Free «Rehabilitating a Drug-Addict Celebrity» Essay Paper

Introduction
This paper outlines various rehabilitation procedures and approaches and the expected results that I would use as a public relations specialist to recuperate the life and career of a celebrity who is suffering from drug addiction. Currie-McGhee defines drug addiction as a multifaceted and complex illness characterized by a strong, passionate, and uncontrollable demand, desire, and craving for drugs (13). Drug addicts usually seek and use drugs in a compulsive and neurotic manner. In my view, celebrities more often abuse drugs than other people. Excessive use of drugs usually results into devastating consequences such as poor health, over-dependency, wastage of personal and family resources, irresponsible behaviors, such as frequent involvements in fights, and reckless sexual behaviors (Stromberg & Merrill 144). Thus, it is important to help drug-addicted celebrities to regain their normal lives through appropriate rehabilitation processes.
Dramaturgical Advice for Removing Social Stigmas
The most suitable dramaturgical advice that I would give to a celebrity patient is that he/she should establish good rapport and healthy interpersonal relationships with the people around him/her. For example, he/she should relate well with his/her family members, friends, and co-workers. The celebrity should also accept him/herself as he/she is. In my view, self-acceptance and appropriate interactions with people who surround him/her will assist the celebrity in developing a socially acceptable personality and identity. This will help to remove the stigmas that the people may have attached to him/her. The views and attitudes of people are likely to change positively. I would also advise the patient to avoid tempting environments that may lead to the reuse of drugs. Our interactions with the environment usually affect our behaviors (Tumer 25; Brown 69). Therefore, it is important for the patient to refrain from those people and environments that may tempt him/her to use drugs again.
Approaches to Use
In my opinion, the “jailhouse conversion” approach should be used for the first few months during the rehabilitation process, and then, later on, the patient should be released to assist the community. This is because an increased exposure of the patient before full recovery would increase his/her chances of accessing and abusing drugs. On the other hand, involving the patient in communal activities or charity work would enhance his/her acceptance back into the community. This is due to the increased interactions with members of the community. Consequently, the attitude of members of the community towards the celebrity will change positively.
However, I would not encourage the celebrity to focus on a particular segment of the society or public because this would result into the social isolation. According to the symbolic interactionism theory, human beings develop behaviors, social values, and norms through interactions with others and the environment (Tumer 82). Thus, isolating the person from others would lead to a slow recovery.
The Rehabilitation Procedure
In order to effectively help the celebrity patient recover as fast as possible, the following rehabilitation process shall be used. It outlines the major procedures that will be followed and the expected results of the rehabilitation process. The rehabilitation process will be a six-month process.
Admission for Rehabilitation
An this stage, the patient is formally admitted for the rehabilitation program. As a rehabilitator, I would examine the patient and determine the most suitable alternatives and approaches to use for his/her rehabilitation. I would then give the patient an opportunity to choose an alternative that suits him/her best. In my opinion, giving the celebrity patient an opportunity to choose the most suitable rehabilitation program for him/her will help in ensuring commitment Medication
Administration of various medications will be the second step of the rehabilitation process for the celebrity. This stage involves actual administration of de-toxication drugs that would help in suppressing withdrawal symptoms. This stage also involves professional assessment and examination of the patient to determine the extent to which the drugs used have affected his/her body. At the medication stage, the patient is examined by a professional medical officer, who will determine the degree or level of de-toxication needed. It also involves establishing the causes and effects of drugs abuse by the celebrity. In case it is found out that the drugs have caused considerable damage to the brain, medications such as methadone and buprenorphine shall be used to reinstate the normal brain functions of the patient. Medications shall also be used to diminish and weaken the hankering and craving for drugs. Additionally, de-toxication also helps in reducing chances of relapse and in removal of traces of drugs that might be found in the patient’s body (Inciardi, Frank & Bennett 105). The type of detox or medication to use will depend on the type of drug that the celebrity has been using, the length of drug usage, and the dosage levels.
Behavioral Treatments
This stage entails use of various behavioral treatment and psychotherapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and psychiatric social work (PSW) to help the celebrity in modifying his/her conducts and attitudes towards other people as well as to encourage the patient to develop healthy life skills. Behavioral treatments usually involve using behavioral therapies to determine when and why the patient started using the drugs. It also entails instilling life skills such as time management skills that would enable the patient become more productive in life.
I would also use residential behavioral treatment (RBT) approach to ensure that the celebrity does not get a chance of accessing the drugs during the rehabilitation process. According to Young, residential behavioral treatment approaches are highly effective in cases of severe drug addiction (38). During the behavioral treatment stage, the celebrity will be taught how to identify drug triggers that may lead to relapse. Through cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), the celebrity will be advised on how to change his/her thoughts in relation to drugs. Cognitive behavioral therapy would also involve identifying ways of transforming the thinking patterns of the celebrity and how to make healthy life choices. Additionally, group therapies will also be used to allow the celebrity to interact freely with other people who have undergone similar situations in life. According to Jacobs and Laura, most drug addicts usually find solace when they share their experiences, hence facilitating the recovery process (71).
Family Counseling and Therapy
As stated earlier, drug addiction does not affect the individuals only but also affects their families and other people whom they relate to or associate with. With this in mind, an effective rehabilitation process, thus, involves providing guidance and counseling and therapies to these people. The most important people to start with are the family members. Family counseling and therapy will be used to help family members to become more informed about the challenges and consequences of having a drug-addict celebrity within their family. In my view, this would help in encouraging the family members to work in unison with the celebrity, thus ensuring social acceptance of the celebrity back into the family and community.
Follow Up and Support System
This will form the last stage of the rehabilitation process. At this stage, I will make follow-ups to establish the progress of the rehabilitation and recovery process. The follow-up programs will assist the celebrity as he/she struggles to return to a normal life. I would also assign the celebrity to a social support system such as a rehabilitation group where rehabs share their experiences. Moreover, I would conduct periodic evaluations to determine the extent of response and recovery of the patient.
Results
The expected outcomes of the rehabilitation will include change in lifestyle of the celebrity, such as adoption of better, healthy and drug-free lifestyles and increased social responsibility of the patient. For example, the celebrity will be able to make positive contributions to various social activities such as helping the needy in the community.
Conclusion
Drug addiction by celebrities is a disease that does not only affect the lives of the celebrities but also negatively affects their families. For example, profound effects of drug addiction have been reported on social, economic, and financial aspects of their families. Therefore, appropriate rehabilitation processes should be formulated to help celebrities recover from drug addiction and regain success in their careers. Although the rehabilitation process may not be easy, the rehabilitator must make an extra effort to guarantee a successful rehabilitation. Lastly, the rehabilitation process must be highly individualized to facilitate an active involvement and participation of the rehabilitee during the process.