26+ Celebrities Who Went to Recovery Programs
Lindsay Lohan
Like many child stars, Lindsay Lohan’s fame began to catch up with her, and she made her first court appearance in 2007. Since then, the actress has been ordered into recovery programs six different times.
However, Lohan believes that the desire to get better needs to come from the person who’s struggling, not from a court. Lindsay called her stint in those programs “pointless,” “a joke,” and “killing time.” To be clear, her issue isn’t with recovery programs, it’s with forcing people into them when they’re not ready.
Jay-Z
Given how meticulously curated Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s images are, it’s no surprise that the rapper doesn’t speak to the press about his time in a recovery program. That said, it’s probable that his own experiences are what led Jay-Z to offer a helping hand to fellow musician Amy Winehouse.
Apparently, Winehouse confided in Jay-Z that her record label wanted her to receive treatment — but she refused. Realizing that Amy wouldn’t accept conventional help, Jay-Z made a different offer. “The first time we hung out, I told her, ‘Stay with us.’”
Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore’s mother sent her to a recovery center when the actress was just 13 years old. Barrymore remained there for nearly two years, or as she refers to it, “the long haul.” Drew called the therapy she underwent in the facility “revealing and healing,” and credits the place for teaching her how to set boundaries.
Despite Barrymore’s mother leading her to the positive experience, Drew had to cut ties with her mom as part of her recovery. Luckily, the two are on better terms now.
David Hasselhoff
One of the most tragic things about these dependencies is that they often end up hurting those the person loves the most. That was the case with David Hasselhoff when his daughter had finally had enough and took a video of her dad after he’d had one too many, in an attempt to show him what he was doing to their family.
Hasselhoff says that was the exact wake-up call he needed. “Thanks to the tape, I realized this was a problem that I needed to deal with.”
Everyone has their own methods of dealing with life’s difficulties, and some of those methods are healthier than others. Sadly, many individuals find themselves developing dependencies that only worsen their problems — and celebs are no different. These stars realized they needed the assistance of recovery programs to learn new coping mechanisms, and they encourage their fans who struggle to seek help as well.