VH1 and Dr. Drew Check Back Into Rehab

PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- To Tweet This Release: http://on.vh1.com/TCAVH1_5 - VH1 is once again partnering with Dr. Drew Pinsky to lead a group of addicts through the difficult process of getting clean and sober.  The new season of "Rehab with Dr. Drew" (Tentative title) will not feature celebrities with substance abuse issues, but instead follow the real-life experiences of young adults who are struggling with addiction as they undergo the same detoxification and treatment plan at The Pasadena Recovery Center as utilized in "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew."  "Rehab with Dr. Drew" is set to premiere in the summer of 2012 on VH1 with eight one-hour episodes.

Over the years, many viewers have reached out to VH1 seeking assistance from Dr. Drew for their addiction issues.  In this installment of the 'Rehab' franchise Dr. Drew and VH1 have decided to expand the benefits of the program to adults who are in dire need of treatment.  The goal of the series is to treat a group of young adults in their twenties and thirties who are struggling to get clean and sober and give them guidance to get their lives back on track.

"This show has always resonated with our viewers but we feel this expanded format will hold up a mirror to our core audience and hopefully give them some new insight to this disease that touches almost everyone – whether they are struggling with addiction themselves or know someone who is," said Jeff Olde, EVP Original Programming and Production.

"I am so excited to once again have the opportunity to educate viewers about the deadly disease of addiction.  More than 85 million Americans are affected by addiction, whether they've faced the disease themselves or have supported family members or friends through a substance abuse issue.  The stigma and shame associated with drug and alcohol addiction prevents many from getting the help that they need," said Dr. Drew.  "It is my sincere hope that this show will encourage people who are struggling to seek the help.  Treatment works and there is hope and recovery is possible."

Dr. Drew is the host of the nationally syndicated late night radio show Loveline, the daytime talk show "Dr. Drew's Lifechangers" on the CW Network and the evening show "Dr. Drew" on HLN.  He is a respected practicing MD, board certified in internal and addiction medicine, on staff at Huntington Hospital and assistant clinical professor of KECK USC School of Medicine.  He is the author of the New York Times best seller The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissism is Seducing America (Harper Collins) and Cracked: Putting Broken Lives Together Again (Harper-Collins.) Dr. Drew co-authored the first academic study on celebrities and narcissism that was published in the Journal of Research in Personality (Elsevier) in September 2006, and is the first systematic, empirical scholarly study of celebrity personality.  Dr. Drew hosted VH1's "Sober House" and "Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew" and can be seen on MTV's "Teen Mom" and "16 & Pregnant." 

Full episodes and extra scenes from "Rehab with Dr. Drew" will be available at Rehab.VH1.com and on VH1 Mobile each week following the show's on-air premiere in the summer of 2012.

"Rehab With Dr. Drew" is executive produced by John Irwin and Damian Sullivan for Irwin Entertainment.  Dr. Drew Pinsky and Howard Lapides also serve as executive producers.  Jill Holmes, Tom Huffman and Jeff Olde are executive producers for VH1.

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SOURCE VH1