch a sneak peek of the first episode
on October 17 before the on-air premiere. Subsequent episodes will be
available on VH1.com following their on-air premiere.
Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew is executive produced by John Irwin
and Damian Sullivan for Irwin Entertainment. Dr. Drew Pinsky and Howard
Lapides are also executive producing. Jeff Olde, Jill Holmes, and Noah
Pollack are executive producers for VH1.
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