Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew has revealed a side of many stars that is so unlike the characters they are known for that it’s both shocking and saddening, yet we can’t seem to look away as vaguely familiar B- and C-list stars enroll in a residential rehab facility and agree to be filmed as they struggle with their addictions. Dr. Drew Pinsky, a TV personality and addiction specialist, plays host to this tragic spectacle, which has been criticized for exploiting its subjects at their most vulnerable moments.
In the case of actor Jeff Conaway, who appeared on the show in both the first and second seasons in 2008, it was difficult to find any trace of the good-hearted bad boy Kenickie from Grease, a role that has partially defined him for more than three decades. As Conaway struggled to defeat his addiction to cocaine, alcohol and the painkillers he depended on for relief from numerous back injuries, audiences watched as he sank deeper into depression and exhibited increasingly erratic and dangerous behavior, as evidenced by this clip from Episode 2 of the first season.