Berkeley , California ( CNN ) -- At some point , the `` rush to rehab , '' reached the ridiculous . Does a week pass without some celebrity , politician or famous athlete heading to a rehabilitation treatment center ? And often with the cameras rolling . Rehab is getting a bad name from this , and I worry that this will rub off on our perceptions of the average alcoholic or drug addict who works hard to stay clean and sober , takes responsibility for his or her actions -- and knows that there is still work to do after the first 30 days . Doubt it ? Then how to explain the cynical jokes on late-night TV , the tearful confessions from the talk-show couch , or this : `` Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew , '' a VH1 reality show that features famous or almost famous people in treatment for addiction or behavioral issues . The cases of Lindsay Lohan ( in and out of rehab ; now off to jail ) and Mel Gibson ( reportedly in therapy after the release of the alleged tirade tapes ) are just the most recent examples of a high-profile practice in vogue since the 1980s , when Betty Ford opened her famous center in Rancho Mirage , California . The celebrities followed . Of course , there are famous people who benefit greatly from a stay in treatment , who do it privately and with sincere purpose . But it 's common , too common , to see the well-known on TV , after completing a 30- or 45-day program , proclaim themselves `` saved , '' only to show up on TMZ the next week partying or running people over with their cars . This `` rehab-abuse '' ( used maybe to wait out a public relations storm after bad behavior , or draw attention to a stalled career ? ) devalues and trivializes the very real , very unglamorous struggle of pulling free of addiction and making amends for harmful behavior . More than others , the famous have a responsibility to treat the process with respect . As a former drug and alcohol abuser ( clean and sober for more than 26 years ) , I know something about the work that goes into transforming a life . One of the first things I learned in Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous was that alcoholism and drug addiction are not excuses for injuring yourself or others . Part of recovery is making a list of people you 've harmed , making amends to them personally and accepting the consequences of your past actions . I did n't make an announcement to the world and I still do n't think I have all the answers , but I came out of it knowing a lot more . I also learned that I need to have a connection to something greater than myself , which to me is a higher power that I call God . Like other recovering substance abusers , I know I 'm not the center of the world and life does n't start and end with me . I 've found that people who stay clean and sober the longest have some kind of spiritual belief , whether it 's God , life force , universal energy or a sense of oneness with the world . They also realize that amends and apologies have to mean something and indicate a change in actions and thought processes . `` Apologies by proxy '' -- when celebrities ( or noncelebrities , for that matter ) make inappropriate , racist remarks , then apologize to well-known people from the group targeted by the comment -- just do n't cut it . Entering treatment for addiction means you get treatment for your addiction . Any other changes you make are up to you . That also means that a racist alcoholic who gets treated for alcoholism can still be a sober racist , anti-Semite , homophobe or engage in inappropriate behavior . Someone who spews hateful prejudices can stay in rehab forever , but unless he has some education , time for self-examination and the willingness to get to see people from diverse backgrounds as human beings and understand their lives and experiences , he 'll be the same . The media could stem this perverse fascination by remembering the young people ( and older people , too ) struggling with substance abuse who see `` role models '' regress on national TV and feel hopeless for their own chance for recovery . What else can they think but , `` What 's the use ? If they ca n't stay clean with so many people helping , how can I ? '' In the last 26 years , I 've experienced the death of my parents , the death of my partner of 18 years and a new life as a single parent . I was hospitalized and came close to death . I was run over and could n't work for a year . I did n't use drugs or alcohol as a way to deal with these experiences . Life happens to everyone . Let 's stop glamorizing these celebrity addicts and adding to their out-of-control drama . Let 's get real about their addictions and the impact on their families . Let 's discuss solutions , and all the options for help . Let 's sensationalize being clean and sober . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Simma Lieberman .
Simma ##ck says it 's routine to see celebrities very publicly checking into treatment . This trivializes the hard ##ships of rehab , she says , makes it fodder for late - night gags and reality shows . When celebs lapse , seem not to take treatment seriously , she says , it sends harmful message . Lieberman : Let 's stop feeding fascination ; get serious about addiction 's costs , people .