Do you remember Lindsay Lohan when she was a talented child actress, before the puffy face and handcuffs? We’re struggling.
The 25-year-old is now better known as an addict than as an actress, but has the combination of jail time, therapy and community service at a morgue finally made her come to her senses?
Psychotherapist Sherry Gaba has doubts over Lohan’s sobriety. “When a person is sober, they usually know their sobriety date without question. She did not give it in her most recent interview, so I am not so sure that she is,” says Gaba of last week’s chat with Matt Lauer for “The Today Show.”
On the other hand, Lohan’s career seems to be back on track, and she’s being tipped for the coveted role of Elizabeth Taylor in the upcoming “Elizabeth and Richard: A Love Story” — provided she behaves.
“Getting and staying sober is a one-day-at-a-time program,” says Gaba. “Lindsay will need to continue to stay close to a recovery program that will need to include 12-step meetings, a sponsor and possibly psychotherapy to deal with the underlying issues that have led to her numerous relapses.”
Gaba believes there is no guarantee that Lohan will stay clean forever: “Only if she is willing to make her recovery her No. 1 priority will she have an excellent chance of living a fulfilling and sober life.”
Child star trouble
Like other troubled former child stars (Drew Barrymore, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman and Britney Spears, just to name a few), Lindsay’s unusual upbringing may have contributed to her current problems.
“Child stars often become ‘adult children’ with highly stressful responsibilities. As young adults, they sometimes attempt to re-capture their lost childhoods by acting out and behaving in self-destructive ways, which may be one of the reasons Lindsay has been so troubled,” says Gaba.
