| Photo: Andrew Bako/NBC |
| Eric Roberts, now playing the part of a marijuana addict. Hey Eric, any chance of you just shutting the hell up and going home? |
Sometimes fading Hollywood stars, attention junkies that they are, do the dumbest things to keep their names in the headlines. Eric Roberts checked into “Celebrity Rehab” last week, and his wife, Eliza, told the press that he was there to be treated for his addiction to medical marijuana, reports The Huffington Post.
“Eric quit drugs and alcohol in 1995,” Eliza told E!. “He has no interest in anything, other than marijuana.”
According to Eliza, Eric had previously tried prescription pills to treat anxiety, but they didn’t agree with him, so he turned to cannabis for a cure.
To the rest of us, that may sound damn close to “no problem,” but that’s not the way Eric sees it.
“He uses marijuana as a medication,” Eliza said. “He has a prescription. However, a dependency is a dependency and he doesn’t want to be dependent on it anymore.”
Now he’s even tweeting about his pathetic, high-profile treatment for the dreaded “marijuana addiction.”
Nice to know that your pathological need for attention outweighs your integrity, Eric. And it’s very useful to know that you value your own fading fame enough so that you’re willing to sully the reputation of one of the world’s safest, most non-addictive substances, just to see your now-obnoxious name in print one more time.
Even more irritating is the fact that Eric’s publicists are trying to downplay the significance of his marijuana “problem,” even as he seeks attention and accolades for being “treated” for it.
“It is NOT for any serious drug/substance, or prescription drug abuse problem,” reads a statement from Roberts’ publicists. “Eric wishes to express his genuine thanks for the concern for his well being, and appreciates the support of his family, friends and fans.”
So, Eric, you can’t have it both ways. Either pot is a “serious drug” for which rehab is necessary, or it is not. But don’t tell us how trivial it is at the same time you’re seeking publicity for your “addiction” to it.
Back in 1987, Eric was arrested for cocaine and marijuana possession and trying to assault a police officer. He faced multiple accusations of domestic violence in the 1990s as he continued to cultivate a cocaine habit.
The god-awful Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew is an annoying abomination of a TV program, hosted by Dr. Drew Pinsky, a self-satisfied quack who gives out such “great” advice as advocating framing people for drugs.
Dr. Drew’s ignorant comments such as that one perpetuate the punitive, knee-jerk “law enforcement model as medical treatment” response to addiction that has only succeeded in filling our prisons and breaking up families.
“Tweating By Remote to answer y I’m doing CELEBRITY REHAB,” Eric tweeted Tuesday. “It’s not 2 get people 2 stop asking y I’m doing Y&R as some have proposed. LOL.”
The “Y&R” refers to the fact that Roberts made his debut on The Young and the Restless a couple of weeks ago. Yeah, his career is at that point where the soaps seem like a good idea.
His next project, this Celebrity Rehab tomfoolery, will mean he’s moving in with troubled roommate Jeremy London.
“I’d like to move out of the weed garden & into a place where things can blossom & grow,” Roberts tweeted. “The people @ #CelebRehab have been fantastic 1 and all.”
Nice little touch remembering the promotional hashtag there, Eric. You pitiable asshole.