Pubdate: Mon, 29 Jan 2001
Source: CNN (US Web)
Show: CNN TODAY
Copyright: 2001 Cable News Network, Inc.
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Anchor: Joie Chen
Guest: Paul Earley

PERSISTENCE CAN BEAT ADDICTION

Dr. Paul Earley Shares Discusses Alcohol And Drug Addiction.

JOIE CHEN, CNN ANCHOR: Joining us here on the set in Atlanta to talk more 
about drug addiction and how to cope with it is Dr. Paul Earley, who is 
with the Ridgeview Institute here in Atlanta.

Dr. Earley, talk to us a little bit about the difficulty of being Robert 
Downey Jr.; facing the amount of attention that Paul Vercammen was just 
telling us about, and, I mean, he has repeated trouble with drugs and with 
the law. What kind of additional pressure does this put on him in recovery?

DR. PAUL EARLEY, RIDGEVIEW INSTITUTE: The problem is, Joie, here's a guy 
that enjoys the limelight, obviously, as any actor would, but doesn't enjoy 
this particular limelight.  It's a side that no one wants to show, and 
because he has had so many problems getting and staying sober, what he 
needs is a little more aggressive treatment. So, I'm sure he's under a lot 
of pressure, thinking hard about what I should do next in my life.

CHEN: When you say aggressive treatment, do you mean actual nature of 
facility that he might ultimately be sent to, or do you mean that just 
needs to be in one?

EARLEY: Treatment has to tailored to the individual, and someone who's 
bright, who's able to put on many faces to the public, Joie, is someone 
that needs -- someone who is clever enough to figure out how to work with 
one someone like that.  And so, aggressive treatment in this case means, 
treatment tailored to him, not just "cookie cutter" treatment that winds up 
teaching someone how to deal with things. Obviously, if that had worked -- 
he has had some treatment in the past, to my understanding -- if that had 
worked, he wouldn't be here where he is today.

CHEN: Where he is today is the courtroom in Indio, California -- our 
viewers are looking at a picture of that courtroom -- again, we are 
standing by, awaiting some movement on the hearing for Robert Downey Jr., 
and if there is any dialogue underway in the courtroom, we will bring that 
up to you.

Dr. Earley, somebody had said, in the course of talking about Robert Downey 
Jr., that at his previous facility that he was at, relapse is part of 
recovery. Is that true?

EARLEY: The majority of the people, Joie, that go for any kind of treatment 
- -- whether that's just going to some recovery meetings, or whether that 
means an aggressive treatment program where people stay awhile.  The 
majority of people have several failed attempts before they get it; very 
few people get it on the first go around, and that's why it's very 
important not to give up, and to keep doing it, because the people that 
keep at it succeed.

CHEN: But I would think that that would be tremendously frustrating if you 
recognize that a big risk of being involved in the recovery process is, you 
will you have some backsliding.  Gosh, it's almost as if you want to give 
up from the beginning.

EARLEY: That could be part of the thing that he is facing.  You know, here, 
he has had so many troubles -- I would guess, on some level, he has tried 
very hard to take care of it.  But it really calls for attention to the 
details of staying sober, and putting all of your attention on that --not 
working at your job, or dealing with your marriage, not dealing with other 
things -- but paying attention to your recovery.

CHEN: Again, to our viewers, we saw the picture just come up here: Robert 
Downey, Jr. coming back into the courtroom now; we are going to listen in 
- -- CNN's Paul Vercammen is on the scene there.
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