'Glee' star Cory Monteith is free again! 28 days of rehab completed. Check! Back into the arms of ever-supportive girlfriend Lea Michele. Check! Clean and sober. Check! (Of course, that's just a hope and assumption on my part.) Now it's smooth sailing and happy days forever, right? Well, not really. As any sober person can tell you, the days following rehab or the first month in a 12-step program are grueling for an addict. However, they're nothing compared to the 30 days that follow.

Will Cory Monteith make it? Does he have what it takes to stay clean and sober this time?

It was back in September that Green Day singer Billie Joe Armstrong went to rehab, but nobody really knew why he was there. Well, we knew his onstage "I'm not f*cking Justin Bieber, you motherf*ckers" meltdown was the tipping point, but we didn't know anything specific about his addiction. But we'll have plenty of details when the new issue of Rolling Stone hits newsstands with the exclusive cover story "Billie Joe: The Road Back from Hell," in which the frontman opens up about his "years of alcohol and prescription drug abuse."

No word yet on which prescription drugs were the problem, but this still comes as a surprise to some -- after all, it was kind of a big deal when Billie Joe gave up getting stoned (if you've ever listened to any early Green Day lyrics, you understand why). But his experience just serves as yet another example of the dangers of "legal" drugs, particularly when combined with alchohol. Seriously, things were NOT good ...

Since 37-year-old country singer and Celebrity Rehab alumnus Mindy McCready took her own life last week, there's been a lot of criticism directed at Dr. Drew Pinksy, the addiction specialist known for leading McCready and many other stars struggling with substance abuse through 21 days of televised treatment. Out of the nine cast members who participated in the same season as McCready (the show's third season), three have since died; McCready was the fifth Celebrity Rehab contestant to die in the past two years.

Not a great track record for Dr. Drew or the show, I suppose -- and reason enough for those who've dismissed Celebrity Rehab as exploitative from the start to feel justified in their opinion. Still. In all fairness, can the average not-on-television rehab program for non-famous types claim a higher rate of success?

I wasn't particularly surprised to learn that the results of a second inquest into the tragic death of Amy Winehouse merely confirmed the original coroner's report: The 27-year-old singer died of alcohol poisoning. I was however, saddened. Again. Because Winehouse was young and talented and it's absolutely tragic that her life was cut short. But also because I can't help but feel that a common misconception contributed to her demise: That alcohol is somehow less dangerous than the other (illegal) substances Winehouse worked so hard to give up: Heroin. Crack cocaine. Marijuana. Yes, these drugs are illegal. Yes, alcohol is perfectly legal. But numbers don't lie: According to the statistics, alcohol is the deadliest substance of all.

Ahhh, New Year's Eve ... That time of year when drinks flowing freely are a built-in tradition, a bubbly, sparkly part of the celebration. No matter what your vice of choice is before the clock strikes midnight -- be it a Resolution Cocktail or champagne cupcakes or even just good ol' fashioned beer -- we all occasionally have the tendency to overdo it. Or find out that even a couple of glasses of wine is "overdoing" it, as far as our tolerance is concerned. And then we pay for it the next day. Ugh, such a bummer.

But it doesn't have to be that way! Although they may all sound like total old wives' tales, there are some legit, science-proven ways to prevent a hangover and cure one, too ...

All right New Year's Eve revelers, how are you getting home tonight? This year AAA is helping out with their "Tipsy Tow" service. You may have seen the announcement via Facebook -- call this number, get towed for free?

But hold on a minute! The Tipsy Tow is available in select AAA clubs in only 17 states. It sounds like a pretty cool service where it's available, but regardless AAA recommends we all line up a designated driver for tonight. But there are a few other similar programs around the country worth checking out.

It’s not rocket science: smoking is bad for you. Let’s take thousands of chemicals, wrap them up with nicotine-rich tobacco, light the end on fire, suck the smoke down our lungs, and watch what happens!

Hello, lung cancer.

But people have vices, and everyone gets to choose their own favorites. I suppose people smoke for the same reasons they drink -- it’s calming, it takes the edge off, or it's just plain old habit. The difference with cigarettes is that many smokers would like to quit but don’t feel like they can.

Last week, my 10-year-old son walked in and proclaimed, "Well, I learned some pretty inappropriate stuff in class today." Like most fifth graders, my kid rarely complains about hearing something he's not supposed to, but as it turned out, he was right ... or was he?

That day, a drugs and narcotics officer spoke to the class, which was all well and good. I'm sure I signed off on that lesson at some point. Though I don't recall signing off on a discussion that involved club drugs, pill parties, and roofies.

Yep, you heard me. Apparently, this lesson covered everything from the usual substances to why you should never leave your drink unattended in a club. Really?