What Goes On at Rehabs for the Stars?

Aug. 8 -- The story is all too familiar: A young star seems to have the world on a silver platter, only to be brought down by the ravages of drug or alcohol dependence.

Substance abuse is a problem that affects some 30 percent of American families, but it seems to hit harder in Hollywood.

One recent rehab check-in is Ben Affleck, who checked in a week ago for alcohol dependence and is reportedly at Promises, a sprawling, estate-like Malibu rehab center, where commedian Paula Poundstone and actors Robert Downey Jr. and Tim Allen have come for help.Too Much, Too Fast?

At 28, Affleck is already an Oscar-winning screenwriter. He teamed up with longtime friend Matt Damon, to wrote the 1997 Academy Award-winning Good Will Hunting. He's now a well-established leading man, having starred in Pearl Harbor, one of the biggest releases this summer.

But for all his success at such a young age, Affleck has a tough road ahead of him. Ironically, he recently played a recovering alcoholic in Bounce. But now he must prove he can do the same in real life. One addiction specialist told Good Morning America that fame can make coping with substance abuse problems tougher.

"It's a combination of things. One is a tendency of those of us who are caretakers to give them special consideration," relationship expert Dr. Drew Pinsky, who co-hosts the radio talk show Loveline. "Secondly, celebrities have trouble letting go and experiencing the humility to let the addictions go."

Another celebrity-specific problem: the lure of money in the entertainment industry pushes them to return to work before they have recovered, he said.

Recovery for the Rich and Famous

Affleck's father, who has also struggled with alcoholism, is a rehab counselor in California — which Pinsky said is a good sign for the young actor's recovery, since having a parent in recovery helps.

Promises has a patient limit of 12, and a staff of 10, plus extra security to keep the paparazzi away, but it all comes with a $31,000-a-month price tag.