Amy Winehouse released from rehab too soon?

This past week, Amy Winehouse canceled her tour after appearing intoxicated and unable to perform at a concert in Serbia. This comes on the heel of a short stint in rehab, which lasted only seven days. So it begs the question: was Winehouse released from rehab too soon, and was she because she was a celebrity?

We’ve seen it before. In 2004, Whitney Houston checked into rehab for just five days for dependence on prescription pills. After checking out, she went further downhill and within the next year she re-checked into another rehab center for an entire month. She seemed to do okay afterwards but in 2010, the short stays would prove worthless as she, like Winehouse, canceled concert dates in 2010.

In both cases, the stars were pushed by their internal team to tour, the most lucrative part of being in the music business. It’s clear that there were many signs that the stars were not ready but the almost guaranteed cash cow won out. Sometimes stars with addiction do somehow actually get through the tour without having to cancel dates. But is it their team’s responsibility to stop things before it’s too late?

Michael Jackson is another example. He never really went to rehab, but his troubles were clear. His addiction to powerful anesthetic Propofol was not treated before he was pushed into grueling tour dates. He clearly was not ready for it yet his team allowed him to continue.

In all cases, experts say they should have stayed in rehab for at least six months, which is then followed by intensive outpatient care. The problem sometimes starts there. Some clinics don’t have the patient’s best interest at heart. For example, it’s well known some facilities treat celebrities differently from the average patient — to the point where they are not given full treatment and coddled too much. All in hope of getting publicity and other high profile clients.

There’s clearly an epidemic in the Hollywood scene, from rehab centers to internal teams. Something needs to be changed before another star is driven to the edge and ends up in a situation where millions of fans are mourning instead of cheering.

What responsibilities should a star’s team have? How much control should a star have on his or her tour dates in situations like these?