When news circulated last week that Lindsay Lohan had hired attorney Robert Shapiro, I believed that things were finally looking up for the troubled star. Shapiro, whose son died from a drug overdose five years ago, clearly understands the disease of addiction — and seemed to have a sincere interest in ensuring Lindsay’s recovery. That is, until he mysteriously quit her case Monday night, just hours before she “surrendered” for her 90-day prison term.

Lindsay no longer has Shapiro in her corner, but watching her estranged father and “friends” on Larry King Live on Tuesday night, I realized that what she really needs is a “dream team” of a different sort. I’m not talking about agents or PR reps who could remake her image. I’m referring to a dedicated team of treatment professionals and other recovery supporters who could help her get back on track.

After her stint in jail — which is likely to be around three weeks — she’ll head to three months of mandated in-patient drug treatment. Some commentators have suggested that treatment won’t work for Lindsay unless she’s ready to admit she needs it, but people who become addicted are rarely able to see that their behavior is out of control before others do. Research has shown that those who are coerced into treatment by the criminal justice system can be just as successful as those who seek treatment voluntarily. That said, barring a miracle or a spiritual epiphany, 90 days of treatment will not be enough to change Lindsay’s behavioral patterns. After all, she’s been in rehab three times before — without much success.

What will make the difference this time is if she remains in residential treatment for an extended period of time — at least six months, followed by a minimum of six months of outpatient care and ongoing monitoring. At the beginning, she should not head to a transitional living facility as she did in the days leading up to her surrender. Her best shot at recovery will be an intensive, medically based program where doctors and other addiction specialists are on staff — and are actively involved with the treatment plan.

According to probation reports, Lindsay has been taking a dangerous cocktail of pills, including the powerful opiate painkiller Dilaudid — leading her father and others to suspect prescription drug addiction. According to SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, “The non-medical use of prescription drugs is now the second most prevalent form of illicit drug use in the nation.” In May of 2008, my stepson died from mixing alcohol with prescription drugs, so I know first-hand that prescription medications can be just as lethal as heroin. If it turns out that Lindsay is, in fact, abusing prescription meds, she’ll need a team of experts to work with her and with each other: a psychiatrist who is highly skilled in psycho-pharmacology, a pain specialist and a host of other substance abuse professionals.

Additionally, the criminal justice system should remain involved to ensure that Lindsay’s progress and her drug use is continually monitored — and that she stays engaged with the process. In the treatment system, those who have the most success are those who are monitored for a considerable length of time. This type of supportive monitoring will hold Lindsay accountable and offer her additional treatment if she veers off course.

The eventual goal for Lindsay — or for anyone who struggles with substance abuse — is independence and self-management. Like diabetes, addiction is a chronic condition. However, relapse is not inevitable. Just as diabetics must monitor their disease and adjust their medications, Lindsay must learn to adjust the volume and intensity of her recovery support for the rest of her life. She needs a “dream team,” but she also needs to keep her eyes on the prize. This could be her moment to get it right.

Read more: Lindsay Lohan Jail, Robert Shapiro, Lindsay Lohan, Treatment and Recovery, Lindsay Lohan Drug Treatment, Entertainment News

I was on TV on Tuesday, no thanks to Lindsay Lohan. Drama like this could only happen in Los Angeles. You see, I wrote an amazing book called The Dead Janitors Club a little while back; I know it was amazing because one reviewer called me “a real life character out of a Chuck Palahniuk novel” and another reviewer said I was “the new Mark Twain.” That does make the book sound pretty damn amazing, right? Well, like you probably would if it was your book, I bought right into the hype and happily accepted the compliments (at least I think the first one was a compliment…). I was on top of the world (in the metaphorical sense only, I hate to travel). I’d just completed a radio interview with Canada (yup, the whole country) in which, amongst other things, I’d taught a Canadian lady how to get fox piss out of a Winnebago (you really should have been listening). Even mighty KTLA and their television morning show wanted a piece of me.

I really was feeling a bit like the new Mark Twain, Twain 2.0 (say “Twain 2.0” in a funky robot voice and you’ll get just a taste of what I was feeling). And then came Lindsay.

Lindsay has held dominion over the tabloids for the past couple of years so you’d think that there was nothing else she could do that would be deemed “newsworthy.” Well, that’s what I thought at least. I arrived at the TV studio early in the morning toting a box full of props and a certain bleary charm manufactured by a long night of sleepless angst. I’d never really been on television before, much less for doing something interesting and laudable and it hadn’t helped that my publicist had informed me the night before that I would no longer be a “talking head,” I was going to have to put on a full demonstration–How the Crime Scene Cleaner turned Author Cleans Things. I’d gone to the store for the requisite items only hours before I was to arrive in Los Angeles and teach the 2nd largest TV market in the nation (curse you, New York!) how to get blood, vomit, and pee (no, you’re thinking of either Blood Sweat & Tears, or, if you’re black, Earth, Wind & Fire) out of household items.

As I sat in the Green Room making small talk with one of the guys from the show “The Bachelor”, and being ignored by some actor from some TV show I’d never heard of (Okay, I had heard of it, I was just bitter that he ignored me), I began to grow nervous. Lindsay had surrendered, she was on her way into the hoosegow, and a little picture-in-picture box at the corner of the TV was monitoring her trip. As the hour wiled away, and the others went on the air, I sat, nervous, and definitely not feeling very Twain 2.0 (here, say “Twain 2.0” like you’re a dying Walkman to experience how I was feeling). This had been my chance to do my little monkey dance for the world and I was ready! Little sleep, little preparation, and lots of Green Room fruit had pushed me to the brink and it was MY moment. Besides, I’d had to beg my boss to let me off for the day to come in for the live performance, and as such it was also a “now or never” moment.

I stood on the stage ready for MY moment, awaiting the return from commercial that would signal ascension to my rightful place as “temporary prince of daytime news in the 2nd biggest TV market” (yes, it’s a real title– it’s only slightly less respected than a spot as the “before guy” in a Noxzema commercial). And then, Lindsay reached the jail.

KTLA returned from commercial not focused on me, beaming beside a copy of my book, but full-screen on Lindsay. One of the show runners said in my direction “I’m sorry, but we gotta bump you… it’s Lindsay!” Lindsay, Lindsay, Lindsay! My one day off… my one shot at fame, GONE. My book was crap and I knew it, my sweet Twain 2.0 moniker was a house of cards in a hurricane. I was just some loser not even destined to follow the guy from The Bachelor. In Los Angeles terms, I was “finito” (Jesus, my high’s are high and my lows are LOW). It all seemed so damn bleak. And then:

Sweet miracle of miracles, the car ferrying Lindsay to jail drove into an access tunnel and there was only empty asphalt left for the helicopters to film. This might have passed for interesting television in the 3rd largest market, Chicago, but it certainly didn’t fly in Los Angeles. “We’ve got three minutes,” the show runner yelled pointing at me. Automatically, I began my little performance and didn’t stop till the host cut me off to say we were out of time. But by that point, it didn’t matter. I was back– Twain 2.0: Bigger and faster. My book sales on Amazon.com marginally increased that day. Suck on that, temporary prince of Chicago.

Read more: Book News, Jeff Klima, Lindsay Lohan, Dead Janitors Club, Lindsay Lohan Arrest, Books News

Asked how Lohan is faring, the source replied: “She looks beautiful. She is just doing what she has got to do right now.” Lohan’s lawyer, Shawn Chapman Holley, echoed that, telling PEOPLE: “She’s actually doing quite well.”

Lohan’s mother Dina and sister Ali, along with business manager Lou Taylor visited Lohan for about 30 minutes on Wednesday. A family friend tells PEOPLE that Dina and Ali are “devastated” but resilient.

Read more: Lindsay Lohan Jail, Lindsay Lohan, Entertainment News

News you can use.

Read more: Whale Crushes Boat, Lindsay Lohan, General Motors, Emt Murder, Lindsay Lohan Jail, Slidepollajax, Gm, Mta, New York News, New York News

Everyone has an opinion about Lindsay Lohan. Some are content to put her in the pokey and throw away the key, others are willing to overlook any number of indiscretions and marry her on sight.

Whatever your LiLo-pinion, it’s undeniable that the young starlet has done her share of charity work and has been active in a number of causes over the years. Check out some of the most prominent and lend your voice — does she really care or is it all a big publicity stunt?

Read more: Slidepollajax, Lindsay Lohan Videos, Lindsay Lohan, Lindsay Lohan Photos, Lindsay Lohan Charity Auction, Lindsay Lohan in India, Lindsay Lohan 6126, Lindsay Lohan Jail, Lindsay Lohan Charity, Lindsay Lohan Human Trafficking, Lilo, Impact News