http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/howard_gensler/7878271.html
WHILE WORD is filtering through the TMZ.com grapevine about Paris Hilton's life behind bars - it's cold, uncomfortable, the blankets are threadbare, the beds are hard and the food is lousy - the Star is reporting on Lindsay Lohan's first few days in rehab.
The paper says that when Lindsay arrived on May 28, she was in such bad shape that the Promises staff prepared for the worst.
"She looked dead," says a Star source. "She looked like a stray dog the pound had just taken in."
Insiders allegedly tell the Star that Lindsay's first four days were spent in detox, ridding her body of alcohol, cocaine, Percocet, Vicodin and other meds.
"She said she felt bad - really bad," says the source. But she's gone through rehab before and she said she'd be OK if she were left alone to lie down in a dark room. She apparently was a veteran who knew the drill and was 'used to doing it her own way.' "
The source says Lindsay got the "sweats" during the detox process - how could she not? - and asked only for water and crackers.
Since detox, food still has not been a priority, but Lindsay reportedly is drinking lots of coffee, sweetened with about 25 packs of Splenda.
Said a Star source: "It's typical for someone coming off cocaine, even alcohol, to load up on sweets. I've heard this can happen with almost any patient. Sugar gives you a high."
Yeah, but Splenda isn't sugar. And if it's giving her a high, why is Promises letting her ingest 25 packs at a time? We're trying to cure those addictions aren't we, not just substitute them.
Even though cell phones and BlackBerrys are not allowed in the $1,600/day Malibu facility, a Star source says Lindsay managed to get a BlackBerry in and has been pleading with "friends" to bring her just what she doesn't need - sleeping pills.
"She's in rehab because of her addiction to drugs - everything from cocaine to OxyContin and Ambien - but she's complaining she can't sleep," a "close friend" said. "She's been texting friends 24/7, begging them for pills!"
These Star sources also say that one of Lindsay's biggest concerns remains her 21st-birthday bash in Las Vegas on July 2.
Another bad sign: Lindsay is reportedly allowed off the Promises premises to attend addiction-group meetings. (You would think at a treatment center, they could muster together an addiction-group meeting.)
A good sign: Lindsay won't allow her parents to visit her.
Lastly, Lindsay has also reportedly hired a sobriety coach to be with her around the clock.
The coach's fee? $2,000 a day.
For $2,000 a day, we'll keep her sober.
* Finally, someone is listening to Tattle.
We've mentioned previously that the person Lindsay should try to learn from is unhappy-rehabber-turned-happy-mogul Drew Barrymore, and OK! magazine reports that Drew has reached out to Lindsay and offered her the opportunity to live with her after her stint at Promises.