Addiction and celebritization: reality television portrayals of drug abuse treatment

This thesis examines the ways in which reality television portrays the treatment of drug and alcohol abuse through analysis of two television series, Intervention and Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew. The only two reality series that directly address addiction, one serves as a traditional life intervention program, while the other exists within the new milieu of Celebreality. The thesis explores the way in which the structural elements of the two series, and the processes of celebritization, influence the portrayal of addicts on screen, while the reality television participants use sophisticated methods of performance to define themselves. This thesis contends that, while both programs purport to operate as public service, that goal is undermined by a number of structural and theoretical factors.