Many believe that going to rehab in 2007 is a form of public apology or a way to improve their image once they have done something embarrassing or unacceptable to most in our society. In other words, a quick fix to a recently tarnished image. Many dash to one of Southern California’s dozen Luxury Rehabilitation Resorts complete with ocean views, horseback riding, gourmet cooking, psychotherapy and massage at a cost of nearly $50,000 to $80,000 for the four week stay that treats alcohol addiction, drug addiction and even stress or burnout of the fast track life.

Sign on San Diego recently wrote, “So, are celebrities truly seeking to change the way they think? Or are they just doing damage control? It’s probably some of both. University of Southern California sociologist Julie Albright said “it’s a form of repentance” for celebrities to publicly admit to bad behavior and then get help so it doesn’t happen again.

Her USC colleague, Bill Boyarsky, doesn’t think most celebrities are really serious about changing their behavior. And certainly not those who issue a public mea culpa, then disappear for a few weeks to a vaguely defined, unsupervised counseling program.

To publicist David Brokaw, it’s important that celebrities mean what they say when asking the public’s forgiveness, then prove it by not engaging in the same stupid behavior again.

Before taking on a troubled celebrity, Brokaw said, “the first thing that I’d want to know is that they really are interested in not just solving the PR problem, but taking ownership of the personal problem.”

The Beau Monde in southern California boasts the contents of their exceptional month long program that starts at $48K.

A typical Beau Monde client’s weekly schedule includes (Courtney Love, Nicole Richie):

3 individual therapy/counseling sessions
3 individual stress management/relaxation training sessions
Individual Life/Professional Coaching session
Individual 2-hour spirituality/creativity session
Personal Trainer session
Individual Unlimited Sober Coaching
Daily Off-Site Recreation (as appropriate) including beach walks, hiking, biking, kayaking, golf, tennis, etc.
Daily accompaniment by sober coaches to community self-help meetings
Optional participation in private peer recovery groups
2 Massages and private yoga session

Some celebrities to spend time in these luxury rehab clubs include Britney Spears, Courtney Love, Mel Gibson, Nicole Richie, Lindsay Lohan, Isaiah Washington, Brandon Davis, Robert Downey, Jr., Christian Slater, Keith Urban, Marc Jacobs, Mark Foley, Kate Moss, Pete Doherty, and Robbie Williams

According to AOL, a 30-day stay at Promises Malibu (Britney Spears) typically costs around $48,000.

“Sources told MSNBC that Spears will dish out hundreds of thousands of dollars for her privacy demands. Spears reportedly doesn’t want to mingle with other rehab patients, and she’s afraid of stories and photos leaking to the media.

Celebrity centers such as Promises offer the typical day treatment, as well as a month long stay where they offer detox from whatever the addiction of choice may be, as well as therapy (group and individual). However, the upscale centers look remarkably like a luxury resort with the familiar amenities such as yoga and even surfing lessons in five star setting that few can afford.

The Partnership for a Drug Free America summarizes the components of a typical American 28 Day Rehabilitation Program (and doesn’t sound like the amount of luxury, relaxation and amenities of the rehab centers the celebrity set enjoy):

Programs traditionally have the following basic elements:

• Initial Evaluation
• Abstinence
• Learning about addiction
• Group counseling
• AA or other Twelve Step participation
• Individual counseling
• A family program

What does “Rehab” hope to accomplish? PDFA breaks it down into four components:

• Abstinence
  In many cases it seems that as long as the substance is in the blood stream, thinking remains distorted. Often during the first days or weeks of total abstinence, we see a gradual clearing of thinking processes. This is a complex psychological and biological phenomenon, and is one of the elements that inpatient programs are able to provide by making sure the patient is fully detoxified and remains abstinent during his or her stay.
• Removal of Denial
  In some cases, when someone other than the patient, such as a parent, employer, or other authority, is convinced there is a problem, but the addict is not yet sure, voluntary attendance at a rehab program will provide enough clarification to remove this basic denial. Even those who are convinced they have a problem with substances usually don’t admit to themselves or others the full extent of the addiction. Rehab uses group process to identify and help the individual to let go of these expectable forms of denial.
• Removal of Isolation
  As addictions progress, relationships deteriorate in quality. However, the bonds between fellow recovering people are widely recognized as one of the few forces powerful enough to keep recovery on track. The rehab experience, whether it is inpatient or outpatient involves in-depth sharing in a group setting. This kind of sharing creates strong interpersonal bonds among group members. These bonds help to form a support system that will be powerful enough to sustain the individual during the first months of abstinence.
• “Basic Training”
  Basic training is a good way to think of the experience of rehab. Soldiers need a rapid course to give them the basic knowledge and skills they will need to fight in a war. Some kinds of learning need to be practiced so well that you can do them without thinking. In addition to the learning, trainees become physically fit, and perhaps most important, form emotional bonds that help keep up morale when the going is hard.