'Good Will Hunting' Actor Robin Williams Checks into Rehab to Maintain Sobriety

Academy Award-winning actor Robin Williams has checked himself into a Minnesota rehab early this month to maintain his sobriety, various media outlets reported.

“After working back-to-back projects, Robin is simply taking the opportunity to fine-tune and focus on his continued commitment, of which he remains extremely proud,” Williams’ representatives announced on July 1.

According to TMZ, the 62-year-old actor will be staying at the Hazelden Addiction Treatment Center in Minnesota for several weeks.

Community actor Joel McHale, who worked with Williams on film “Merry Friggin’ Christmas”, told the New York Daily News: “He wore his struggles and sobriety and was very up front and candid about what he has gone through. I know he is a man who likes to win and be healthy. So him going back to rehab, I pray it all works out.”

Williams first checked himself into an Oregon rehab for alcoholism in August 2006 after being sober for 20 years. He revealed his battle against alcoholism on Good Morning America.

“It's the same voice thought that … you're standing at a precipice and you look down, there's a voice and it's a little quiet voice that goes, ‘Jump,’” Williams told ABC anchor Diane Sawyer.

“The same voice that goes, ‘Just one.’ … And the idea of just one for someone who has no tolerance for it, that's not the possibility.”

Williams also said he thought he could deal with his addiction on his own.

“But you can't. That's the bottom line," he said. "You really think you can, then you realize, I need help, and that's the word ... It's hard admitting it, then once you've done that, it's real easy.”

Williams is working on “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb” which will be released towards the end of the year.

Many actors turn to alcohol due to job pressures, isolation, and difficulty dealing with fame. Making matters worse is their inherent genetic predisposition to addiction. 

Growing Painsactor Jeremy Miller is one of those from the entertainment industry who had succumbed to alcoholism until he found out about a novel addiction treatment technology from BioCorRx, Inc. BICX.

The treatment, called the Start Fresh Program, includes the use of a biodegradable Naltrexone implant product that is embedded under the fatty layer of the alcoholic’s abdominal skin. The implant slowly releases Naltrexone into the patient’s bloodstream for several months to curb his or her physical cravings for alcohol.

Naltrexone is also an effective opioid antagonist that can be used on patients addicted to heroin and prescription drugs.                                                                                                                  

The Naltrexone implant is administered by independent physicians under the first tier of the nationally-recognized Start Fresh Program. The program’s second tier involves life coaching to ensure that addicts are on the right path to recovery. Miller, who has been sober for over two years according to a report on InTouch Weekly, now serves as patient advocate for the program at a clinic in than California. 

Along with acamprosate, naltrexone was noted as a highly effective drug against alcoholism that was underprescribed by physicians.

In a report, The Fix stated that the drug was found to prevent alcoholics from drinking altogether compared to other available treatment modalities. Naltrexone was also found to be effective in reducing the number of days alcoholics drank during a relapse.