Is "Celebrity Rehab" bad for recovery?

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   Mighty Momposted 12 years ago

   I don't know Joey Kovar but the news of his death at 29 caught my attention. Then I read the story (below). My heart goes out to his family and friends, especially his young kids.
   What do you think about stars who are so public about their drug/alcohol addiction treatment? Is being on a show like Celebrity Rehab good or bad for their recovery?
   There are some clues in what he says below that raise red flags -- at least for me.
   *My personal opinion* People who claim to have "completely done a 180 on their thinking and life reactions" after only 30 days in a rehab scare me.
   But I am basing this strictly on what is reported here and don't know any more about this.
   Your thoughts?
   
   
   Reality-TV star Joey Kovar's family was reportedly in shock after the "Real World" and "Celebrity Rehab" personality was found dead Friday morning at a friend's house in the Chicago area.
   
   "Everyone is in shock right now. He seemed fine, he was happier and he was doing better," David Kovar, Joey's brother, told the Chicago Tribune.
   
   David Kovar also said the family was not suspecting drug use, despite a TMZ report that said they were, combined with the 29-year-old's previous struggles with addiction.
   
   "Everything was going very well," David Kovar told the Tribune. "The very, very last thing that our family is suspecting is drugs." No foul play was suspected either, police said.
   
   In the 20th "Real World" cycle, set in Hollywood, Joey Kovar left after several episodes to go to a 30-day rehab, then moved back into the house with his castmates before the season ended.
   
   "I am all about being positive nowadays, and I do not and will not hold a grudge on anyone for anything," he said at the time, according to MTV, the network on which "Real World" airs. "At one time, I was a very negative person and held a lot of grudges — most of my life was one letdown after another. Now I'm in a very different place. The more positive I am and the more I give back, the better quality my life is and has been."
   
   The trainer-bodybuilder and aspiring actor later appeared on "Celebrity Rehab," saying he struggled with cocaine, ecstasy and alcohol addiction.
   
   Joey Kovar is survived by a 3-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter, the Tribune said. An autopsy is scheduled for Saturday, according to Celebuzz.

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