Artie Lange - Lange Takes Aim At Celebrity Rehab

Outrageous American comedian ARTIE LANGE has taken aim at the producers of hit U.S. reality show CELEBRITY REHAB - insisting the popular programme exploits stars seeking help with their addictions.

A regular on shock jock Howard Stern's radio show, Lange was offered a spot on the series after years of publicly battling his own drug demons.

He pleaded recently guilty to driving under the influence of drugs in July (09), and confessed to police he had a prescribed sleeping pill in his system - but insists he is eight months sober from heroin and hasn't taken cocaine since 1997.

And now he's certain he made the right decision to get clean and sober without the help of Celebrity Rehab's Dr. Drew - because he questions if producers would jeopardise his sobriety for the sake of TV drama.

He tells the New York Post, "They offered me 200 grand ($200,000/£125,000) to do Celebrity Rehab. I love Dr. Drew... but I don't think that's helping (relapsed actor) Jeff Conaway... They said it was about me getting better, but if I relapsed, they're not going to air that? My mother knows I've done coke (cocaine), but she's never seen me do it."