ADDICTION! IT CAN LEAD TO A "ROCK BOTTOM" THAT MOST OF US DON'T KNOW EXISTS!

That great role model Michael Lohan is telling people that his estranged daughter, Lindsay Lohan is suffering from multiple addictions, including alcohol and the painkiller OxyContin. Michael Lohan, as you may or may not know was released from a New York state prison in March after almost two years for driving while intoxicated and other offenses.

Lohan's mother is a woman who appears to be someone who enjoys living vicariously through her daughter's fame, etc. In other words, a "sisterly" party girl, if you will.

So who does an addicted person like Lindsay Lohan turn to for advice and or counsel when facing the fact that she's swimming in "troubled waters"?

First of all, she has to want to change her behavior.

And that's not as easy as it sounds.

Addiction is like that lover you (deep down inside) know isn't good for you, but night after night you end up in bed with that person and you wake up the next morning hating yourself.

Until emotionally you hit "rock bottom". And oftentimes the addicted person's "rock bottom" isn't what you and I might think "rock bottom" is. "Rock bottom" for an addicted person is likely to be a "rock bottom" you pray that you never find out what the definition of that is!

Lindsay Lohan experienced success at a very early age. I know. She won't even be 21 until July 2, but her show business success began when she was under the age of 10. A lot of successful people have addictive personalities. That's one of the reasons they became successful. But you have to figure out a way to separate the good from the bad.

And that ain't easy!

I know!

Confession: I have an addictive personality. It's often been pointed out by friends of mine that I tend to trade one addiction for another. We laugh about that, but it's true. In some cases, pathetically true.

I've often said that I never tried cocaine because I was afraid I'd like it too much.

But I did try booze! I used it for relief, to combat shyness, you name it. And I was a good drunk in the sense that most people never knew I was drunk.

Except my late doctor, Beverly Hills' Paul Berns who warned me many times (so many, in fact, that I stopped going to him for a while) that I was (in essence) travelling a highway to nowhere.

I thought he was crazy.

I was very very lucky in the sense that I never had an accident while drinking, because like a lot of drunks, I did drive.

And because I was on television a lot and had done a lot of charity favors for cops, I was given a lot of "passes" after being stopped for weaving or exhibiting some other "tell tale" sign that cops are trained to spot.

I knew I was spiraling downward, but I didn't seek help. In my case, someone (for who knows what reason) decided to speak to me about a problem that seemed to have escalated to a possible dangerous point.

I am now "outing" that person for the first time. The person who took the time to speak to me in language that made sense (to me) was LAPD Sergeant Dennis Zine who is now a Councilman for the city of Los Angeles and might well one day be the Mayor of Los Angeles. When Councilman Zine reads this, it will be the first time that he will learn that I quit drinking because of him. And that was more than 16 years ago.

I believe that Lindsay Lohan has the capability of becoming our next Elizabeth Taylor as an actress. Talent like that shouldn't end up in a box at an early age. She's in rehab now. I hope she finds her Dennis Zine there, because like I was, she is on the highway to nowhere.

KOBE BRYANT:

Has Kobe said something else in the last few minutes? I mean, somebody get him a sedative or something. In the last 48 hours it's hard to keep up with what he wants, doesn't want, etc.

In the (who knows how many) interviews he's done the last two days, the one thing that remains constant is that he's unhappy. Wellll...now he has something in common with most of the rest of us so we (again) learn that money doesn't buy happiness.

I'm reminded of an old country song sung by the late Tammy Wynette; "Stand By Your Man". When Kobe Bryant had that messy problem in Colorado, a lot of people would have understood if the Lakers had decided to get rid of him. The Lakers didn't. In fact, they bent over backwards for him. In other words, they did the Tammy Wynette thing. To pop off publicly the way Kobe's popping off instead of expressing his concerns behind closed doors, is behavior exhibited by one who is living in a "me, me, me" world.

LAW & ORDER HAS LOST THEIR DISTRICT ATTORNEY:

When NBC's long running "Law & Order" show resumes next season, Fred Thompson won't be playing the role of Arthur Branch. Thompson told Law & Order's executive producer Dick Wolf he is leaving because of "creative and scheduling constraints of the upcoming season".

In other words, even though he hasn't said so publicly, Fred Thompson's going to become a candidate to be President of the United States.

And if he changes his mind? Oh, I imagine Law & Order would find a place for him.

AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION PROBLEM READING TIP:

On the back page of the June 4 issue of Newsweek Magazine, George Will's column is titled, "Out of What Shadows".

Sometimes Will writes in a way that is "too smart for the room", but if you care about the illegal immigration problem, this is a very interesting column.

EDITOR's NOTE: If you read this before pictures have been added, come back! Pictures will be up soon! A new blog is written every morning, Monday through Friday and is posted between 7 and 7:15. Comments and or suggestions should be written to scottstjames@sbcglobal.net I do write back.

TOMORROW:

The illegal immigration problem solved the Ronald Reagan way.