Stars Caught Drinking After Rehab

It's not unusual to hear about Hollywood stars seeking treatment for addiction, and, unfortunately, it's also not uncommon to learn of the celebs being caught drinking after rehab. Why? Well, alcohol and drug addictions are notoriously difficult to effectively treat. Plus, the pressures of being in the media spotlight don't exactly help. Sometimes A-list status only serves to heighten the impact of these diseases and people's dependence on substances — both legal and illegal. 

Psychology Today reported in 2014 that for people who had been sober less than a year, only one third would remain abstinent (although the likelihood of maintaining sobriety increased the longer that people were able to stay sober). So it should come as no surprise that many stars who have gone into treatment have later been spotted drinking again in public. The following celebrities all entered rehab to find support with conquering their addiction but ultimately ended up hitting the bottle after their release.

As reported by WPTV, Real Housewives of New York City cast member Luann de Lesseps was arrested in December 2017 for disorderly intoxication, battery of an officer, resisting arrest, and making threats against a public servant after a heated encounter with the Palm Beach police. How bad did things gets? Well, during this incident, she reportedly told the cops, "I'm going to [expletive] kill you all." Yikes.

De Lesseps later pleaded not guilty and checked in to a rehab facility while awaiting an April 2018 hearing. She explained to People magazine, "I have decided to seek professional guidance and will be voluntarily checking into an alcohol treatment center. I intend to turn this unfortunate incident into a positive life changing event." 

After her statement, fans were understandably confused when the reality star appeared on Watch What Happens Live! in March 2018 — after her stint in rehab — with a glass of white wine in front of her. 

When asked by Page Six about the glass, de Lessep's rep claimed that she wasn't in fact drinking the wine, telling the site, "It was put on the table for a toast. Luann only held it [and] did not drink it as she is not drinking anymore. It all was for 'show' biz."

Actor Ben Affleck had recently completed his second stint in rehab when In Touch Weekly reported that he'd been spotted drinking a mixed drink at an HBO Emmy after-party in September 2017. According to the magazine, Affleck was accompanying his girlfriend, Saturday Night Live producer Lindsay Shookus, at the event. There, he allegedly ordered a water but "a server brought him over the alcoholic drink once he sat down at the table." Affleck then reportedly "drank all of it." Later that same week, the Daily Mail published photographs of Affleck leaving a Los Angeles liquor store with a large brown paper bag. 

Affleck's behavior raised eyebrows because earlier in March of that same year, he'd taken to his Facebook page to publicly announce, "I have completed treatment for alcohol addiction; something I've dealt with in the past and will continue to confront ... This was the first of many steps being taken towards a positive recovery."

After the Emmys, People magazine reported in December 2017 that Affleck was continuing to receive treatment for alcohol. A source close to the actor told the magazine, "This is a lifelong battle, not one that he takes lightly."

In March 2015, the New York Daily News reported that Mad Men actor Jon Hamm had publicly spoken out about having completed 30 days at Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, Conn. where he received treatment for alcohol addiction. He asked for the media to respect his and his family's privacy regarding the matter and was reluctant to provide any further details. Then, in May 2016, Star magazine went ahead and published photos that seemed to show Hamm drinking heavily at an Atlanta lounge. A "friend" told the magazine, "We're all incredibly concerned."

In October of that same year, Hamm lauded the benefits of rehab to Mr. Porter's The Journal, saying, "[T]here's something to be said for pulling yourself out of the grind for a period of time and concentrating on recalibrating the system. And it works. It's great." However, according to the Daily Mail, he was also spotted drinking a beer in Los Angeles in November 2017. 

Beloved Academy Award-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman passed away on February 2, 2014 after overdosing on heroin in his New York City apartment. As his longtime partner Mimi O'Donnell movingly described in a heart-wrenching personal essay for Vogue, Seymour Hoffman had gone through long periods of sobriety when he decided to start drinking again: "Phil said to me, 'I've been thinking I want to try to have a drink again. What do you think?' I thought it was a terrible idea, and I said so." According to O'Donnell, Seymour Hoffman eventually moved from drinking to using prescription painkillers and heroin.

In the years leading up to his death, Seymour Hoffman had also completed stints in rehab. The Daily Mail reported that he'd spent ten days in an East Coast rehab center in May 2013, and, in O'Connell's essay, she says that the actor also returned to rehab in November that year. However, just days prior to his death, Seymour Hoffman was spotted smoking and drinking in an Atlanta bar, while a witness told the Daily Mail that he'd been making "conspicuous trips to the bathroom." 

In July 2007, the tabloids were all over Lindsay Lohan after her second stay in rehab. According to CNN's timeline of events, the Mean Girls star was arrested for drunk driving and possession of cocaine. She agreed to go back into rehab in August that year for another try at sobriety (she later served one day in jail for the charges). In January 2008, the BBC reported that Lohan had been caught on video drinking champagne from the bottle at a New Year's Eve party in Italy. Her lawyer told the outlet, "Lindsay immediately stopped, called her sponsor, and got herself back on track."

And yet, as the Daily Beast detailed, the actress went back to rehab several more times in subsequent years as a result of her continued legal and personal troubles. Star magazine published photos in January 2017 that seemed to show Lohan drinking in Greece. However, in January 2018, Page Six reported that she was hitting the nightclub circuit but was allegedly sober.

TMZ first reported on actor Zac Efron's struggles with substance abuse in September 2013, breaking the story that he'd been to rehab twice in order to deal with an addiction to cocaine. Efron made headlines again in March 2014 when he and a bodyguard were involved in a fight in downtown Los Angeles' infamous Skid Row neighborhood, leading outlets to speculate that he'd been intoxicated. 

In April that year, Efron explained in a candid interview with The Hollywood Reporter that the fight had been the result of him defending his friend against a homeless man's attacks, and he said of his addiction, "It's a never-ending struggle." He added, "[But] I sit here in front of you today much happier and healthier than I've probably ever been." 

However, in August 2014, Efron was reportedly caught drinking after rehab. TMZ published photos that allegedly showed Efron partying in a bar in Ibiza with actress Michelle Rodriguez. The site claimed that not only was Efron drinking but that he'd never actually gotten sober after rehab. But by 2016, the actor was publicly celebrating his sobriety again, explaining to Elle that it had given his life a new structure and a chance to really enjoy his hobbies. 

Backstreet Boys member A.J. McLean was spotted partying hard in March 2017, just hours after his wife had given birth to their second baby. Per In Touch Weekly, the performer was reportedly seen drinking and performing karaoke to his own music at a bar just across the street from the hospital where his wife had delivered. He also allegedly exchanged phone numbers with multiple women. 

The problem (aside from the obvious)? According to the magazine, McLean had spent time in rehab in 2001, 2002, and 2011. In December 2012, he had described to In Touch Weekly (via the Daily Mail) how his most recent relapse into drinking had been caused by being in a "funk," and he noted, "I will forever be an alcoholic and an addict in recovery as long as I live. It's an ongoing struggle, a daily thing."

McLean later granted an interview to Refinery29 in May 2017, in which he explained, "Because of my daughters, I've stayed sober." 

According to Star magazine, mega pop star Britney Spears completed a second rehab stint in 2014 (the first had occurred during her well-publicized breakdown in February 2007). This time, the magazine claimed that she'd sought treatment for dependence on prescription drugs. A source told the publication, "Her dad forced her into rehab because she was overdosing on a drug called Vyanse."

In August 2016, Spears stoked speculation that she was drinking again after posting a photo to her Instagram account that showed her holding what appeared to be a glass of champagne. The ever-vigilant tabloid media worried that Spears was on the verge of a spiral, posting unflattering photos that appeared to show the star in a state of intoxication. 

However, in June 2017, Spears told Hebrew paper Yediot Ahronot (via Women's Health Magazine), "Today I'm at a better place in my life... My kids shaped my personality and filled me." If her ever-entertaining Instagram is anything to go by, she has been doing pretty well ever since (and has even picked up painting!).

Sharknado actress Tara Reid completed a rehab stay at Promises Malibu in 2009, which she later told In Touch Weekly had saved her life (via The Express). She noted, "The truth is, some people can drink, and some can't ... I like alcohol but it didn't like me." Reid continued, "My focus is to get back in my career and stay sober, and keep on having a better life one day at a time." 

However, Reid has been photographed multiple times in subsequent years in varied states of intoxication. In 2012, cameras caught a disheveled Reid leaving a party in St. Tropez. Radar Online also photographed her leaving a liquor store with two bottles of wine in tow in July 2014.

During a 2016 appearance on WE tv's Marriage Boot Camp Reality Stars, an obviously intoxicated Reid was caught on camera mumbling to herself. Despite the embarrassing publicity, Reid told Page Six in June 2017 that her career was better than ever, saying "I'm getting a whole second chance." 

Like Philip Seymour Hoffman, Glee star Cory Monteith died tragically young as the result of an overdose. Monteith was just two months out of rehab when he overdosed on heroin and alcohol, according to People magazine. Despite having been previously photographed looking healthy after completing treatment, Monteith was spotted out and about drinking in Vancouver just days prior to his untimely death in July 2013. The Daily Mail reported that sources saw the actor "laughing and drinking beers," though said sources also noted that he didn't "seem out of control." 

According to People, Monteith had been candid about his struggle with drugs and alcohol during an appearance on Inside the Actors Studio, saying that his issues had started when he was just 12 years-old and had resulted in him attending a total of 16 different schools. In a 2011 interview with Parade, Monteith also explained that, despite an early intervention staged by friends and family when he was 19, he later returned to using. 

TV presenter and former reality show star Kelly Osbourne first got sober in February 2009, checking into rehab to contend with her drug and alcohol issues. However, Radar Online reported in January 2012 that Osbourne was caught drinking after rehab, having been spotted guzzling drinks at a pre-Golden Globes event. One witness told the site, "Kelly was so wasted... At one point she almost fell back and I had to catch her!" The witness also alleged that Osbourne had spent the evening angrily discussing her feud with Christina Aguilera.

When promoting her memoir There Is No F*cking Secret to People magazine five years later, Osbourne revealed that she had first encountered drugs when she was 13 years old and that her drug use was at its heaviest in the early 2000s. She also told the magazine that her journey to sobriety entailed "four visits to rehab, six detoxes and one visit to a mental institution." However, as she explained to The Fix in 2014, "I don't tell people I'm sober because I do have the occasional drink, but I never take drugs. I don't mess around." Well, we'd guess that would explain the 2012 incident then.