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The Difference Between Keith Richards & David Arquette

January, 11, 2011 5:44 pm | Comments On #addiction, David Arquette, Keith Richards, Movies, rehab

With the release of Keith Richards' autobiography, "Life," the reader is brought into the life of a habitual drug user who has weathered the storm of addiction over his entire lifetime.

Contrary to a life of drug abuse, consider the problems of David Arquette -- who has chosen to face his demons before the facial crevaces, tattoos, piercings and deathly pallor that we see marking the face of Richards finds its way to Arquette's youthful appearance.

From Richards' book:

"I did a couple of cleanups with Gram Parsons at this time - both unsuccessful. I've been through more cold turkeys than there are freezers. I took the f*cking hell week as a matter of course. I took it as being a part of what I was into. But cold turkey, once is enough, and it should be, quite honestly. At the same time I felt totally...

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Lindsay, Paris and S#!@ Said About Addiction

September, 24, 2010 7:39 am | Comments On #Movies

lindsay lohan In a recent article in Psychology Today titled "Addiction in Society," it was hammered home that when it comes to addiction, the "disease theory" is full of sh*t, but everyone is afraid to buck the mainstream system and say so.

Using the all-too-familiar expletive perfectly illustrates the frustration that is felt by most substance abusers and their counselors, as well as many professionals in the field, regarding the treatment of addiction. Case in point are the continued episodes of unsuccessful treatment methods and addiction relapses that dog Lindsay...

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Selling Sobriety the Paris Hilton Way

September, 03, 2010 3:26 pm | Comments On #alcohol, celebrity, cocaine, Dr. Marc Kern, drugs, Las Vegas, marijuana, Media, Paris Hilton, Paris Hilton arrest, sobriety

paris hilton mug shot Why do we set up addicts to fail, especially young good looking ones?

Is being a "bad boy" or a "bad girl" a self-fulfilling prophecy for the Hollywood press, even to the detriment of that individual?

Are we really interested in helping Paris Hilton, or capitalizing on her distress? Pain, regret, and self-incrimination sells papers, creates Internet traffic, and feeds our blood-lust to see those we put on pedestals teeter and fall.

The result of all the hoopla is easy to predict: Paris Hilton will be once again banished to a very upscale rehab facility where she is destined to fail at sobriety.

Consider the distinct possibility...

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Mel Gibson and the Addiction to Rage

August, 04, 2010 5:33 pm | Comments On #12-step programs, anger, Marc Kern, Mel Gibson, Movies, Rage

The media and the courts' knee-jerk inclination to force-feed traditional 12-step treatments to addicts may be facilitating violence and in fact encouraging, and not suppressing anger.

With each day seeming to bring new sound clips of actor Mel Gibson's unbridled rage, we are caught up in a vortex of anger that feeds something within us that may be best discussed in a future blog. This blog however seeks to identify why we are addicted to rage, and how our own substance addictions fuel instead of drown out the expression of anger.

All of us have had episodes of anger, rage and violence. Just look back a little further into childhood and you will find it. Anger and rage and even violence often gives us a temporary feeling of empowerment and control, much like alcohol or other drugs. This feeling can be very, very seductive.

In the entertainment...

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Why Hollywood Is Forcing Lindsay Lohan to Hit Bottom

July, 19, 2010 6:13 pm | Comments On #addiction, Lindsay Lohan, Movies

As a local addiction specialist with an office in Beverly Hills, I'm afforded a ringside seat to the sideshow of Lindsay's ups and downs. Viewing at such close proximity, it enables me to observe the invisible forces at play that are contributing to Lindsay's unnecessary demise.

As one of my clients from Canada stated in last week's alcohol moderation group, “Here in Hollywood it is expected that if you are having a problem with alcohol, you must be an alcoholic and must abstain completely, attend AA groups and adopt the 12-step philosophy." He went on to say that if he runs into someone he met through AA, who says he no longer attends AA meetings, he assumes that person must be drinking heavily again and that his brain disease has won the battle over his recovery. His AA friend would never consider that he is doing better, has found an...

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I Know What the Answer for Charlie Sheen Isn't

December, 31, 1969 4:00 pm | Comments On #Charlie Sheen, rehab, Television, Two and a Half Men

Charlie Sheen needs help.

Once again we are witness to the story of a young and talented actor, played out in sound-bytes: incoherent, disoriented, half-naked, in the company of a prostitute.

As a father I first feel for what Martin Sheen must be going through. The frustration of wondering what the right answer is to the question of his son’s life challenge is painful and frustrating. As a therapist, I know what the answer for Charlie isn’t.

It isn’t traditional treatment. To send Charlie back to a 12 step in-patient rehab program would be more insane than the names they are calling him now.

On the surface, Charlie Sheen seems powerful. A young,...

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Description

Dr. Marc Kern is a nationally recognized expert in the field of addiction therapy. He has made more than 100 appearances on ABC's "20/20," "Larry King Live," CNN, The Learning Channel, CBS and other local and national programs. Dr. Kern is the author of "Take Control Now! A Do-It-Yourself Blueprint for Positive Lifestyle Success," and "Responsible Drinking, A Moderation Management Approach for Problem Drinkers." Dr. Kern has an office in Beverly Hills and is online at www.addictionalternatives.com.

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