Last week, I saw the story that Julia Roberts’ older brother Eric Roberts had joined the “cast” of Celebrity Rehab, but I didn’t think that much of it. Honestly, I’ve heard the rumors about Eric and his addictions, and I thought it was just more of the same. But I was wrong! It turns out that Eric isn’t addicted to crack or heroin or even tequila… no, Eric likes the chronic. He’s been tweeting (he’s on Twitter?!?) about his addiction to medical marijuana:
Eric Roberts checked into ‘Celebrity Rehab’ last week. His wife, Eliza, told E! that he would be treated for his addiction to medical marijuana.
“Eric quit drugs and alcohol in 1995,” Eliza said. “He has no interest in anything, other than marijuana.”
Eric, who is Julia Roberts’ brother and Emma’s dad, reportedly has a prescription for marijuana to treat his anxiety but wants to kick his dependency on it.
“Tweating By Remote to answer y I’m doing CELEBRITY REHAB . It’s not 2 get people 2 stop asking y I’m doing Y&R as some have proposed. LOL,” he tweeted Tuesday.
Eric made his debut on ‘The Young and the Restless’ a couple of weeks ago. His next project: moving out of the weed garden and in with troubled roommate Jeremy London.
“I’d like to move out of the weed garden & into a place where things can blossom & grow. The people @ #CelebRehab have been fantastic 1 & all,” he tweeted.
[From HuffPo]
Maybe I’m not down with all of the hip stuff, but I’ve always doubted people’s claims that marijuana is addictive, or that a person can be a pot addict. I used to smoke up quite a bit (in my youth), and while I had some good times, I just didn’t understand how someone could be “addicted” to that feeling. Maybe I’m just close-minded about it. Or maybe Eric Roberts just likes to get high, and he’s not really “addicted”.
In other Celebrity Rehab news, Rachel Uchitel (“The Pillhead/Love Addict”) has already tried to quit the show because she found Dr. Drew to be too hardcore:
Rachel Uchitel told producers “I quit” and ran away from the set of Celebrity Rehab 4 — ditching the show for a swanky hotel after an intense day of filming drove her over the edge, RadarOnline.com has learned exclusively.
“After a very intense day of filming, Rachel just couldn’t handle being at the Pasadena Recovery Center where Celebrity Rehab is filmed, and she decided to leave,” a source told us.
Tiger Woods’ former Number 1 mistress bolted for the swanky L’Ermitage Hotel in Beverly Hills, RadarOnline.com exclusively learned. Her escape from rehab was prompted by a very intense day with Dr. Drew, and Rachel had trouble coping with the issues that were discussed, according to the source.
As RadarOnline.com reported exclusively Rachel is being treated for a problem with alcohol and an addiction to pills. She was discussing her issues with self-esteem and self-worth, along with her addiction to pills when she went over the edge and bolted the set for the L’Ermitage Hotel. Rachel told Dr. Drew that and producers that she was quitting the show, and she left, the source told RadarOnline.com. Producers of Celebrity Rehab 4 located Uchitel and went to talk to her the next morning. “Producers arrived at the hotel the following morning, and calm prevailed. Rachel simply needed some time away from the intense pressure and scrutiny that she is dealing with.
“She agreed to go back to Celebrity Rehab 4. Rachel has never had to face these issues before, and talking about it pushed her over the edge, and her instinct was to run. Producers made her realize that if she continues to run away from her issues, she will never be able to live a healthy life,” a VH-1 insider tells us.
Rachel isn’t legally allowed to talk about Tiger Woods, but he looms large in her life.
“Her issues go beyond Tiger, but he was the catalyst that pushed her over the edge,” a source tells us.
As we previously reported, VH-1 execs are so impressed with the footage that has been shot so far that a push is being made for the show to premiere sooner than the scheduled October date.
[From Radar]
Sigh… I’m so glad I don’t watch this show, I really am. That being said, if Rachel does end up talking about Tiger Woods or David Boreanaz, I will gladly cover it. F-cking pillhead.
oh sweet jeebus. i have lost all respect for eric roberts (and i think he’s the more talented and better looking sibling). addicted to medical marijuana my ass.
Eric is on Y&R?! Sh*t, I gotta tune in again!
You can be addicted to anything that runs your life. If your days are consumed by “How am I going to get my pot?” or “When am I going to be able to smoke?” and you are lying to cover up how much you smoke or stealing to pay for it, and slacking off on taking care of other things because you’re preoccupied with your pot and your buzz, you’re an addict. My sister just went into rehab, having a hell of a time finding a place to take her because it’s “just pot”, and dealing with people in her NA classes who snicker when she says she’s addicted to it. She hasn’t held a steady job in, well…ever, really, but especially the past six years. It makes me sad that people think her very real problem is a joke. I tell my kids that smoking pot is something most people try, but if you do it too much, it can stop you from achieving a lot of your goals (mainly because you’ll be on the couch watching cartoons and eating Funyuns–but still). Pot won’t kill you (probably), but it can REALLY screw up your life if you let it. Anything that rules you instead of you ruling it is an addiction, and nobody should be looked down upon for trying to get help and gain control over their own lives again.
I loved Eric in that show he did with Sara Rue.
But seriously medical marijuana?!?!
How silly.
Another celeb struck dumb by reefer madness.
b.s.
Umm, what? It’s medical, you dolt! It’s not like it’s easy to obtain medical marijuana (at least not in my particular county in CA) – and how can you be addicted to pot? I’m with you, Kaiser, I don’t understand.
And Slut #1 chose her path, now she needs to walk it and shut her trap!
Now that is the sort of ‘addiction’ I would like to develop. The reefer in FL is good, just not medical-grade terrific.
But no, Kaiser – marijuana is not physically addictive the way the opiates are (i.e., no ‘withdrawal’ upon surcease). The most a person can do is develop a psychological dependence.
@bellaluna – i think it LA it’s easy for any movie star/celeb to get whatever “medical” prescriptions they “need.”
In other words, I’m an idiot that needs a break to be on tv and make some money. He’s just making medical marijuana look bad. Moron. Julia Roberts is probably shaking her head in shame.
All I can think of right now is the scene in ‘Half-Baked’ where DC’s character goes to AA for his addiction to ‘the weed’ and is ridiculed by Bob Saget! I’m sorry, addicted to pot I can believe, but needing rehab? I think not! He’s got some deeper shit going on!
How can people get addicted to the feeling of being under the influence or booze or coke? Pot has a great feeling, much better than someone sloshing around three sheets to the wind.
Addiction to a drug is based on anything you do on a daily basis, and cannot live without.
Addiction isn’t always a purely chemical thing that effects your vital systems and causes withdrawls. His is likely a psychological addiction.
@ meme – I agree. That’s part of the problem in the rest of the state – they only focus on non-celebs with real pain afflictions and the doctors who prescribe to them. They only ever glance at LA when a “celeb” dies, and rarely do anything about it.
For anxiety? When I smoked it would make me feel so paranoid I wouldn’t want to talk at all. Also I was really paranoid! I would not suggest smoking ganja for anxiety at all. Also you can’t be addicted to pot, but like said, the feeling or the motion of smoking I guess can be addicting.
@bnice – Beautifully stated.
He’s much more talented than his sister, IMHO.
Three cheers for B.C. bud. I’ve been smoking it for over 20 years. And I’ve been working steady. I’ve held jobs such as box office manager for a huge yearly festival, reporter, then editor of my local paper, a few years selling glossy magazine ads, (good money in that job) and I’m currently 10 months into a 18 month medical transcriptionist course. Use it, don’t abuse it.
@Kayleigh – Back in the day, me too. Cocaine though no problemo. Go figure.
I’ll bet you anything they’re going to capitalize on Rache’s losing her fiancee in the WTC on 9/11. Which would not be cool in my opinion.
I didn’t know about his prior addictions. He and Julia don’t speak, right?
Emma Roberts must be mortified. She has always been pretty quiet and relatively subdued.
Medical marijuana for anxiety is a real stretch. However, if he’s been doing it for several years, he will have withdrawal symptoms. I think these can include sleep problems and digestive issues, among other things.
He’s clearly seeking reality fame & airtime, to resurrect his non-fame, not rehab.
I’m sure people with seriously addictive personalities can be addicted to anything, I guess. However, I have to agree marijuana is kind of funny.
More believable would be that he’s addicted to fame and was having withdrawals from obscurity. Maybe he needed to claim an addiction and pot was something that wouldn’t stigmatize him. Drew Pinsky seems like he might’ve been a good doctor, but all this reality tv garbage and fame mongering is undignified and diminishes his credibility. It’s hard enough to find ethical doctors at all anymore, and fame/money hungry doctors really kick it up a notch.
OMG! Lourdes looks SO MUCH like Madonna in that picture! It’s stunning how much she is maturing into Madge the Vadge.
Remember when he was so promising at the start of his career? (circa Star 80) I really thought that he was going to have a great career, now he’s an industry joke. Sad, really.
@Lady D: Ahh, BC bud. I moved to Toronto and it just isn’t the same!
Being in recovery myself, I hate to mock anyone seeking help, but if you’re going on Celebrity Rehab…are you looking for Celebrity? Or Rehab?
I do not know if this has been addressed yet. Pot is not physically addictive, it is however psychologically addictive, most scheduled or illegal drugs are both. (so are nicotine and alcohol). Pot is only psychological addictive.
Dr. Drew is so hot.
I haven’t seen the show, but I didn’t know people were there sweating and puking through actual physical withdrawal. Is it just a public detox and then they get sent home without addressing the *reasons* behind why they were using?
Marijuana is not physically addictive like opiates and alcohol are, but it CAN be psychologically addictive. This means that far fewer people are probably addicted to marijuana than other substances, but yes it can happen. Almost anything can be habit-forming to someone who is already prone to addiction – tanning, gambling, love. You can get hooked on one thing and transfer your addiction to something else that isn’t traditionally thought of as physically addictive.
I’m a daily pot smoker, but I have a 3.9 GPA in college and I do a lot of volunteer work. I live a fulfilled life and love to challenge myself. Clearly I’m not abusing marijuana. But if your life becomes consumed by it, and interferes with other aspects of your life, then you need to take a good hard look at yourself and understand that you are abusing the substance and get help.
My brother is 60 & has been using pot heavily since he was about 19 or 20. I think he is addicted, whether it’s psychological or not it is addiction.
Medical marijuana for anxiety seems silly to me, I have anxiety problems for which I see a doctor but it would not occur to me to start smoking pot for it. But if I liked pot I would use it for a medical excuse.
For what it’s worth, medical marijuana works really well for many people with anxiety issues. For some people it just makes you paranoid, so if that’s your situation then no, it probably wouldn’t help. But for lots of other people it helps to relieve many of the physical manifestations of anxiety – muscle tension, shortness of breath, etc. Just my 2 cents!
Also I think this guy is just on the show for the career boost, which seems dumb because none of those celeb rehab people ever seem to really do much once they’re out?
@ Perry: “More believable would be that he’s addicted to fame and was having withdrawals from obscurity.” HA! That was brilliant! You hit the proverbial nail right on its little head.
@ bellaluna (#7): Agree as usual!!
Maybe ER really does have a serious issue that he wants to work on, how do we know for sure. But it just seems fishy to me. I’m in the camp that thinks he’s just looking for some publicity and a paycheck. Don’t forget they get paid to be on this show – kind of undermines the purpose of rehab, IMO, but oh well.
And as far as Slut #1 is concerned, sounds like she’s in over her head. I actually hope it helps her. Then maybe we can stop seeing her STD-ridden fake-tan-and-fake-boob-having nasty ass all over the gossip sites, as she will be living a nice quiet little healthy private life. (fingers crossed!)
Does anyone else see the irony in this? “Eric quit drugs and alcohol in 1995″, except he continued to smoke pot. That means he didn’t quit using drugs! That’s like saying, “Eric quit alcohol in 1995”, other than beer. What? Am I missing something? Hello?
bnice: I agree with you. If people think that other people can’t become addicted to it (for whatever reason), they are kidding themselves. If you’ve ever lived with a habitual user who has wasted their life because of using it, then yes you will know that people can become addicted to it.
My roomie was a chronic user of BC bud, and though he functioned he admitted it had a major impact on memory impairment. My friend’s husband went off pot suddenly after years of chronic use, and had a psychotic break. So yeah for some it can be an addictive and health affecting experience.
Several CA friends of mine say it’s very easy to get on medical marijuana there.
Thanx, pookie and Camille.
Is Eric for real? Don’t know. If you can smoke pot and still “handle your business”, that’s great–but many people do come to the point where their pot usage is negatively affecting their life.
This is the dumbest thing that I have ever heard.
We potheads don’t steal or do any kinds of crime to find or create weed.Eric is just seeking attention and money.MAking weed look bad.Weed is much better than caffeine,nicotine,alcohol and heavy drugs.Shame on u Eric.
And to people who r saying “YEs, weed is affected my friends life,weed is addictive”look at your life.Like your life is not affected by something.Bunch of hipocrites.U must defenetely affected by something no matter how sober u r.So weed is far better than any of your habits.
I stop whenever i need.I never had a problem with any physical pain.Also i don’t need a rehab to stop.It’s so easy to stop smoking weed than anything else.If i miss it,yes.Because i hate alcohol, cigarette,pills,e.t.c.