Do Rehab Shows Take Advantage of Their Subjects?

We'd like to think that when we watch shows like 'Intervention' or 'Celebrity Rehab,' we're seeing people better their lives through the help and support of addiction professionals. But according to some people in the rehabilitation field, the reality shows might be doing more harm than good for their subjects.

In an interesting feature on rehab shows that ran this weekend in the Los Angeles Times, Dr. David Sack of Malibu's Promises Treatment Center said he worries that the shows take advantage of people in their most vulnerable, altered states.

"Our concern is that people who are in the throes of an addiction should not be signing a release for something that will be shown on TV over and over," he said.

Leif Garrett, a participant in the current season of VH1's 'Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew,' told the Times that the 'Celebrity Rehab' crew coerced him into using heroin on-camera after living clean for four days. "They asked to get some footage of me using, and I said, 'I haven't been using,'" he told the paper. "They said, 'We really have to get footage of you using.' Anyway, I was easily talked into showing them."

A VH1 spokesperson vehemently denied Garrett's claim. "The show's producers would never ask anyone to use...PERIOD," said VH1 Communications VP Scott Acord. But Garrett brings up an interesting point. How much of what we see on those shows is real, and how much is playing to the camera?

"People who are sharing the most intimate details of their life are going to change the way they relate to their therapist on camera," Sack told the Times. "It becomes a performance -- not treatment."

Add celebrity to the mix and you have an extra layer of trouble to contend with.

"We all knew we were on TV. I think everybody, like myself, made choices. Sometimes we would go a little bit further than maybe we normally would," said Jeff Conaway, another 'Celebrity Rehab' participant. "You can't help it. There are cameras sitting in front of your face, and we're paid to be dramatic. That's what we do."

If Garrett's claim is true, the VH1 crew's actions are completely reprehensible and the answer is obvious -- yes, he's being taken advantage of. But what about the regular people on 'Intervention'? Even if they don't stick to their programs (and, sadly, many do not), doesn't the fact that they're getting any help at all make the whole thing worth it?

It clearly all depends on the integrity of the people behind each show. A&E has killed some episodes of 'Intervention' after participants were embarassed by their behavior. And to Dr. Drew's credit, all 'Celebrity Rehab' patients who spoke to the Times said he helped save their lives -- the show, maybe not as much.