Did you catch the Celebrity Rehab reunion show last week? I know everyone (including me) has been
curious to see how well the cast has been doing in their efforts to stay sober.
It seemed for the most part they were doing well–although Frankie admitted she
still drinks a little and Leif was rather vague about how he has been.

            It was really sweet to see how many
of the cast members have become friends. Remember throughout the show how much
they sniped at one another and kept getting on each other’s nerves? A lot of
that was withdrawal. And a lot more stemmed from the fact that learning how to
deal with all the little petty annoyances of life when you’re sober is not
easy. It’s a lot like growing up.

            Also, sober people are just nicer.
They really are. Eric Roberts said at the very beginning of Celebrity Rehab that he thought he was a
jerk when he wasn’t high. But one of the things he learned from his wife during
rehab is that he was a jerk when he was high. He was a much nicer guy when he
was sober.

            I saw big changes in Jason Davis
too–he was just softer, funnier, kinder. He had surrendered to his disease–and
by that I mean he finally acknowledged that he had a problem he could not
control simply by the force of his will. That surrender was his first step in
doing what he needed to do to get and stay sober.It is unfortunate, however, two days later he relapsed which exhibits once again how baffling the disease is.

            Learning to let go of resistance and
attachments is an important part of the Law of Sobriety. That means learning
how to let go of your attachment to the idea that your life ought to be a
certain way, and to let go of resistance to who you really are. When you let go
of the way you believe things are supposed to be, you free yourself from the
endless disappointment, doubt, and frustration that come when things don’t turn
out the way you think they should. When you let go of your attachment to a
false sense of who you are, you become an authentic person. And that invites
positive energy into your life–which is when the good things really do come.

Sherry Gaba, LCSW, is a Licensed Psychotherapist in Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks, Calbasas, and Malibu and on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew on VH1.  Sherry is also the author of “The Law of Sobriety: Attracting Positive Energy for a Powerful Recovery”.  Sherry can be reached at sherry@sgabatherapy.com or www.sgabatherapy.com or www.thelawofsobriety.com.  Contact Sherry to learn more about her upcoming workshops, speaking engagements, book signings, coaching programs, and teleseminars.