Willingness is for Both the Addict and the Professional

February 19th, 2011 | Posted by Sherry Gaba in Addiction - (Comments Off on Willingness is for Both the Addict and the Professional)

Willingness is one of the first keys towards a successful recovery. This element needs to be embraced not only by the addict but also by the professional who is aiding the addict. Willingness is the ability to be open and ready for a transformational experience. In the area of recovery, this transformation is forward movement …
Read more

Shopping Addiction Woes for Lindsay Lohan

February 7th, 2011 | Posted by Sherry Gaba in Shopping Addiction - (Comments Off on Shopping Addiction Woes for Lindsay Lohan)

How does a young lady with celebrity status and the means to buy whatever she would like end up with an addiction to shopping? Many are aware of the personal and public battle that Lindsay Lohan has had with her addiction to drugs and alcohol. People may not be aware that addictions tend to cross …
Read more

Country Strong: A Movie that Depicts the Truths about Untreated Alcoholism

January 10th, 2011 | Posted by Sherry Gaba in Alcohol Addiction - (Comments Off on Country Strong: A Movie that Depicts the Truths about Untreated Alcoholism)

I am not a movie critic and won’t pretend to be, but I do not understand why the reviews for the movie “Country Strong” were so negative. The movie has everything in it from alcoholism, mental illness, co-dependency, ageism, and grief and loss giving the audience a bird’s eye view of the dysfunction that goes …
Read more

Why Recovery Coaching Works

December 23rd, 2010 | Posted by Sherry Gaba in Addiction - (2 Comments)

There’s a phrase going around that says, “If you can get a person to five years of recovery they are likely to make it to ten years.” But how do you get someone to five years when more than three out of four relapse in the first year? We now know that acute addiction care …
Read more

Post-Traumatic Stress Last week on Celebrity Rehab, you saw me have a very intense session with Janice Dickinson. (You can see a short clip at http://www.vh1.com/video/misc/606920/janice-dickinson-talks-to-a-therapist.jhtml#id=1654325.) Janice is coming unraveled, and very small things are setting her off in a big way. What’s going on here? Janice was subjected to terrible neglect and physical, sexual …
Read more

Celebrity Rehab Behind the Scenes: Get me out of Here!

December 4th, 2010 | Posted by Sherry Gaba in Addiction | Celebrity Rehab - (Comments Off on Celebrity Rehab Behind the Scenes: Get me out of Here!)

One of the themes you often see at rehabs, as well as  Celebrity Rehab 4,  is that many of the clients are looking for an excuse to leave or a way to get sent home. Rachel Uchitel isn’t sure she should be there because she doesn’t have a “real” addiction. Frankie Lons wants to leave when she …
Read more

According to Women’s Health, having celebrity status along with being rich and famous, increases the odds of cheating in a marriage.  In fact the same article says that “men are more likely to be hypocrites about their behavior” and in fact are “hypocrites” in terms of judging others who cheat. As the news broke today …
Read more

Working on Celebrity Rehab Alligns with my Values

November 14th, 2010 | Posted by Sherry Gaba in Addiction | Addiction Discussions | Alcohol Addiction | Celebrity Rehab - (Comments Off on Working on Celebrity Rehab Alligns with my Values)

Now that Celebrity Rehab 4 is going to be airing, I notice I have butterflies in my stomach.  That familiar feeling that are people going to be judging me again for my work on Celebrity Rehab.  No one can judge me more than I sometimes judge myself for many things, but not this.  I totally …
Read more

Fame and Fortune Doesn’t Guarantee Anything When You are an Addict or Alcoholic

November 11th, 2010 | Posted by Sherry Gaba in Addiction | Addiction Discussions | Alcohol Addiction | Celebrity Rehab - (Comments Off on Fame and Fortune Doesn’t Guarantee Anything When You are an Addict or Alcoholic)

I spent my summer filming Celebrity Rehab 4 with Dr. Drew Pinsky and a host of professionals I respect very much–plus a cast of very courageous people who were willing to expose to the world the pain of their addiction and their passage to sobriety. The new season airs on VH1 starting December 1, and …
Read more