Celebrity Rehab

Lindsay Lohan is fiercely defending her decision to hang with a friend who has an even more checkered past with drugs than her, and actually thinks it's a positive step for her recovery -- problem is ... she's delusional.

Sources close to Lindsay tell TMZ ... she doesn't understand why her shopping trip with Vikram Chatwal would raise concerns she's hanging with a bad crowd, and putting herself in danger of a relapse.

As we previously reported ... Chatwal was busted for drug possession in April, but avoided jail by agreeing to 12 months of in-patient rehab.

We're told Lindsay thinks Vikram is good company because, like her, he's been through several rehab stints ... and is currently in recovery.

Here's the flaw in that argument ... multiple drug counselors -- from reputable clinics -- tell us Lindsay's playing with fire by hanging with old friends connected to her partying ways.

Most counselors told us ... it's "not recommended" for recovering addicts to hang with another addict -- especially if it's been a short stretch since they got out of rehab.

Lindsay's been out for 22 days, and while it's unclear when Vikram was last in treatment ...his drug bust was just 4 months ago. Not to mention, neither volunteered for rehab, but had to be forced by a judge.

Here's a question: if Lindsay Lohan really did cut all her toxic friends out of her life ... why was she spotted hanging out with a rehabbing hotel magnate who was busted for heroin in April?

Lindsay and pal Vikram Chatwal were photographed out in NYC Tuesday, reportedly shopping together ... you know, buddy stuff.

But here's the thing: Lindsay told friends she had permanently excised all the bad influences in her life in order to focus on sobriety and kick her substance abuse issues once and for all ... so it's a little surprising to see her hanging out with this guy.

FYI, Chatwal was busted in April after cops say he tried to get on a plane with cocaine, weed, heroin and various prescription pills. He struck a plea deal that let him avoid jail if he completed 12 months of in-patient rehab.

According to media reports, Chatwal's been to rehab AT LEAST 4 times since 2009.

We're not telling Lindsay who to be friends with ... we're just asking the question.

Lindsay Lohan calmly told Oprah Winfrey she's an addict, and her poison of choice has always been alcohol, but she definitely dabbled in cocaine.

You gotta watch the way Lindsay handles herself ... she's not fidgety, which was pretty much a constant in her life until this round of rehab.

During the interview on Oprah's Next Chapter, she copped to using cocaine more than she had admitted in the past. The question -- is she really telling the truth?

Kendrick Lamar called mainstream rap on the carpet this week ... and it's clearly pissed off Diddy and his cohorts. Meanwhile more professional athletes are coming out of the closet. So we gotta ask ...

More fingerpointing in the death of "That '70s Show" star Lisa Robin Kelly ... 'cause after Kelly's boyfriend blamed her estranged husband for causing the actress to relapse ... the husband tells TMZ the fault lies with the BF.

We spoke with Kelly's estranged husband Robert Gilliam ... who tells us the only reason LRK's boyfriend trashed him to the media after she died Thursday is because "he's trying to cover his own ass."

"In the last two weeks, she called me 22 times to get away from him," Gilliam says.

Gilliam says he offered to help Lisa -- who struggled with alcohol abuse for years -- but under one condition ... she had to check in to a rehab center closer to Northe Carolina, where they lived when they were together.

Gilliam says Lisa agreed -- so he started setting things up ... but she passed away before she could make the move.

Lisa Robin Kelly was not taking any withdrawal drugs at the time she died -- at least that's what the rehab facility told law enforcement ... TMZ has learned.

Our law enforcement sources tell us ... reps from the L.A. County Coroner and L.A. County Sheriff's homicide came to Pax Rehab House in Altadena, CA Thursday afternoon, and officials from Pax said unequivocally ... they did NOT give Lisa any drugs.

TMZ broke the story ... the star of "That '70s Show" died in her sleep Wednesday night, after being admitted to the facility on Monday for alcohol abuse.

We're told law enforcement is calling Lisa's death "a mystery." There were no drugs or alcohol in her room, no vomit in her airway, and no obvious sign of trauma.

As we reported ... Lisa's boyfriend took her to the hospital Sunday, where she registered a .34 blood alcohol level, which is borderline fatal. Lisa was admitted to Pax the next day, and she had been to rehab dozens of times before -- yes, dozens.

The Coroner is doing an autopsy.

Lindsay Lohan knocked it out of the park on "Eastbound & Down" -- sources tell TMZ, she crushed her cameo Kenny Powers-style ... and even got a standing ovation from the cast and crew.

Sources close to production tell us, Lindsay didn't just conduct herself professionally while on set this week in North Carolina -- showing up on time and memorizing her lines backwards and forwards -- she was actually funny too.

As we reported, Lindsay is set to appear in the series finale, playing Kenny's illegitimate daughter.

After filming, we're told the cast and crew were so impressed by Lindsay's performance, they gave her a standing o. We're told the HBO show's co-creator Jody Hill hugged it out with Linds and thanked her for taking the gig.

Post-rehab fun fact: we're told Lindsay had a sober living coach with her the entire time she was on set.

Lisa Robin Kelly -- who played Eric Forman's older sister on "That '70s Show" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

The 43-year-old actress passed away in her sleep Wednesday night at a rehab facility in California.

We spoke with Kelly's agent who tells us the actress had just voluntarily checked herself in for treatment for an alcohol problem this past week ... and was determined to clean herself up.

The agent tells us, "She had been fighting demons for a while and finally lost her battle."

Sources tell us Lisa had been in and out of rehab centers hoping to kick her alcohol problem ... and most recently fell off the wagon after a huge dispute with her estranged husband Robert Gilliam.

Sources say ... Kelly's estranged husband beat her last May to obtain residual money from her show. He was convicted of domestic battery last month and sentenced to 3 years probation. He also served 35 days in jail for the beating.

Lisa filed for divorce from Gilliam back in July.

We're told Lisa's new boyfriend brought her to rehab again on Monday ... but she went into cardiac arrest late Wednesday night and could not be saved.

The boyfriend blames her estranged husband for the relapse.

Sources connected with the attempted rescue tell TMZ ... when emergency responders arrived at the rehab facility, they found needle marks on both of Lisa's arms.

However, her BF tells us the reason for the needle marks is that he took Lisa to a hospital on Sunday -- because she had a .34 blood alcohol level ... and nurses made multiple attempts to insert a needle into her vein to extract blood.

After several attempts, medical personnel were able to use a vein on the top of Lisa's wrist.

Kelly had been troubled for the past couple of years -- she was arrested at least 4 times in the past 3 years for DUI, spousal abuse and assault.

Besides "That '70s Show," Kelly had appeared in several TV shows and movies including "Amityville Dollhouse."

Lindsay Lohan got a surprise visit while she was ensconced in rehab -- we found out Ben Affleck had a secret meeting with her as a show of support.

Affleck -- who himself was in rehab back in 2001 -- met Lindsay somewhere away from the Cliffside rehab facility in Malibu where Lindsay was getting treatment. We're told Ben gave her guidance on how to maintain sobriety after rehab for someone in Hollywood.

We're told Ben talked to Lindsay about how to make a comeback in Hollywood -- a subject on which he's an expert. Ben talked to Lindsay about her career -- on how talented she is and how she has the ability to turn things around.

Ben also told her how supportive the entertainment community is for people who make a real effort to get better and stay clean. Our sources say the meeting really touched her.

Rehab does a body good ... as evidenced by this picture of Lindsay Lohan looking less like a blowfish and more like a completely regular human.

Lindsay Lohan is true to her word -- going out for some SOBER fun with everyone in her family ... except Dina Lohan.

Sources close to LiLo tell TMZ ... the recently rehabbed actress went to see "The Conjuring" in NYC with dad Michael Lohan, sister Ali, brother Michael Jr. and her sober companion Monday night. Afterwards they chowed down on Japanese food.

We're told everyone was stone-cold sober the entire night and they still managed to have fun. It's unclear why Dina wasn't a part of the shindig -- but we have a good guess.

Our sources say Lindsay's trying hard to keep her nose clean -- she's relying on little sis Ali for support, having already moved into her NYC apartment.

One day at a time.

Oprah just spoke about her talk with Lindsay on "Good Morning America." Oprah said she warned Lindsay not to go to Europe because "it's very hard to not go to Capri and not have a Bellini."

Lindsay Lohan will NOT be going to Europe for a 3-week vacation like she planned ... because Oprah convinced Lindsay she'd relapse if she went, TMZ has learned.

TMZ broke the story ... Lindsay booked a one-way ticket to Europe while she was still in treatment, planning to reward her successful rehab stint with a lengthy vacation in the Old World.

Lindsay's flight was scheduled to take off tonight in New York -- with no return date set -- but sources close to Lindsay tell us, the actress just pulled the plug on the trip.

We're told Oprah -- who struck a deal with Lindsay to do a post-rehab docuseries later this month -- told Lindsay she should avoid the vacation so soon after rehab because the temptation to relapse would be too great.

We're told Oprah called Lindsay multiple times over the past 24 hours to convince her to stay put ... and Lindsay bought it, believing she needs to focus on her sobriety right now -- not jetsetting around the world. Impressive.

Also, Oprah was out signing autographs today and talked about her time with LiLo ...

Lindsay Lohan is fiercely determined to live alcohol free -- and toward that end she's ridding herself of ALL traces of booze ... everywhere she goes.

Lindsay vows to stay clear of the hard stuff and not just in her home. We're told she will make demands that hotel rooms, dressing rooms ... even mama Dina's home is alcohol free when she's present. Good luck on that third one.

Fact is ... so far so good. Lindsay checked in to the Bev Hills Hotel this week and ordered the staff to remove alcohol from her room prior to her arrival.

Lindsay says she'll travel with a sober coach for at least the next week, to make sure she doesn't succumb to temptation. Ditto when she guest hosted "Chelsea Lately" ... she insisted her dressing room be stocked ONLY with non-alcoholic drinks.

To be clear ... we're not vouching for her in the long run. It's strictly one day at a time.

As Lindsay Lohan doeseth so shall her followers ... LiLo's BFF / hotel magnate Vikram Chatwal is doing time in court-ordered rehab ... just like his red-headed Goddess before him.

TMZ broke the story ... Vikram was arrested back in April for boarding a plane with a slew of drugs: cocaine, weed, heroin and various RX pills. Vikram originally pled not guilty, but then cut a deal with prosecutors,

Vikram was sentenced to 12 months of in-patient rehab. He also agreed to random drug testing.

Vikram's currently at Silver Hill hospital in New Haven, CT. If he manages to complete his stint and keep his nose clean he can avoid jail altogether.

Lindsay Lohan can take a joke -- even when she's the butt of it ... and she wasted no time teeing off on her latest rehab stint while guest hosting "Chelsea Lately."

Linds just wrapped her first gig since getting out of rehab on Tuesday -- and sources inside the show tell us she freely cracked jokes like, "I've been on a 90-day court ordered vacation."

In LiLo's defense ... she probably didn't write the jokes.

We're told Lindsay also busted on Chelsea Handler for drinking too much -- and overall was "very funny" ... especially during the round table segment with comedians Jen Kirkman and Fortune Feimster.

Linds also got some eye candy for her troubles -- getting to interview Dylan Bruce from the BBC show "Orphan Black."

Don't say Chelsea never did anything for you, Lindsay.

This is surprising ... Lindsay Lohan does NOT consider her dad to be a toxic influence -- in fact, she actually wants him to be a big part of her life while she focuses on rebuilding herself after rehab.

As we reported, Lindsay went on a friend-slashing massacre a few weeks ago while in treatment, putting together a list of the bad people she wanted to cut out of her life once she got out -- and Michael was NOT on the list.

We're told Lindsay actually wants to keep Michael around because she believes -- despite his glaring flaws -- that he's actually a positive influence on her ... and family is really important.

Even crazier ... we're told Michael was in the therapy session with Lindsay when she discussed the "bad" list. Her brother Michael Jr. was there too.