Ms. Locklear’s troubles seem to have begun in 2006 when it she discovered emails which hinted that her husband of 11 years, Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora, was carrying on an affair with one of their mutual acquaintances. Almost immediately, tabloid magazines ran stories which reported Ms. Locklear as seeking the help of prescription medications to deal with bouts of anxiety and depression. Not long after her supposed discovery, Ms. Locklear filed for divorce.

Things appeared quiet for a time until 2008 when it was reported that the star had spent a month at a center in Arizona receiving treatment for anxiety and depression. Sadly, Ms. Locklear appears to have experienced a relapse at best, within a matter of months she was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Evidently, a US Weekly reporter who had been photographing Ms. Locklear that same evening, made a 911 call to report that the star was driving erratically. It turned out that Ms. Locklear tested negative for alcohol and narcotics, but her lawyer did say that prescription medications may have caused her impaired driving. The case was dismissed in 2009 after Ms. Locklear entered a plea of no contest to the charge of reckless driving. The star agreed to three years of informal probation and a $700 fine.

No further mishaps were reported until 2010 when she ran into a neighborhood No Parking sign at four in the morning. A neighbor, frightened by the crash, called 911. This case was later dismissed because the court had insufficient evidence to prove that it was Ms. Locklear’s car which had crashed into the sign. Despite the fact that the court could not prove her culpability, it must have been obvious to those closest to Ms. Locklear that she was a woman who needed some help. It took another near-disaster before her loved ones intervened.

In 2011, it was announced that her engagement to boyfriend Jack Wagner was at an end. Their on-again off-again romance appears to have mirrored the turbulence inside Ms. Locklear because just this past month her ingestion of a cocktail of prescription medications (likely Xanax) and alcohol left her so disoriented that her sister placed a frantic call to 911. Ms. Locklear ended up in Los Robles hospital because her family was concerned that she might try to harm herself. The family later said that the star was out of any immediate danger but did announce their desire to see her enter residential rehab treatment again.

It has been said that we live out of our hearts. Ms. Locklear’s heart has been sorely tested over the past six years. Prescription medications and alcohol have not been sufficient to mend what has been damaged inside of the star’s beautiful exterior. Hopefully, she will agree to her family’s wishes that she seek residential rehab treatment. Addressing the issues inside of Ms. Locklear is the best hope for conquering the outside issues plaguing her.

Why did Vinny choose to leave the Jersey Shore house? In his own words, Vinny tells us as he opens up about dealing with anxiety and stress in a video broadcast on vinny.halfofus.com.

• Vinny started having anxiety and panic attacks at a young age, especially in high school. That’s when he really started having bad panic attacks. "They came out of nowhere. There’s nothing really to pinpoint it, when it happens. It can be all in your subconscious."
• How anxiety mounts up. "When my anxiety starts to interfere with my job, my school, things that I do in my everyday life, then it starts to become a problem. One of your resources is to actually remove yourself from the situation at hand.
• Why he left Jersey Shore. "I was on the Jersey Shore and it’s a terrible environment for me to be involved in when I’m anxious because there’s drinking involved, there’s fighting involved, lack of sleep, lack of privacy and it’s just not a good place for me. So, in order for me to get better, I had to go home and recharge my batteries."
• "We’re in a pretty crazy environment when we film. I feel bad for my roommates, for any inconvenience that I caused them. They really didn’t have that many resources to help me when I was filming the show.
• Advice for dealing with anxiety or stress. "The advice that I have for someone dealing with anxiety or stress is to definitely get help, just to say something to somebody, whether it’s your sister, your brother, a friend, your mother, a therapist. It doesn’t have to be that extreme. You have to just speak up so, in case the problem ever does become manifest and gets worse, you have already laid down the foundation and people already are aware. You’re on their radar that something’s not right.
• What about a friend who may be dealing with anxiety? "I would definitely recommend help for your friend. Maybe the person dealing with anxiety doesn’t want to go to a professional, or is embarrassed to see a therapist or to open up about it. I would be a support system for that friend that’s going through anxiety. Be there for them, but also help them. Maybe go through their insurance book with them and look up therapists or say, ‘You know what, I hear that there’s school counselors around that can help you.’ Because a lot of times, the anxious person or the depressed person has no drive or motivation themselves, so the best advice I can give for someone that’s a bystander is to do the work for the anxious person, just so the anxious person just has to walk through the door."
• Go to vinny.halfofus.com for phone numbers you can call, people that can give advice. "It doesn’t have to be so extreme. No one has to be on a ledge in order to seek help. Just ask a professional or someone around you. Just speaking up is the hardest part."

Anxiety Disorders are Common

You may feel like you’re alone in this situation, but the facts are otherwise. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States. They frequently co-occur with depressive disorders, substance abuse, or eating disorders.

Approximately 5 to 10 percent of the U.S. population has one or more phobias. Research shows that people with phobias, particularly social phobias, may also exhibit problems with substance abuse. Many individuals with social phobias become so anxious that they also experience panic attacks as well.

Between 2 and 3 percent of Americans, approximately 6 to 9 million, have obsessive-compulsive disorder, also called OCD.

Panic disorder typically develops in the late teens or early adulthood. But not everyone who experiences panic attacks will later develop panic disorder. Many individuals have a single panic attack and never have another one.

Individuals who suffer post-traumatic-stress disorder (PTSD) may have flashbacks that are so strong they feel as if they are reliving the traumatic event.

What to Watch for with Anxiety Disorders

While everyone feels anxious at some time or another, when anxiety takes over your life and begins interfering with it, as it did with Vinny of Jersey Shore, you need to be aware of the warning signs so that you can get help to do something about your anxiety.

Watch out for:

• Excessive worry with an inability to control it
• Intense episodes of fear or panic
• Recurring nightmares
• Avoidance of social situations
• Difficulty concentrating
• Repeated, unwanted thoughts (obsessions)
• Sleep disturbances
• Upsetting and intrusive memories of a traumatic event
• Physical symptoms, such as nausea, rapid heart rate, stomach pain, muscle tension, sweating, shaking, dizziness, numbness, or difficulty breathing

Questions to Ask Yourself

One way to test yourself to see if you are dealing with high anxiety is to ask yourself the following questions:

• Have you found yourself in situations where you felt more anxious than usual?
• Have you been feeling sad, tired, blue or depressed lately?
• Have you had difficulty managing stress in your daily life?
• Have you ever felt as though you should cut down on your use of alcohol or drugs, whether prescription or illegal)?
• Over the past couple of weeks, have you ever felt bad about yourself, like you’ve let somebody down or that you are a failure?
• Over the past couple of weeks, have you ever felt as if you had a hard time concentrating, or that your thoughts came out slow or jumbled up?
• Have you noticed recent changes in your mood, interests, sleep patterns, or eating habits?

If you answered yes to several of these questions, you may have one or more problems that you could use help dealing with.

For more information and help, check out the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) by calling 1-800-950-NAMI or go to their www.nami.org/.

There’s also the www.adaa.org/.

Bottom line: Don’t suffer with anxiety, depression, or any other mental health disorder that’s taking over your life. Speak up and ask for help. You can learn how to effectively manage these conditions so that you can go on living your life and be happier and more self-fulfilled.

Start by talking with someone you know and who cares about you. Let them know how you are feeling and ask for their assistance in finding some help for you. Don’t think about it as a big thing. Just do it. The road to recovery and feeling better about yourself and your life begins with taking this first step. And it’s a step that’s well worth taking.

As Vinny’s experience shows us, sometimes you just have to leave a stressful situation and concentrate on taking care of your emotional health. But you don’t do this alone. Get the help you need, whether it’s from a therapist that your family doctor recommends or through a school counselor or other referring professional. Just do it, and do it today.

About The Half of Us Campaign

Launched in 2006 by The Jed Foundation and mtvU, MTV’s college network, The Half of Us campaign seeks to raise awareness and reduce stigma around emotional health issues and to encourage individuals to seek help if they need it. The campaign tells stories of high-profile artists and celebrities, like Mary J. Blige, who came back from alcohol, drugs, depression and the brink of suicide, Billy Corgan, of Smashing Pumpkins, who overcame anxiety, depression, cutting, childhood abuse and contemplating suicide, Ron Artest, NBA Laker who got treatment to deal with his depression, and Pete Wentz, musician, who learned how to deal with anxiety, depression, and thoughts of suicide, along with those of college students across the country.

To learn more about The Half of Us campaign, go to www.halfofus.com.

Carnie Wilson suffers from addiction disorder. For many years her addiction was to food. Over the years, Ms. Wilson has laid the blame for her penchant to overindulge in food on her dysfunctional relationship with her father, her inability to cope with the disappointment over her musical group break-up and the inordinate amount of stress involved in being a working mother.

Ms. Wilson’s misunderstanding of the nature of addiction should have been obvious given her comments in 1999, the year she decided to undergo bariatric surgery. At that time, Ms. Wilson said that she expected the surgery to cure her of her food cravings.

Wilson did lose 150 pounds following her surgery. She subsequently underwent plastic surgery to remove excess skin from her stomach and arms and even augmented her breasts in an effort to find happiness and satisfaction. This led to an offer to pose in Playboy, which she accepted. However, the good feelings which she said she experienced at that time quickly faded and Ms. Wilson was soon facing life’s difficulties once again.

She married a guitarist and was able to put her band back together. Soon she was feeling pressure to maintain her svelte appearance as the poster-child for future gastric bypass surgery candidates. In a condition known as addiction transfer, Ms. Wilson turned from abuse of food to the abuse of alcohol. It wasn’t long before her husband warned her that their marriage would remain childless until she got her drinking under control. It was enough to scare Ms. Wilson straight – for a while – and in 2005 baby Lola Sofia was born.

As with most pregnancies, mom was left with a few extra pounds which she attempted to lose on the TV show Celebrity Fit Club. Wilson lost 22 pounds but was not following a healthy diet or exercise regimen and evidently was drinking again. In 2007, the star entered a 12-step program but her interviews given at the time reveal that she still did not take full responsibility for her recovery. In 2009 another baby, Luci Bella was born and more weight became an issue. She worked for a diet food company for a while until it was discovered that she was building a homemade cheesecake business for herself on the side.

The yo-yo behaviors of Ms. Wilson demonstrate the dangers of expecting something outside of personal responsibility to "fix" an addiction problem. Surgery doesn’t solve addiction. Dabbling here and there with therapy without full commitment won’t work. Overcoming addiction requires getting at the root of the issues which drive the behaviors and then hard work every day to overcome the thought processes which feed addictive behavior. The people who really ‘have it all’ are the ones who understand what it takes to handle the problems life throws at them.

Sometimes referred to by names like the z-drug, Zopiclone is a non-benzodiazepine hypnotic agent that is called Imovane by brand name in Canada and Zimovane in the U.K. In the U.S., Zopiclone is only available by prescription, and Eszopiclone – an active stereoisomer of Zopiclone – is also available by prescription, called Lunesta.

Harding said in recent articles and interviews that she was fortunate to have lived through the addiction to the sleep-inducing pills, which spanned four years. She cites emotional problems over the break-up with a former fiancé as the trigger for her addictions.

Harding has also been reported to be involved in tumultuous relationships with men with their own drug addictions, including Theo Van Dries, whom she said became physically violent with her in a hotel.

Harding said ending her addiction to Zopiclone was very difficult but she did return to normal sleeping patterns – although her sleeping problems have been reported to have returned.

Research studies suggest that a person’s romantic partner can have a strong influence on a person’s use of drugs or alcohol, and that many people in long-term relationships tend to have similar drinking patterns over time as their mate.

Tom Sizemore is a 48-year-old actor who has tasted the sweetness of success as well as the bitterness of defeat. Professional success can be chronicled through his impressive litany of movie roles: Heat, Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down, True Romance and Natural Born Killers. But professional success doesn’t guarantee success in private life and the painful end of Sizemore’s marriage in 1999 was compounded by an addiction that eventually robbed him of everything.

The actor went to drug rehab in 1998 to treat his heroin addiction, but says now that he only went for the sake of his marriage. When that ended in 1999, Sizemore managed to stay sober until he hooked up with the infamous Heidi Fleiss known as Hollywood’s Madam in 2001. It was during his relationship with Ms. Fleiss that Sizemore says he began to abuse methamphetamine. After that, things went from bad to worse.

Recovered addicts among his acquaintance warned Sizemore at the time to stay away from meth, saying it would cost the actor everything. He didn’t believe them until three years and $11 million in legal fees later when everything, in fact, was gone.

In 2003, Ms. Fleiss accused Sizemore of assault and battery. He was convicted of the charge and received a 17-month jail sentence. More arrests and convictions for drugs followed in 2005 and 2009. Finally, an emaciated Sizemore agreed to appear on Season 3 of Celebrity Rehab. Mr. Sizemore now says that he was in such a stupor of withdrawal that he was barely aware that he was on television at the time. Not until he continued drug rehab through the Celebrity Rehab follow-up Sober House did the actor say that he finally started to emerge from the fog of addiction.

Today Sizemore admits to wasting many years blaming others for his troubles. Not until he looked in the mirror and realized that he himself was the problem did things begin to change – and change they have. Mr. Sizemore has been sober for over two years and has been working on a memoir to chronicle his acting career, his suffocating addiction and his eventual recovery. The book is due for release in 2013. Mr. Sizemore’s acting schedule is fuller than it has ever been and his gratitude for his blessings is evident.

Mr. Sizemore is overwhelmed that directors are willing to give him another chance in the industry. In fact, Sizemore says that current success isn’t a second chance but more like a 19th chance! He says that he should have died numerous times and was so far down at the bottom that he never felt he could climb out to the light of day again. He hopes that his memoir will inspire hope in others that recovery is possible even for the person who feels certain he could never do it. His own miracle of recovery and grace are bound to give that hope.

The 4.5-year prison term comes on top of a current sentence Douglas is serving for methamphetamine convictions and heroin convictions, crimes allegedly carried out at a high-priced hotel in Manhattan. Prosecutors pushed for a lesser term of one year to 18 months, but Judge Richard Berman rejected the request, according to recent articles.

Douglas has openly cast the attention toward the nature of his addiction, rather than his own actions, in regard to his sentencing. He is reported to have told the judge he felt "ashamed" and beaten down by his addiction, but neither plea seemed to overshadow Douglas’s accusations of having lied about the methods he used to acquire drugs during his current sentence.

Douglas’s previous encounters with Judge Berman have also been the subject of media stories, including claims that the judge gave Douglas a final chance to end his drug activity in 2009. Douglas is also said to have failed drug rehab programs at least six times but is now vowing to end his drug use for the long term.

Berman has made a recommendation that Douglas be moved to a different incarceration center that will provide drug addiction recovery services and that he be permitted to have encounters with family members. Research regarding drug addiction often points to multiple relapses as part of the process for many people as they work toward recovery, and experts suggest that friends and family members provide firm, consistent support throughout the steps of recovery.

A CBS News report on the incident in which Baldwin found himself kicked off a flight with American Airlines after he refused flight attendants’ requests to turn off his mobile phone. The incident occurred on a plane waiting to leave the Los Angeles International Airport.

According to reports, the actor was heavily into playing the popular Scrabble-like app, "Words with Friends," while he was waiting for the plane to take off. Powering off all electronic devices is a standard request on any airplane while the aircraft is taking off. Baldwin’s refusal to comply could indicate an addiction to the game, or simply an arrogance that safety rules do not apply to him.

A spokesman for the actor, Matthew Hiltzik, suggested the former is more likely the culprit in this case. He claims Baldwin loves the game so much, he was willing to leave the plane rather than comply with requests that he turn it off for the flight.

Crew members reported that Baldwin was removed from the plane due to his violent and aggressive behavior toward airline staff. This outward reaction could have been the effects of his addiction shinning through.

The actor used the incident to then taunt American Airlines for their poor service and threatened to use another airline. His threats appeared somewhat hollow when he boarded another AA flight later the same day to get to New York.

Ms. Mueller, just 34 years old, is checking into an inpatient rehab center that provides long-term treatment. She was seen just days ago at an L.A. airfield entering a private jet which purportedly whisked her to the undisclosed treatment facility. Her representative made it plain that Ms. Mueller wished to be out of the spotlight and would not be providing any further details regarding her care. This, he said, is her time to be free of distractions in order to focus more fully on recovery.

The celebrity wife and actress (she appeared with Paris Hilton in "The World According to Paris") has been in drug and legal trouble before, as recently as this past summer, but would only commit to outpatient day treatment. Those around the troubled star say that her problem is such that she needs the protracted and focused attention that long-term inpatient rehab provides.

While in Aspen just weeks ago, Ms. Mueller was found to be at fault in an assault charge as well as in possession of an amount of cocaine that left her open to charges of drug distribution – charges that carry a six-year jail sentence if she is found guilty.

Sources report that the twin boys she mothered with Sheen were with her in Aspen, though she had left them in the care of a trusted nanny while she went clubbing. Those boys will be staying in their California home with the nanny and grandparents, trying to maintain as much normalcy as possible during mom’s extended absence. Mr. Sheen is reported to have flown home from Colombia in order to take over the boys’ care, but Ms. Mueller has retained custody and the boys will not be handed over to their father.

Rehab is hard work and the patient needs to be fully invested in making serious changes. Tired of her repeated offenses, her parents have taken a hands-off approach this time hoping to convince Ms. Mueller that full and lasting changes are needed.

According to Ms. Porizkova, her emotional struggle began back in 2007 when she was early and perhaps unceremoniously eliminated from competition on the hit show "Dancing With the Stars." Still reeling from that rejection, Ms. Porizkova was given a spot on "America’s Next Top Model" in 2008. However, after one year on the program, Ms. Porizkova was again handed the pink slip. Reasons as to why she was let go swirled around the news. Some said budget concerns led to her release, but Ms. Porizkova herself wondered at the time if it was due to her "huge ego," a situation which came to her attention during her stint as a judge on the program.

The bookend failures took Ms. Porizkova back into her early years of high school when she says she was the least popular girl at her school. Once again, she was left inwardly hurting and wondering why she wasn’t liked by her peers. Her emotional reaction at the time was such that she sought out medical help. Explaining to her doctor that she was experiencing anxiety attacks, her physician prescribed Lexapro to help settle her into a more even emotional state.

Ms. Porizkova says that over the two-year period she took Lexapro, the drug muted her personality as well as her anxiety. It also caused her to experience emotional distance from her husband. She further reports that she was ridiculed by those on the set of "America’s Next Top Model" when a health form required her to reveal that she was taking the medication. Eventually, Ms. Porizkova felt that the medication was not worth the cost and decided to quit taking it.

For three weeks, Porizkova says that she battled fatigue, shakiness and bad dreams with an increase in her exercise regimen. Ms. Porizkova says the experience led her to greater empathy for people with serious drug addictions, since she herself felt a daily tug to "pop a pill."

Doctors generally refute the addictive potential of anti-depressants. Unlike tranquilizers or narcotics, physicians say, anti-depressants do not require that the user continually increase the dosage in order to receive the same result. Doctors also say that people who take anti-depressants do not continue to crave the medication following cessation. People, like Ms. Porizkova, may feel addicted, doctors say, as they feel their original condition returning.

Paulina Porizkova says that she did feel dependent upon the medication. While she denies being an anti-medication advocate, she wonders if the drugs aren’t the "emotional equivalent of plastic surgery."

It was the actions of a close friend – his music manager – that led Trace Adkins to seek treatment for the addiction, says the singer. Had the intervention not occurred, the singer said in interviews his career and possibly his life would have ended.

Adkins’ addiction story also includes a brief incarceration for a DUI offense in 2001. After entrance into a 30-day alcohol rehab facility, the singer talks about the past nine years of living addiction-free, but not without the shame, he said in interviews, and the humiliation he endured during the low points of the addiction.

One of the darkest moments, says Adkins, was the actual moment of intervention when loved ones and friends discussed all the ways his alcohol addiction had caused them pain. He recalls the reality that he was actually poisoning his body with alcohol, and that the possibility of losing his wife and daughters was a strong motivating factor in his work toward sobriety. Facing the pain he caused loved ones, says Adkins, is a moment he will never forget.

Although he says it was a very difficult experience, addressing and treating his alcohol addiction is one of the best decisions he ever made, says the celebrity. Reflecting on nearly a decade of sobriety, Adkins says his levels of productivity, his ability to focus and the wave of new opportunities have been incredible. Several new albums and a Grand Ole Opry induction have followed Adkins’ addiction recovery. The singer maintains a focus on recovery and refers to taking one step after another as part of maintaining freedom from addiction.

While Adkins’ story of drug rehab and addiction recovery is a positive message to many suffering from alcohol addiction, many patients who enter a rehab program for alcohol will experience a relapse following treatment. This is part of the reality of alcoholism as a chronic and progressive disease.

Researchers with the Caron Foundation, a national treatment center for addiction, say in reports that relapse doesn’t mean a person has failed in their recovery, but rather is a key element of the person’s journey toward recovery. The rate of relapse for addiction can reach 50 percent for those who return to excessive use of the substance, or up to 90 percent for those who only experience a short-term relapse. Experts compare these rates with the relapse rates of people who fail to continue with needed treatments for diseases like diabetes or high blood pressure.