Released on: March 8, 2008, 11:48 am

Press Release Author: Arbor Books

Industry: Entertainment

Press Release Summary: DUIs, incriminating paparazzi photos, erratic public
behavior-Hollywood handlers have found a convenient way to excuse the bad habits of
their rich and famous clients: Send them to rehab.


Press Release Body: (OAK RIDGE, NJ)-Drug and alcohol rehab centers are the new
celebrity "hot spots," not for serious help with overcoming addictions but to repair
a tarnished public image. Stephen Della Valle, author of the new book Rising Above
the Influence and president of the board at Turning Point rehabilitation center, is
disturbed by the trend. "Too many celebrities use rehab as a PR tactic," he says.
"They minimize the consequences of substance abuse and make rehab look like a quick
and easy process."

Mr. Della Valle is no stranger to overcoming addictions. He spent over twenty years
in the grips of drugs and alcohol, losing his family, his job and his freedom along
the way. He only turned his life around when he fully committed to the recovery
process.

"Overcoming addiction is not glamorous," he notes. "When you see a paparazzi shot of
Lindsay Lohan at the Cirque Lodge, she looks like she's spending a day at the spa.
You don't see the ugly side of rehabilitation-the physical pain of withdrawal or the
emotional agony of facing up to the bad things you've done."

After leaving rehab, Mr. Della Valle was faced with rebuilding his entire life. To
avoid relapsing once they're out on their own, people who complete rehab programs
are often advised to:

· Stay away from high-risk situations

· Avoid people and places that might influence them negatively

· Reduce stress

· Pursue healthy activities such as exercising or a hobby

· Attend a twelve-step recovery meeting every day

Because of the many high-profile people who have entered rehabilitation for drugs or
alcohol, it's become more socially acceptable to admit that you have a problem and
seek help for it. Della Valle, however, worries that it's gone too far. "There is
nothing cool or admirable about being an addict, no matter how much the media tries
to make it look that way," he says.

Stephen Della Valle is president of the board of directors at Turning Point
rehabilitation center in Verona, New Jersey. Currently celebrating twenty years of
sobriety, he lives in Oak Ridge, New Jersey, with his wife, Donna. He has three
children.

Rising Above the Influence is available now (ISBN: 0-9801776-0-X; softcover; Oak
Ridge Press) on Amazon.com, Borders.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and at fine bookstores
everywhere.



Web Site: http://

Contact Details: Stephen Della Valle
973-208-9672
jasoncraig@att.net