Charlie Sheen Wants to Return to Work by the End of February

Feb. 3, 2011 — -- Despite participating in rehab from his home, Charlie Sheen wants to get back to work on his hit sitcom "Two and a Half Men" by the end of this month, according to his publicist.

When asked if the television star would be back to work by the end of February, publicist Stan Rosenfield said, "That is the date that is being targeted, and hopefully will happen."

Sheen's show, "Two and a Half Men," went on hiatus after Sheen briefly was hospitalized and entered rehab last week.

Sheen reportedly is getting help for his addiction by participating in rehab from his home. Sheen's unusual method of treating his addiction raises questions about whether he really can beat his addiction without the help of an in-patient rehab facility.

"Watching other addicted individuals come to terms with their own addiction and the effects of it on their lives" is a key part of what happens in a rehab facility, says Kristina Wandzilak, founder of Full Circle Interventions. "That is something that's missing at an in-home therapeutic setting."

Sheen was hospitalized Jan. 27 after suffering severe abdominal pains after a night of reported hard partying with a group of friends and porn stars. Following the hospitalization, Sheen checked in and out of a rehab facility, opting to get treatment from his home.

"Addicts are very manipulative individuals. We manipulate ourselves, other people, doctors, lawyers, therapists, psychiatrists, so one-on-one therapy when a person is trying to get sober is really not very effective," Wandzilak said.

Sheen's parents, Martin and Janet Sheen, reportedly are so worried about their 45-year-old son that they're considering filing for conservatorship, according to Us Weekly. A conservatorship would allow them to take legal control of his finances.

In the midst of pop singer Britney Spears' meltdown in 2008, her father won a conservatorship, but Sheen is much older. He also goes to work regularly on his hit show and has promised to get rehab on his own terms.

"The big concern is just for his well being, whether he'll survive or whether he'll live. He has five kids and a lot of people who love him very much," said Ericka Southe, a writer for US Weekly.

Charlie Sheen told E! News that reports his family is trying to obtain a conservatorship are false. He also shot down claims that "Two and a Half Men" would be cancelled.

"All crap," he told E! News.

911 Call: Sheen 'Very, Very Intoxicated'

Sheen's neighbor and close friend, Dr. Paul Nassif, called 911 the morning that a reportedly intoxicated and suffering Sheen told those partying with him at his home that he was in pain.

Nassif, a plastic surgeon, told a 911 dispatcher, "I just got a call from the residence of Charlie Sheen, from the secretary. He's saying don't call 911. He was very, very intoxicated ... also, apparently, in a lot of pain."

Nassif is the husband of the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Adrienne Maloof. The couple is close to Sheen, even hosting his wedding to Brooke Mueller at their home.

"The best thing to do in that situation is call 911," Nassif said. "[It] could have been a chest issue, stomach issue, heart issue."

"I think, at that point, we were both thinking [that] if Charlie is in pain we want to get him immediate attention," Maloof said.

It was Nassif who drove Sheen home from the hospital.

"I went over to see Charlie and Charlie was just getting ready to leave," Nassif said. "Charlie was feeling a lot better when I took him home."

On Wednesday, Sheen put out a written statement -- his first public comment since his hospitalization. He thanked fans, co-stars and CBS -- especially Les Moonves and Bruce Rosenblum -- for their support as he underwent rehab.

"I have a lot of work to do to be able to return the support I have received from so many people," Sheen's statement said. "Like Errol Flynn, who had to put down his sword on occasion, I just want to say, 'thank-you.'"

CBS executives have said that they were increasingly worried about the sitcom star but that there was little they could do because Sheen showed up to work on time and fulfilled his contract.

CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler told TV critics in Los Angeles in January that there is "a high level of concern. How could we not? This man is a father. He's got children. He has a family. So obviously, there's concern on a personal level. But you can't look at it simplistically. Charlie is professional. He comes to work. He does his job extremely well. It's very complicated."

Addiction specialist Wandzilak said that just because Sheen shows up to work does not mean he is well.

"Sure he goes to work, but that's not the same thing as having quality of life," Wandzilak said. "And he also has a whole team of people around him that are getting him to work."

Sheen Attending Rehab From Home

Getting celebrities sober can be very difficult because several people rely on that celebrity to support them financially, Wandzilak said.

"You're not just intervening on an individual, but a small industry," she said. "Charlie Sheen is a small industry and he has many people working for him and many people that need him to show up for work. ... Because they're invested in him showing up, the truth is they're going to be unable to put his health first."

On "The View," actress Whoopi Goldberg said she related to Sheen and that, for many years, she was a functioning addict.

"I went to work because I knew that if I didn't show up, a lot of people would be out of work, and I wouldn't get a check and would not have the lifestyle that I needed to buy my drugs," she said. "Until Charlie makes the decision that he's ready and willing to stop doing what he's doing because he can't do it anymore, he will do that. But he's not there yet."