Just the way denial is the number one symptom of addiction, it is the number one symptom of mental illness. Britney does seem to be operating in denial, but what’s going on may be more complex than what we see on the surface.
It’s a lot more difficult to do an intervention on someone’s that mentally ill and suffering an addiction. I think there are addiction issues and some type of bi-polar thing going on that isn’t being properly medicated.
It’s difficult to get her the help that she needs because she may be saying, “No, there is nothing wrong with me; look how successful I am – you can’t tell me there’s something wrong with me.”
Anytime Britney does have someone telling her she has a problem, she just surrounds herself with other people who say she’s ok. The reality is she’s not ok. Even her “boyfriend” Adnan Ghalib went on Entertainment Tonight complaining about the people she’s hanging out with.
We need to have healthy people around her who are willing to say, “This is not normal behavior Britney, for you not to show up at court to get your kids back and to just disappear. These are your kids and this is your life, so it isn’t normal behavior.”
Britney’s been to rehab and it didn’t work. I’ve commented before that for the Lindsay Lohans and the Britneys, it’s like a trip to the spa. That’s not because there was anything wrong with the treatment facilities. In fact it’s devastating to hear people picking on the treatment facilities that save people’s lives.
For Britney treatment is a trip to the spa because she’s worth a hundred million dollars and bringing in $700,000 a month. She wouldn’t go down to the missions on skid row to get help because she can’t relate to those people. When she goes to a Malibu treatment facility, with massages, acupuncture and all other bells and whistles, that’s the same lifestyle she’s used to. It’s harder to create that rock bottom when you’re worth millions.
Across the board, the statistics for long term recovery after treatment are very low, and the reason for that is the fact that most people who go through treatment haven’t hit enough of a rock bottom. Britney isn't at the point where she thinks her life is unmanageable, so she's not surrendering.
People often use recovery for PR reasons. They say, “Oh, well I just made a fool of myself in the media, so I better go to rehab and make it all better.” Lindsay Lohan didn’t go into rehab to save her life; she went in to lessen the legal consequences of her DUI. That’s what makes me sick.
The people that do admit their lives have become unmanageable are the ones who recover, because they’re fighting for survival. When you’re on the fence, thinking you’re still in control like Britney is, you may stay sober for a couple years or a couple weeks, but then you’ll relapse. When you talk yourself out of having the disease, that’s when it gets very slippery. Recovery is a lifelong process.
Ever since Britney was young, she’s run the show. These young child and teenage celebrities have had their lives handed to them on a silver platter, and everyone around them is saying yes, yes, yes. Britney’s been in control for so long. How is she supposed to just stop and surrender?
Britney needs a good year of recovery and treatment before she even has unsupervised visitation rights. It’s unhealthy for her kids not to have a mother, but it’s more unhealthy for them to have a sick mother. Britney needs to be properly medicated, working a program, and pulling her life together before the courts give her the opportunity to be a mother again.
The Betty Ford Center has a lot of statistics showing that people brought up in addictive environments end up being addicted themselves. If Britney’s kids have the addict gene and learn that addictive behaviors are ok, then they're likely to fall victim to addiction themselves.
We saw Britney hitting a car with an umbrella. Those kinds of snapping behaviors - switching from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde - are so common with addicts. It’s not healthy for Britney’s kids to be exposed to those kinds of swings.
A lot of people keep saying Britney just needs to get out of Los Angeles. I got clean in LA and I know a lot of celebrities that got clean in LA. There’s a lot of good recovery in this town. I think Britney’s problems would follow her because of the paparazzi, which are following her 24/7.
On the other hand, I really love that the paparazzi is watching Britney because it’s like a mirror. She cannot turn on the television without seeing herself making a complete fool of herself. In treatment, they ask you to really look at what your behavior is doing. Most people get that mirror in counseling, but Britney just has to turn on the television.
I think we can heal the world by teaching that addiction does have a cure. There is a solution. Let’s not beat them up because they lie, steal and cheat to get their drugs; let’s heal the sick so that they don’t lie, cheat and steal.
No matter how that teaching happens, whether it’s Celebrity Rehab, Intervention, or Dr. Phil, we’re all working as a team. I believe Dr. Phil did go to Britney’s hospital room with good intentions in his heart.
All anybody wants is a better way to live and better family lives. If we all work as professionals and as a team, we can save the Britneys and all the other people who are suffering. Let the media be our tool, because as we all know, it’s the fastest way to spread the word.
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If you know someone affected by addiction, forward this story to them.
If you were interested in this story, you may also be interested in Hollywood's Interventionist On Heath Ledger's Death [1] or Brtiney Smear Boycott [2].
Visit Ken Seeley's website, Intervention911 [3].
