Season Five Cast Includes Michael Lohan, Sean Young, Dwight ‘Doc’ Gooden, Amy Fisher, Steven Adler, Bai Ling, Jessica ‘Sugar’ Kiper, and Jeremy Jackson

Catch Sneak Peeks and Exclusive Clips on VH1.com

LOS ANGELES, California – VH1 has once again partnered with Dr. Drew Pinsky for a fifth season of the hit reality series “Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew.” Similar to the first four cycles, the fifth season will follow the real-life experiences of celebrity patients undergoing detoxification and treatment at The Pasadena Recovery Center. This season will follow Michael Lohan (Celebrity Dad), Sean Young (“Blade Runner”), Dwight ‘Doc’ Gooden (baseball star), Amy Fisher (“Long Island Lolita”), Steven Adler (Guns ‘n Roses), Bai Ling (“The Crow”), Jessica ‘Sugar’ Kiper (Survivor), and Jeremy Jackson (“Baywatch”) on their quest for sobriety. “Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew” is set to premiere Sunday, June 26th at 9PM on VH1.

In the 5th installment of the Celebrity Rehab franchise, Dr. Drew takes viewers behind the closed doors of rehab and inside the often misunderstood treatment process. From heartbreak to hope we follow Dr. Drew and his patients on their difficult and deeply emotional journey to sobriety. An often raw and unflinching look at the many faces of addiction, Dr. Drew shows us that rehab is not a glamorous spa vacation for celebrities as portrayed in the media but a profound life changing process that offers hope for a better life.

Dr. Drew is the host of the nationally syndicated late night radio show Loveline as well as a respected practicing MD, board certified in internal and addiction medicine, who is staff at Huntington Hospital and assistant clinical professor of KECK USC School of Medicine. He is the author of the New York Times best seller The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissism is Seducing America (Harper Collins) and Cracked: Putting Broken Lives Together Again (Harper-Collins.) Dr. Drew co-authored the first academic study on celebrities and narcissism that 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 hosted VH1′s “Sober House” and “Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew” and can be seen on MTV’s “Teen Mom” and “16 & Pregnant.” Additionally, Dr. Drew is hosting a new prime time show on HLN called “Dr. Drew” and will also be hosting a daytime syndicated talk show “Dr. Drew’s Lifechangers” on the CW Network coming fall 2011.

Also returning for their fifth seasons to assist Dr. Drew are Counselor Bob Forrest and resident technician Shelly Sprague. Joining the cast this season is Dr. John R. Sharp, M.D. Dr. Sharp is a member of the faculty at Harvard Medical School, and the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles. His expertise is in the integrated treatment of depression and bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, attention deficit disorder, and addiction. Dr. Sharp has been recognized as Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and of The Academy of Psychosomatic. He maintains an active private practice in Boston and Los Angeles. Also joining the cast this season is Jennifer Gimenez as a resident technician. Jennifer was previously seen on “Sober House” as the house manager.

Full episodes and extra scenes from “Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew” will be available at CelebRehab.VH1.com and on VH1 Mobile each week following the show’s on-air premiere.

“Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew” is produced by Irwin Entertainment. Executive producing for Irwin Entertainment are John Irwin, Damian Sullivan, Joel Rodgers and Rob Buchta. Dr. Drew Pinsky and Howard Lapides also serve as executive producers. Jill Holmes, Noah Pollack and Jeff Olde are executive producers for VH1.

VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with TV series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 is available in 98 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital channels and services including VH1Classic, VH1 Soul, VH1 Mobile, VH1Games and extensive broadband video on VH1.com. Connect with VH1 at VH1.com.

Source: Vh1 Press Release

Catch A Sneak Peek From the Reunion on VH1.com

LOS ANGELES, California — This season of “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” has viewers riveted with the most explosive, intriguing and therapy-resistant cast to date for Dr. Drew’s hit VH1 reality series. During the season, personal revelations were made, obstacles overcome and for many, addictions kicked. However, several months have passed since the cameras rolled and recorded their recovery process. Many wonder, what has happened to the cast since their challenging time with Dr. Drew? Fans will now get the chance to catch up with cast of the show post-rehab to see what it really takes to stay sober outside the confines of a rehab facility. The cast of “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” makes a return visit to Dr. Drew and share their stories of courage and redemption and in some cases, relapse. The hour-long special premieres Wednesday, January 26th at 10PM*.

Season four of “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” follows the real-life experiences of eight diverse celebrity patients undergoing an intensive 21-day detoxification and treatment program at the Pasadena Recovery Center. As they each struggle with their own demons in their quest to get well they must also do this amongst some other very strong personalities who create more hurdles for each other than a helping hand. The cast, many who have been recent tabloid fodder even while they were in rehab includes: Eric Roberts (The Expendables), Jeremy London (“Party of Five,” “7th Heaven”), Rachel Uchitel (Infamous Party Planner), Janice Dickinson (“The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency”), Leif Garrett (Musician), Frankie Lons (Keyshia Cole’s Mother), Jason Wahler (“The Hills”) and Jason Davis (Socialite).

Dr. Drew is a highly respected practicing MD, board certified in internal and addiction 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.

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 and assistant clinical professor of KECK USC School of Medicine. 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. Additionally, he is a New York Times best selling author with his work The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissism is Seducing America (Harper Collins). Dr. Drew can also be seen as host of VH1′s “Sober House” and “Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew” along with MTV’s “Teen Mom” and “16 & Pregnant, Life After Labor.”

Viewers can catch a sneak peek of the reunion special and exclusive commentary from the VH1 Blog on VH1.com prior to the on-air premiere. For more video clips from the full season of “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” go to VH1.com.

“Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew” is executive produced by John Irwin and Damian Sullivan for Irwin Entertainment. Dr. Drew Pinsky, Howard Lapides and Joel Rodgers are also executive producing. Jeff Olde, Jill Holmes, and Noah Pollack are executive producers for VH1.

Source: VH1 Press Release

Season Four Cast Includes Eric Roberts, Jeremy London, Rachel Uchitel, Janice Dickinson, Leif Garrett, Frankie Lons, Jason Wahler and Jason Davis

“Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” Season 4 Premieres Wednesday, December 1 at 10PM*

Catch a Sneak Peek of the Premiere Episode on VH1.com Beginning Friday, November 26

LOS ANGELES, California — Dr. Drew’s hit VH1 reality series “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” checks back into rehab for a fourth season. The series, consisting of nine one-hour episodes, is slated to premiere December 1 at 10PM*.

Season four of “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” will follow the real-life experiences of eight diverse celebrity patients undergoing an intensive 21-day detoxification and treatment program at the Pasadena Recovery Center. As they each struggle with their own demons in their quest to get well they must also do this amongst some other very strong personalities who create more hurdles for each other than a helping hand. The cast, many who have been recent tabloid fodder even while they were in rehab includes: Eric Roberts (The Expendables), Jeremy London (“Party of Five,” “7th Heaven”), Rachel Uchitel (Infamous Party Planner), Janice Dickinson (“The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency”), Leif Garrett (Musician), Frankie Lons (Keyshia Cole’s Mother), Jason Wahler (“The Hills”) and Jason Davis (Socialite).

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.

Dr. Drew is a highly respected practicing MD, board certified in internal and addiction 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.

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 and assistant clinical professor of KECK USC School of Medicine. 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. Additionally, he is a New York Times best selling author with his work The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissism is Seducing America (Harper Collins). Dr. Drew can also be seen as host of VH1′s “Sober House” and “Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew” along with MTV’s “Teen Mom” and “16 & Pregnant, Life After Labor.”

Viewers can catch a sneak peek of the season’s first episode on VH1.com on Friday, November 26. Subsequent episodes will be available on VH1.com the morning after they air. Additional video content from “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” including show extras and highlight clips from each episode will be available on VH1.com and on VH1 Mobile throughout the season.

“Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew” is executive produced by John Irwin and Damian Sullivan for Irwin Entertainment. Dr. Drew Pinsky, Howard Lapides and Joel Rodgers are also executive producing. Jeff Olde, Jill Holmes, and Noah Pollack are executive producers for VH1.

VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with TV series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 is available in 95 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital channels and services including VH1Classic, VH1 Soul, VH1 Mobile, VH1Games and extensive broadband video on VH1.com. Connect with VH1 at VH1.com.

*All times ET/PT

Source: Vh1 Press Release

Season Four Cast Includes Jeremy London, Rachel Uchitel, Janice Dickinson, Leif Garrett, Frankie Lons, Jason Wahler and Jason Davis

LOS ANGELES, /PRNewswire/ — VH1 has once again partnered with Dr. Drew Pinsky for a fourth season of the hit reality series “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.” The series, consisting of eight one-hour episodes, is slated to premiere late 2010.

Similar to the first three cycles, the fourth season of “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” will follow the real-life experiences of celebrity patients undergoing detoxification and treatment at the Pasadena Recovery Center. The show will include Jeremy London (“Party of Five,” “7th Heaven”), Rachel Uchitel (Infamous Party Planner), Janice Dickinson (“The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency”), Leif Garrett (Musician), Frankie Lons (Keyshia Cole’s Mother), Jason Wahler (“The Hills”) and Jason Davis (Socialite).

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.

Dr. Drew is a highly respected practicing MD board certified in internal and addiction 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.

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 and assistant clinical professor of KECK USC School of Medicine. 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. Additionally, he is a New York Times best-selling author with his work The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissism is Seducing America (Harper Collins). Dr. Drew can also be seen as host of VH1′s “Sober House” and “Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew” along with MTV’s “Sex…With Mom and Dad” and “16 & Pregnant, Life After Labor.”

In the coming months, visit VH1.com for more details about this show including sneak peek video clips.

“Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew” is executive produced by John Irwin and Damian Sullivan for Irwin Entertainment. Dr. Drew Pinsky, Howard Lapides and Joel Rodgers are also executive producing. Jeff Olde, Jill Holmes, and Noah Pollack are executive producers for VH1.

Source: Vh1 Press Release

Season Three Cast Includes Mackenzie Phillips, Hiedi Fleiss, Tom Sizemore, Dennis Rodman, Mindy McCready, Lisa D’Amato, Mike Starr & Joey Kovar

“Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” Season 3 Premiere’s Thursday, January 7 at 10PM

Los Angeles, California VH1 has once again partnered with Dr. Drew Pinsky for a third season of the hit reality series “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.” The series, consisting of eight one-hour episodes, is slated to premiere on Thursday, January 7 at 10pm*.

Similar to the first two cycles, the third 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 Mackensie Phillips, Hiedi Fliess, Tom Sizemore, Dennis Rodman, Mindy McCready, Lisa D’Amato (AMTM), Mike Starr (Alice in Chains), and Joey Kovar (Real World Hollywood).

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.

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.

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.”

“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.

Source: Vh1 Press Release

Season Three Cast Includes Mackenzie Phillips, Heidi Fleiss, Tom Sizemore, Dennis Rodman, Mindy McCready, Lisa D’Amato, Mike Starr, Joey Kovar and Kari Ann Peniche

LOS ANGELES, California June 1 /PRNewswire/ — VH1 has once again partnered with Dr. Drew Pinsky for a third season of the hit reality series “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.” The series, consisting of eight one-hour episodes, is slated to premiere in early 2010.

Similar to the first two cycles, the third season of “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” will follow the real-life experiences of celebrity patients undergoing detoxification and treatment at The Pasadena Recovery Center. The show will follow Mackenzie Phillips (One Day At A Time), Heidi Fleiss, Tom Sizemore, Dennis Rodman, Mindy McCready (Country Music Singer), Lisa D’Amato (ANTM), Mike Starr (Alice in Chains), Joey Kovar (Real World Hollywood) and Kari Ann Peniche (Playboy Playmate).

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.

Dr. Drew, who is a highly respected practicing MD and is board certified in addiction medicine, 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.

Dr. Drew is host of the nationally syndicated radio show LOVELINE where he has been taking calls from listeners since 1984. Many people do not know that Dr. Drew is an internist who is board certified in addiction medicine, still runs a private practice, and is Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Keck USC School of Medicine. Although he is an associate professor of clinical psychiatry at the KECK USC he is not a psychologist or psychiatrist. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissism is Seducing America (Harper Collins) and CRACKED: Putting Broken Lives Together Again (Harper Collins,) that looks at treating addicts from a caretaker’s perspective. Among numerous awards, Dr. Drew was honored with the 2008 Larry Stewart Leadership and Inspiration Award at the 12th Annual PRISM Awards.

“Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew” is executive produced by John Irwin, Damian Sullivan and Bruce Toms for Irwin Entertainment. Dr. Drew Pinsky and Howard Lapides also serve as executive producers. Jeff Olde, Jill Holmes, and Noah Pollack are executive producers for VH1.

Join the Celebrity Rehab yahoo group here

Source: Vh1 Press Release

“Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House” Premieres Thursday, January 15 at 10pm*

VH1.com To Sneak Peek The First Episode Beginning Friday, January 9

NEW YORK, Dec. 19 /PRNewswire/ — At the end of the first season of VH1′s “Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew,” each cast member was given the opportunity to spend three months living in a sober house as they transitioned from a rehab facility to the real world and many of them quietly took advantage of the opportunity. The cast from season two are also being given that same opportunity … and this time it will be filmed.

“Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House” is an eight-episode, one hour series that is set to premiere on Thursday, January 15 at 10pm*. Moving into the Sober House will be Rodney King, Nikki McKibbin, Steven Adler and Amber Smith from Season 2 of Celebrity Rehab, Seth “Shifty” Binzer and Mary Carey from Season 1 and comedian Andy Dick who will join the show a few episodes in.

Returning from “Celebrity Rehab” to help Dr. Drew in the Sober House is counselor Bob Forrest and program assistant, William Smith. Joining them will be resident “house mother,” Jennifer Gimenez who has battled her own drug and alcohol demons. Jennifer, an actress in her own right who has starred in such films as Blow and Vanilla Sky, will live at Sober House to keep everyone on the clean and sober path to a healthy and successful life.

For two seasons, “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” chronicled celebrity patients as they underwent an intensive 21-day detoxification and rehab program through group and one-on-one therapies as well as non-traditional therapies like art and music.

Dr. Drew is a board certified addictionologist, the Service Director of the Chemical Dependency Program/Residential Treatment Center at Las Encinas Hospital, a staff member at Huntington Memorial Hospital, continues to run a private practice and is Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Keck USC School of Medicine. He once again gives 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.

“Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House” will chronicle the dramatic, unscripted experiences of a group of celebrity addicts as they make the transition back into the real world full of the people and things that once led them into a life of addiction. The sober living house is an interim step on the path to sobriety where addicts can live in a supervised sober environment with structure and rules, i.e. mandatory curfews, chores and meetings. It’s a place where addicts, most of which have spent the better part of their life in the throes of an addiction will learn how to essentially start their lives over from the ground up. In some cases, the addicts change everything from their jobs to their friends and for some they make the very difficult decision to eliminate the people they love who are toxic to their sobriety.

Throughout the course of their stay, the Sober House cast members will have the opportunity to meet with Dr. Drew in both one on one and group sessions in an effort to understand and advance their experience to its fullest potential. Although not living at the house, Dr. Drew and his staff will keep a watchful eye over all that goes on.

In the end viewers will witness the struggles of these celebrity patients as they experience the pressures of daily life with their sobriety hanging by a thread, forcing many of them to act out in various ways as they strive to find recovery and the road to a much happier fulfilling life.

Featured throughout the series will be several songs from the group, The Script, (Epic/Phonogenic) who are currently the biggest breaking new band of 2008 in both the UK and their native Ireland. Songs featured, will be off of their self titled U.S. debut album which is currently available digitally and will be released in stores on March 17. Viewers first heard their music when their song, “Before The Worst” was featured in the super trailer for “Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House” during the season finale of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.

Additionally, VH1.com will launch a sneak peek of the first episode on Friday, January 9 before the on-air premiere. Subsequent episodes will be available on VH1.com following their on-air premiere. For more information on “Sober House,” please log onto http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/sober_house/series.jhtml.

“Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House” 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.

VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with TV series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 is available in 95 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital channels and services including VH1Classic, VH1 Soul, VH1 Mobile, VH1Games and extensive broadband video on VH1.com. Connect with VH1 at VH1.com.

For up-to-the-minute and archival press information including releases and photographs, visit VH1′s press-only Web site at www.vh1.com/press

*all times ET/PT

SOURCE VH1

Dr. Drew has a tough decision to make. Violence is not tolerated at the Pasadena Recovery Center, and he must decide whether to kick a patient out just before graduation. Meanwhile, the other patients are shown highlights of their ups and downs through recovery, and Amber is upset that she is not featured enough in the clips. As graduation approaches, the patients all debate whether or not they will go into a sober living environment, or head into the real world and try to keep their sobriety intact.

Finally, graduation arrives. Each graduating patient is given a token to symbolize their achievement, and several of their peers stand to give them accolades. As they graduate, each patient must tell Dr. Drew if they will continue into sober living or not.

Source: VH1 Press Release

Groundbreaking Project Returns to Help Additional Celebrities In a Series Set To Premiere on VH1 Thursday, October 23 at 10pm*

NEW YORK, Oct. 9 /PRNewswire/ — 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 (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.

Source; VH1 Press Release

Groundbreaking Project Returns to Help Additional Celebrities in a Series Set to Premiere on VH1 October 2008

LOS ANGELES, — 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 October 2008.

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 (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 medical director of the chemical dependency unit at Las Encinas Hospital in Pasadena, 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.

“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.

Source: VH1 Press Release