Rehab




So another celebrity goes to rehab. It’s becoming a cliche. Fame brings opportunity to indulge in your favorite past time. Indulgence breeds contempt and habit. Habituation becomes addiction. Addiction wears a false mask. Those so afflicted cannot see their own face. They become oblivious to the consequences of their behavior. They are exposed. What seemed innocent to them and perhaps only foolish to their friends, now takes on a more sinister appearance. Now the dabblers in questionable behavior are shocked that others view them as sinners (does anybody really believe in sin anymore?) or victims of malicious rumors, or sufferers of an imperious urge they cannot control. The answer? Rehab.



Famous couples, infamous couples, anonymous couples, the key to escape from the consequences of their behavior is rehab. Unfortunately, the track record of those who have gone to rehab is not encouraging. Whether the husband of a Hollywood star or a priest of no prominence at all, rehab seems to be the accepted route of reentry into society’s acceptance. Everyone’s entitled to a second chance, right? Of course, right, But what about the repeat offender, the recidivist, the chronic relapser! Some have returned to rehab more than a dozen times.



I’m afraid rehab is being presented with a fraudulent ID. Instead of representing a strenuous method for transformation involving fearless and searching self-examination and a reorientation to one’s neighbors, and for most rehab programs a new understanding of spirituality and the key role it plays in addiction, too often rehab seems to be a short-hand way of saying “Sure, I was bad and I admit it but now you’ve got to understand I didn’t know what I was doing, and in fact, given the upbringing I had and the societal influences that affected my life, I was a victim of circumstances. It wasn’t my fault.”



Excuse me. Of course it was your fault. Granted there were extenuating circumstances but the act was a matter of choice. The drink was self- administered, the child was fondled by a hand obeying the orders of a mind that made the decision. Declaring “I am an addict” does not take away responsibility for one’s behavior.



And those who labor in the field of addiction and rehabilitation know that. Rehab is appropriate. Rehab works. Rehab makes more sense than shame or punishment. But rehab does not erase responsibility. Changed behavior - that is the criteria for recovery. Rehab enables that change to take place. It also ameliorates the onus of shame that too often accompanies such acts. But it does not excuse, or free one from assuming responsibility



When one goes to rehab, one makes an astonishing discovery. Or at least that is what is hoped. People discover who they really are and who they have become. They learn about the nature of addiction and how it takes over one’s life. Quite often they discover hidden demons within that have tyrannized them all their lives, demons that are potent but not as powerful and real as they seemed. And they discover they can say “No” to them. Did I say it was easy? Or guarantee anyone can do it? Oh that such a promise could be made. It is not easy, and there are no guarantees. There will always be those who seem incapable of undergoing the rigors of rehab. But that does not mean they can be excused for their behavior. We live in a world of actions and consequences, and we are always responsible for what we have done. Mitigating circumstances aside, what we do , we do, and we have to admit that, own that, continue to search for how that has affected others and ourselves. That is what rehab is about.



So when someone goes into treatment, we must see that moment as the opportunity for a new beginning, not as the explanation for what happened in the past and therefore tantamount to erasing the debt - no, worse, declaring it was all an unfortunate mistake we can put behind us with a sigh of relief.



No: rehab is just that, rehabilitation. Don’t let it be an excuse that makes the offense meaningless. Society needs more accountability than that. And so does the offender.