Friends Fear Kim Richards Has Relapsed, Is Abusing Pain Pills
July 26 2012, Published 5:00 a.m. ET
By Breaking Celebrity News Staff
Concerns are growing over Kim Richards' sobriety as friends fear the recently rehabbed reality star has relapsed and is abusing pain pills, Breaking Celebrity News is exclusively reporting.
As we previously reported, the Real Housewife star was forced by Bravo executives to undergo treatment for her substance abuse issues last year after her behavior became more and more erratic and worrying. Richards completed a 30-day stint in rehab and was released in January.
However, despite several months of clean and healthy living, the 47-year-old self-confessed alcoholic appears to be slipping back into her bad old ways again.
"Kim has appeared to be totally stoned whenever I've seen her recently," a source close to the former child star tells Breaking Celebrity News. "Her speech is slurred, her eyes are glassy and she's incoherent at times.
"She recently had a nose job and was prescribed pain pills to help her through the recovery and she appears to have developed a real liking for them.
"Addiction specialists advise all recovering addicts not to undergo any elective surgeries for at least a year after leaving treatment, for this very reason. A person that has substance abuse issues should not have ready access to strong, addictive medications, it's just begging for trouble.
"Kim was taking Vicodin for the pain while she recovered from the surgery and Ambien to help her sleep, and judging by her recent behavior, in my opinion, she is still taking them, in some quantity.