A CYNTHIA MCFADDEN REPORT: DANIEL BALDWIN'S FIGHT FOR HIS LIFE, ON "PRIMETIME: FAMILY SECRETS," TUESDAY, JULY 17 ON ABC

Drug addiction is a secret that can hide in plain sight. This week "Primetime: Family Secrets" reports on an addict whose out of control behavior has always been just a camera click away -- Daniel Baldwin. How did he get that way, and can he stop? And what do his famous brothers think? Cynthia McFadden is with him every step of the way through his ninth stint in at rehab � this one could be his last chance -- on "Primetime: Family Secrets," TUESDAY, JULY 17 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

The hour delves into the mind of an addict, and the step-by-step, sometimes excruciating, process of ridding the mind of a drug that has taken hold of it. Baldwin gives "Primetime" unprecedented access over seven months, as he goes into one of the most luxurious celebrity rehabilitation centers in Malibu. He has struggled with addiction for 18 years and, with financial, health and legal problems looming, "Primetime" cameras track his ups and downs, his successes and failures at the $50,000 a month rehabilitation center. He tells McFadden: "I pray on my knees and I say, please forgive me for what I've done, give me another chance..."

Daniel Baldwin is just one of 23 million Americans who are struggling with drugs or alcohol. Addiction is a powerful and progressive disease that touches 25% of American families, affects all classes, races and genders, and can bring even the strongest to their knees. What lessons can this 46-year-old addict share with others who suffer from the same disease? What steps can he take, and what lessons will he learn as he tries to help himself?

Baldwin speaks candidly with McFadden about the distinction between himself and the disease: "There's the person that's the addict, and then there's the person that's who you are. I prefer to say that I am a beautiful person. But the addict is a horrible person. The addict will screw you over and lie to you and do all kinds of things." But before he can get better, Baldwin will need to examine the wreckage of his past and search for healthy alternatives to using drugs once he leaves the safe confines of rehab.

In the course of talking about his life, he discusses what it was like growing up as one of six Baldwin children. He also muses on the excess and celebrity of being a Hollywood star and what it felt like to be so low that he was arrested in cheap motels and locked up in jail. When failure and relapse is the norm, hope and taking it one day at a time is all he has left. Cynthia McFadden is with Baldwin throughout this raw tumultuous journey. Will this attempt be the one that finally changes his life?

David Sloan is the executive producer of "Primetime: Family Secrets."