Celebrity Rehab – Season 3

I have become obsessed with Celebrity Rehab.

Why?

First of all it is a perfect view of rehab. Rehab is an exhausting, painful process. Discussing feelings and situations that you are afraid of and have been hiding for a lifetime takes *so* much out of you. Coming face to face with your family the first time sober is terrifying. The feelings they go through discussing their fears for you is painful. Unfortunately the rehab process sometimes takes multiple attempts before you've gotten everything out and are able to find a doctor that can really look objectively and look beyond the addiction to see what else could be the matter. I know that it did for me. Over and over I would tell the doctor out of my anxiety. I would tell them about my depression and about when I would I do things impulsively and they would just say that was my addiction. All the while I would see on my forms a bipolar diagnosis. No one ever took the time to refer me to a doctor that would help those feelings.

Finally someone did and real rehab began. The doctor told me that becoming sober would be almost impossible without meds to help and would continue to be depressed, continue to wrap myself in my feelings and self medicate to calm the anxious feelings.

I still can get mad that I was treated as a worthless alcoholic rather than someone who needed help over and above my addiction.

I'm particularly interested this season of Celebrity Rehab in a couple of people:

Mindy McCready - The amount of solidarity I feel for her is immense. I have so much empathy for losing custody of her child. She's someone that I *hope so much* makes it. She's worth it. I hope that she sees it too. I saw the article that was on ET Online and she looks great.

Mike Starr - Mike's struggle with acceptance over the death of his friend is heartbreaking. This week's show showed though how the simple act of having someone whose opinion you value most tells him that she forgives him - that it wasn't his fault - that his friend would have wanted him to make the best of his life. I truly hope that this momentous event for him has made all the difference because he's worth it too.

If you too are struggling with addiction I encourage you to find the help of someone known as addiction doctor. They specialize in not only helping you through your addiction but they also focus on some of the medical <em>why</em> of addiction.

When I did I got sober.

And it saved my life.

xoxo, sober mommy