Reality check

While loitering in the media suite at the NHS Confederation's annual conference and exhibition in Manchester last week, I read an article that made me jump out of my seat in shock. Reality TV, it seems, has reached a new low in the USA (and I wouldn’t be surprised if it eventually reached these shores): ‘Celebrity Rehab’.
Yes, it is exactly what it says on the tin. The ‘entertainment show’ takes drug-addicted celebrities and films them 24/7 throughout their treatment and ‘inspirational journey’.
I am positive that I am not the only person on the planet who finds this both shocking and slightly disturbing.
How is it that such a television programme can be labled as ‘entertainment’?
Having had first hand experience of someone in the throes of addiction, I can assure you, it is not a form of entertainment. Ever.
Addiction in itself is a worrying and at times, debilitating, illness. However, the rehab stage is just as bad.
I can’t quite comprehend just how this has been able to be shown on US television.
My worry is not only for the addict, who is no doubt going through the most physically and mentally trying time of their entire life, but also for the families of these celebrities who watch the suffering and struggle of their loved ones through the eyes and ears of the media.
This is Big Brother with a much more sadistic and cruel twist.
Television, and the media in general, should not glorify addiction, nor its healing processes. It is an arduous struggle that can go well for the patient, or horribly wrong, but programmes such as this may suggest that addiction can be easily cured when in fact, the reality is much different.
The patient and family live in a continual state of equilibrium that brings with it societal, economical and mental health issues for the patient.
Not only can the process be expensive, but there are often long waiting lists and many clinical and psychological assessments to be carried out before the residential rehabilitation even begins—not everyone can afford rehab (if needed) at the push of a button.
Oh, and did I mention who one of the celebrities is? Rodney King. Yes, that Rodney King.
Only in America.