Dr. Drew, Back for Celeb Rehab 2 and Talking Sex, Drugs and the New Media Meanness

If it didnamp8217t mean a drastic cut in income Dr Drew Pinsky would make a terrific Surgeon General Heamp8217s already the bestknown and most trusted practicing physician for several generations of teens whoamp8217ve heard his latenight radio callin show Loveline still heard on 100 stations and the Internet five nights a week Now a year into a second daytime radio talker Dr Drew Live on Westwood One and with a new weeknight series Sexamp8230with Mom and Dad running on MTV heamp8217s also promoting the return this Thursday Oct 23 of the reality hit Celebrity Rehab with Dr Drew on VH1 10 pm ET The show nicknamed CR2 documents the recovery process for a group of alcohol and drugaddicted faded stars and starlets Thereamp8217s also Sober House a still hushhush 2009 VH1 project billed as a amp8220sequelamp8221 to Celeb RehabPinsky also has a new book coming out early next year The Mirror Effect How Celebrity Narcissism Is Seducing America He is the media medical man who seems to have all the answersamp8230and no time for a day offTV Maven caught amp8220Dr Drewamp8221 for a quick chat between planes recently Heamp8217d just spoken to a college crowd on a Florida campus and was on his way to New York City for a round of talk show appearances for CR2 Checking in this season for inpatient rehabilitation were Gary Busey Jeff Conaway back for another try after dropping out of the program last year Conawayamp8217s girlfriend Vicki American Idol finalist Nikki McKibbin actress Tawny Kitaen model Amber Smith rock drummer Steven Adler Sean Stewart son of Rod and LA riot beating victim Rodney King Hereamp8217s a look at promo footage from the opening episodeAfter Celeb Rehab premiered last year you were very complimentary of Jeff Olde Executive Vice President at VH1 for how he had left you and your production team alone during the shooting process Was the network as handsoff as before or did they try push the second season in some new directionDr Drew There was a certain amount of anxiety this time because it was such a different group of addicts The anxiety was on the producersamp8217 end Thereamp8217s a steep learning curve for TV people about what this thing is Our show runners this time were all new people As usual you start out with them saying amp8220Weamp8217ll take them the recovering addicts into the woods and build a fireamp8221 And weamp8217re constantly having to tell people to forget everything they know about TV and reality shows The greatest struggle was aboutamp8230well this was a very resistant group of patients It meant extremely heavy lifting for me Itamp8217s tough enough getting a motivated addict into the game These werenamp8217t always so motivated They do come around Gary Busey was one of the most resistant Not only did he have dependence on prescription meds Busey also seems to have residual cognitive problems from the brain injuries he suffered in that 1988 motorcycle accidentDr Drew Yes there was something going on But he deserved a chance at treatment as much as anyone else Heamp8217s got some significant issues Every addict has them We had to really address each of those problems We really worked him up medically He benefited Heamp8217s much more on this planet now Heamp8217s kind of a pleasure to talk to now He was really in trouble when he came in People recoiled from him Now heamp8217s engaging I hope he continues Heamp8217s a fantastic success I talked to him yesterday Heamp8217s doing well But yes he was difficultIn the opening episode Vicki Jeff Conawayamp8217s spooky girlfriend shows up and announces she wants to check in for rehab too Was that prearranged or something spontaneous that was caught on cameraDr Drew We had no idea that was coming What the hell We had no idea what to do My sense was she was angling to come on the TV show My thing was amp8220No Iamp8217d like to treat you but this is not possibleamp8221 Then we came up with the idea of putting her in the other unit the one Jessica Sierra another participant in Celeb Rehab last year is living in by court order In fact Jessica was her roommate Iamp8217m not sure how much youamp8217ll see of Vicki on cameraWhat was the roughest moment of Celeb Rehab 2Dr Drew The night Jeff Conaway called the Pasadena police and said he was being held against his will that heamp8217d been kidnapped The police came and I had to come down to the hospital and answer questions That was rough I thought Iamp8217d have a strokeWeamp8217ve heard only a few hints about Sober House the amp8220sequelamp8221 to Celeb Rehab 2 You have mentioned it on your radio shows a few times What can you say about itDr Drew It comes on VH1 in January but I canamp8217t say too much about it yet You get to see what happens next to a group of the Celeb Rehab people after their 21 days of rehab People from this season and some from Season 1 share a sober living facility and continue their recoveryThat includes Andy DickDr Drew Andyamp8217s there That was another incredible experience We havenamp8217t even begun editing the footage yetOn the MTV show running now Sexamp8230with Mom and Dad we see you working with families from all over the country as they learn the truth about their sexually promiscuous kids What were the logistics Did you really go to St Louis Miami and Dallas to counsel these folksDr Drew Originally the producers wanted me to go to five different cities but unlike every other doctor on television I actually have a license and I canamp8217t practice outside California So they brought everyone to LA and I met with each family They did a great job casting the families I had great affection for every one of them It was a lovely experience Lots of these kids were changed by the experienceWhat did you learn from talking to parents who had no idea their kids had so many sex partnersDr Drew The single most common theme in this group was this very deep fear that if they brought up the topic with their kids they felt deeply theyamp8217d be encouraging the behavior What they learned is that when they begin discussing sex in a more dynamic way suddenly the kids go from amp8220my parents are lecturing meamp8221 to hearing for the first time that their parents have done things they can relate to and learn from Thatamp8217s quite a triumph Once again this was a show where producers came at me and I said if Iamp8217m going to do it I have to do my way And they let me I spent at least five hours with each family From my standpoint thatamp8217s a luxury that you donamp8217t have in clinical practiceThree TV shows two daily radio shows writing books an ongoing medical practice amp8211 whatamp8217s chasing you Dr DrewDr Drew I was very much looking forward to distilling things down this year But on TV there are so many different platforms that itamp8217s about throwing amp8220Samp8221 at the wall and seeing what sticks Then opportunities come and you try to explore them In the next year Iamp8217d like to cut back some But recently my wife called me and said amp8220Say yes to everythingamp8221 We have triplets whoamp8217ll be 16 in November Theyamp8217re going to college soon Thatamp8217s a lot of tuitionDo your kids watch your TV showsDr Drew Sexamp8230with Mom and Dad is sort of weird for them But Celeb Rehab they really like They liked meeting the people that were on it They couldnamp8217t wait to meet themWith all your TV success now will you stick with LovelineDr Drew Contractually Iamp8217m with Loveline for another 312 years Itamp8217s been such a part of my life for so long he started cohosting for free back in 1983 that itamp8217s hard to imagine not doing it I still enjoy it Itamp8217s something that is so familiar that there is a great freedom there that I canamp8217t achieve anywhere elseAnd the new bookamp8230Dr Drew The manuscript just went in to the publisher Itamp8217s a spinoff of a study we did on celebrity narcissism a few years ago Iamp8217ve developed the ideas more fully in terms of what it means that these particular people have been elevated to celebrity status Why are we are so focused on this population and why do they evoke such collective envy There seems to be such a desire in media now to tear down famous people Iamp8217ve never seen it at a higher pitchYouamp8217ve been the focus of some of that recently with slams by the LA Times and a rather ugly verbal tussle with the Scientologists over things you said about Tom Cruise in a Playboy interviewDr Drew It was really baffling to me and showed me how seriously dangerous it is how powerful this has become Thereamp8217s no restraint on the attacks Thatamp8217s what concerns me When I was the object of thatamp8230wow it felt to meamp8230well I have grave concerns about the fun that people in media are having at the expense of othersSounds like your book has a sequel coming too Thanks for the time Dr DrewDr Drew Always a pleasureamp160amp160amp160

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Dr. Drew, Back for Celeb Rehab 2 and Talking Sex, Drugs and the New Media Meanness

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Elaine Liner

AARP and the Ad Council Encourage People in Their “Pretirement” Years to Take Key Steps Toward Saving - Ad Council InSites

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Dr. Drew, Back for Celeb Rehab 2 and Talking Sex, Drugs and the New Media Meanness

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