Jeff Conaway Says Scientology and John Travolta Have Cured His Drug Addiction

Jeff Conaway has reportedly kicked his drug habit--thanks to Scientology and John Travolta. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, "the 57-year-old star, who battled addictions to cocaine, alcohol and painkillers on the reality TV show 'Celebrity Rehab,' claims he was introduced to the controversial religion by his "Grease" co-star John Travolta, and his newfound belief has cured his need for the damaging substances."

Are you buying it?

"Inside Edition" featured Jeff Conaway tonight in a segment where he talked about his Scientology miracle. Conaway struggles with chronic back pain, to which he attributes his addiction to prescription pain medications (he is also an opiate addict and alcoholic--and pretty much a user of all things narcotic). On "Inside Edition," Conaway was shown wearing a back brace for his pain. Conaway still slurs his speech, so it is difficult to tell from listening to him that he is clean and sober. We'll just have to take his word for it--afterall, addicts are known for honesty and integrity, right? Right...

Like many of you reading this article, I have been watching Jeff Conaway on VH1's "Celebrity Rehab." Jeff came into the show's "rehab house" looking like he had just suffered a serious stroke. He could barely string two words together. He couldn't walk at all and was completely wheelchair bound. He truly seemed like a lost cause. Not only was Jeff Conaway physically and mentally impaired, but he also seemed to think that his addiction was incurable. Plus, his girlfriend was a total enabler who seemed to have addiction problems herself.

The odds have been stacks against Conaway's successful drug rehabilitation. It is clear from this new news about his Scientology cure that he did not stay clean after "Celebrity Rehab." Dr. Drew was not able to get Conaway off drugs, but it appears (for right now, at least), that John Travolta was able to break through the addiction by introducing Conaway to the world of scientology.

Scientology is such a mystery to me--even though it certainly hasn't been shorted on media attention (read: scrutiny). So what is it all about? I had to find out, so I looked for a brief synopsis online, and this is what I have found, courtesy of wordnet.princeton.edu: "[Scientology is] a new religion founded by L. Ron Hubbard in 1955 and characterized by a belief in the power of a person's spirit to clear itself of past painful experiences through self-knowledge and spiritual fulfillment." Oh you still don't get it? Yeah... neither do I. But you know what? If it actually is powerful enough to cure drug addiction, maybe there is something valid to it. Maybe it is too narrow-minded to cast it off as a cult of crazies, especially without developing a full understanding of what it's all about. Or maybe--just maybe--John Travolta is God.

http://www. wordnet.princeton.edu

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=7&entry_id=24683