Celebrities more likely to deny addiction: experts

By Michelle Nichols

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Celebrities are more likely to deny they have an addiction because they feel protected from life's problems and must hit rock bottom -- often a run-in with the law -- before admitting they need help, experts say.

With society allowing the rich and famous to be held less accountable, addiction experts say, celebrities often face a tougher recovery after denying their problems for a long time.

"A lot of times celebrities get away with a lot more, so they're often a lot further along in their disease before they ever get treatment and it's very difficult," said Susan Blank of the nonprofit Caron group, which runs rehab programs.

Rehabilitation has come under the spotlight after actress Lindsay Lohan was arrested on Tuesday on a second drunken driving charge, just days after completing a second treatment stint and flaunting an alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet at nightclubs.

Pop star Britney Spears, who twice spent less than a day in rehab before entering a third time for a month after behaving erratically, was also back in the headlines with a celebrity magazine reporting more bizarre behavior by the singer.

"They have to have enough pain or enough external motivation to finally decide that they need to make the changes in their life," said Blank, director of psychiatric and psychological services at Caron.

Most often, that motivation is a run-in with the law, she said.

U.S. government statistics show that the criminal justice system was the main source of referral to treatment for those aged between 18 and 25, making up 47 percent of the 390,000 admitted to publicly funded programs in 2004. Around 17 percent were referred by themselves, friends or family.