I think you missed a key point here: the quality of the treatment that Drew Pinsky metes out *is* on par with what addicts get in the real world-- not very high at all. It's not based on the best evidence, it uses confrontation which is known to be counterproductive and it represents the latest thinking on addiction-- as of 1988. The man's detox policy certainly isn't up-to-date and is potentially dangerous and unnecessarily harsh. All the drug-focused reality TV shows get it wrong: "Intervention" focuses on an intervention that has been superceded by a kinder, gentler, more effective (but less telegenic) approach (CRAFT Family Therapy is twice as effective), "Brat Camp" pitches dangerous and unregulated and unproven wilderness programs as a solution for teen problems and Celebrity Rehab is stuck in the old one-size fits all 12 step perspective. So, I think more than anything else they reinforce the idea that these old forms of treatment are the only way to fight addiction and they don't really show people what they should demand as treatment: humane, dignified, evidence-not-faith-based care!