One step forward, two steps back

Troubled Hollywood starlet Lindsay Lohan has failed a drug test and could face being back behind bars for breaching her bail terms.

The actor, who was released from rehab last month after serving just three weeks of a six-month jail sentence over a drunk-driving case, failed the test for cocaine last week, said People magazine and TMZ.com

In a surprising, but refreshing change, Lohan has admitted via Twitter that she has failed the drug test just weeks after leaving rehab. “Regrettably, I did in fact fail my most recent drug test and if I am asked, I am prepared to appear before Judge Fox next week as a result,” Lohan tweeted on Friday.

“Substance abuse is a disease which unfortunately doesn’t go away overnight. I am working hard to overcome it and am taking positive steps forward every day. I am testing every single day and doing what I must do to prevent any mishaps in the future. This was certainly a setback for me but I am taking responsibility for my actions and I’m prepared to face the consequences,” she added.

The young star was released last month, but a judge said she would remain under tabs for two months. Although no court date has been set, Lohan now must head back to the Beverly Hills courthouse before Judge Elden S Fox, who had earlier vowed to send her back to jail for 30 days should she flub a drug test.

Lohan was sentenced on July 6 to 90 days in jail and another 90 days in rehab for violating her probation in a drunk-driving case. But due to jail overcrowding she served just 13 days, before being sent to the detox facility.

The queen of Hollywood nights and a favourite target of the paparazzi was a former Disney child star and was once considered one of the most promising female actors of her generation. But Lohan’s career has dipped many times since 2005 amid legal woes, stops in rehab and cinematic flops. In 2008, the star of The Parent Trap, Mean Girls and Bobby received two Razzie Awards, the satirical prizes presented to Hollywood’s worst acting performances.

The actor was arrested three years ago for driving under the influence, and again two months after that for drunk driving and cocaine possession - but served a mere 84 minutes in jail after the arrests.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 19^th, 2010.