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Where Rehab Meets Reality Where Rehab Meets Reality
(8 days later)
Around dusk on Feb. 17, Dr. Drew Pinsky was sitting at the computer in his hillside home in Pasadena, Calif., when he received an e-mail from a friend with some troubling news. Mindy McCready, a 37-year-old country singer and a star of the third season of “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew,” a television show that made its debut on VH1 in 2008, had shot herself at her house in Heber Springs, Ark.Around dusk on Feb. 17, Dr. Drew Pinsky was sitting at the computer in his hillside home in Pasadena, Calif., when he received an e-mail from a friend with some troubling news. Mindy McCready, a 37-year-old country singer and a star of the third season of “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew,” a television show that made its debut on VH1 in 2008, had shot herself at her house in Heber Springs, Ark.
“She lost her battle,” Dr. Pinsky, 54, recalled the friend writing. “I sent back, ‘Did she die?’ ”“She lost her battle,” Dr. Pinsky, 54, recalled the friend writing. “I sent back, ‘Did she die?’ ”
“Yes,” the friend replied.“Yes,” the friend replied.
Ms. McCready was the fifth participant of “Celebrity Rehab” to die within two years and the third from Season 3, which ended in March 2010. When he got the e-mail, Dr. Pinsky said recently, “I don’t remember doing anything. It is not my job to do anything.”Ms. McCready was the fifth participant of “Celebrity Rehab” to die within two years and the third from Season 3, which ended in March 2010. When he got the e-mail, Dr. Pinsky said recently, “I don’t remember doing anything. It is not my job to do anything.”
The singer was no longer a patient, but a few weeks earlier they had talked and he had urged her to seek help in the aftermath of the January death of her boyfriend, a music producer named David Wilson. Ms. McCready had, but Dr. Pinsky said she left the psychiatric hospital prematurely.The singer was no longer a patient, but a few weeks earlier they had talked and he had urged her to seek help in the aftermath of the January death of her boyfriend, a music producer named David Wilson. Ms. McCready had, but Dr. Pinsky said she left the psychiatric hospital prematurely.
“I felt defeated,” he said. “The air went out of my body. I was confident that Mindy was going to take care of herself.”“I felt defeated,” he said. “The air went out of my body. I was confident that Mindy was going to take care of herself.”
It didn’t take long for the backlash to begin, particularly among those who have long claimed that Dr. Pinsky exploited celebrities too sick to withstand the scrutiny of a reality television show. In the week after Ms. McCready’s death, he appeared on “Extra” and “Access Hollywood” and was interviewed on “The View.”It didn’t take long for the backlash to begin, particularly among those who have long claimed that Dr. Pinsky exploited celebrities too sick to withstand the scrutiny of a reality television show. In the week after Ms. McCready’s death, he appeared on “Extra” and “Access Hollywood” and was interviewed on “The View.”
“I didn’t want to seem avoidant,” he said.“I didn’t want to seem avoidant,” he said.
When Sherri Shepherd of “The View” asked him if the public nature of Ms. McCready’s treatment had something to do with her death, Dr. Pinsky replied: “In a weird way I wish I could claim more responsibility for this. The reality is, though, I haven’t seen Mindy, say, in years.”When Sherri Shepherd of “The View” asked him if the public nature of Ms. McCready’s treatment had something to do with her death, Dr. Pinsky replied: “In a weird way I wish I could claim more responsibility for this. The reality is, though, I haven’t seen Mindy, say, in years.”
He said he was still shaken when he appeared on “The Dr. Oz Show” on March 5 to discuss the insidious and often fatal nature of addiction.He said he was still shaken when he appeared on “The Dr. Oz Show” on March 5 to discuss the insidious and often fatal nature of addiction.
“If we were doing a show called, ‘Cancer House,’ and people died, you’d go, ‘Well, at least you got them a few good years,’ ” Dr. Pinsky told a sympathetic Dr. Mehmet Oz, adding, “Addiction is not a curable condition.”“If we were doing a show called, ‘Cancer House,’ and people died, you’d go, ‘Well, at least you got them a few good years,’ ” Dr. Pinsky told a sympathetic Dr. Mehmet Oz, adding, “Addiction is not a curable condition.”
Though Dr. Pinsky seems genuinely saddened by the deaths of Ms. McCready and the show’s other participants, those setbacks have done nothing to slow his frenetic workload. He acknowledged that being a media personality has now become his primary career, after years treating patients with addiction issues. Still, he said he had no plans to return to “Celebrity Rehab,” although recently he has reconsidered.Though Dr. Pinsky seems genuinely saddened by the deaths of Ms. McCready and the show’s other participants, those setbacks have done nothing to slow his frenetic workload. He acknowledged that being a media personality has now become his primary career, after years treating patients with addiction issues. Still, he said he had no plans to return to “Celebrity Rehab,” although recently he has reconsidered.
He can be found five nights a week co-hosting the sex-advice radio show “Loveline,” which started his media career nearly 30 years ago when he was a medical resident. He is the host of “Dr. Drew on Call,” an hourlong talk show on the HLN news channel, as well as a frequent commentator on CNN and a reality-show guest host. (He recently moderated the “Mob Wives” reunion special.)He can be found five nights a week co-hosting the sex-advice radio show “Loveline,” which started his media career nearly 30 years ago when he was a medical resident. He is the host of “Dr. Drew on Call,” an hourlong talk show on the HLN news channel, as well as a frequent commentator on CNN and a reality-show guest host. (He recently moderated the “Mob Wives” reunion special.)
He and the comedian Adam Carolla (his most famous “Loveline” co-host), 49, take their act on tour, performing in clubs and theaters. And he continues to see patients Wednesday mornings at his office in Pasadena.He and the comedian Adam Carolla (his most famous “Loveline” co-host), 49, take their act on tour, performing in clubs and theaters. And he continues to see patients Wednesday mornings at his office in Pasadena.
But what continues to baffle Dr. Pinsky, and what resurfaced when Ms. McCready died, is that people hold him accountable long after his on-air doctoring is done.But what continues to baffle Dr. Pinsky, and what resurfaced when Ms. McCready died, is that people hold him accountable long after his on-air doctoring is done.
“They think I’m a millionaire and they think I am, like, rampaging or exploiting people to maintain that,” he said. “And that could not be farther from the truth.”“They think I’m a millionaire and they think I am, like, rampaging or exploiting people to maintain that,” he said. “And that could not be farther from the truth.”
He recalled a recent show in Redondo Beach, Calif., when an audience member grilled him about a pornographic tape made by Farrah Abraham, one of the stars of MTV’s “Teen Mom,” a show on which he was a guest host.He recalled a recent show in Redondo Beach, Calif., when an audience member grilled him about a pornographic tape made by Farrah Abraham, one of the stars of MTV’s “Teen Mom,” a show on which he was a guest host.
“Somebody went, ‘How about your teen mom Farrah and her porn tape?’ ” Dr. Pinsky said. “I went, ‘My teen mom Farrah?’ I’ve spent maybe three hours with her, probably 45 minutes across three different shows I hosted. I know her. I’m available to her. I care what happens to that young lady. But I don’t produce that show. I’m not her doctor.”“Somebody went, ‘How about your teen mom Farrah and her porn tape?’ ” Dr. Pinsky said. “I went, ‘My teen mom Farrah?’ I’ve spent maybe three hours with her, probably 45 minutes across three different shows I hosted. I know her. I’m available to her. I care what happens to that young lady. But I don’t produce that show. I’m not her doctor.”
However fleeting the contact, he said he can’t escape a negative association.However fleeting the contact, he said he can’t escape a negative association.
“She becomes my problem because of the choices she is making,” Dr. Pinsky said. “I haven’t seen her in two or three years, but I am a failure if she makes bad choices in her life. It’s like, wow.”“She becomes my problem because of the choices she is making,” Dr. Pinsky said. “I haven’t seen her in two or three years, but I am a failure if she makes bad choices in her life. It’s like, wow.”
It was lunchtime in Los Angeles on April 16 and Dr. Pinsky was already well into a 15-hour workday. Having finished two podcasts with Mr. Carolla, he drove through midday traffic to prepare for his 6 p.m. HLN show. Later, he said he dined with Mark Geragos, a lawyer who has represented Winona Ryder and Michael Jackson, then drove to Culver City, where “Loveline” was recorded live at 10 p.m.It was lunchtime in Los Angeles on April 16 and Dr. Pinsky was already well into a 15-hour workday. Having finished two podcasts with Mr. Carolla, he drove through midday traffic to prepare for his 6 p.m. HLN show. Later, he said he dined with Mark Geragos, a lawyer who has represented Winona Ryder and Michael Jackson, then drove to Culver City, where “Loveline” was recorded live at 10 p.m.
Freeway snarls are familiar to Dr. Pinsky; he grew up in Pasadena. His father, Morton Pinsky, was a physician, and his mother, Helene Stanton, a Las Vegas stage singer.Freeway snarls are familiar to Dr. Pinsky; he grew up in Pasadena. His father, Morton Pinsky, was a physician, and his mother, Helene Stanton, a Las Vegas stage singer.
“I’m a workaholic,” Dr. Pinsky said as he plopped down on a tangerine couch at Mr. Carolla’s studio. He said he began to have panic attacks at 19 and was told he had an anxiety disorder while a student at Amherst College.“I’m a workaholic,” Dr. Pinsky said as he plopped down on a tangerine couch at Mr. Carolla’s studio. He said he began to have panic attacks at 19 and was told he had an anxiety disorder while a student at Amherst College.
“I was a mess,” he said. “But I found my way through.”“I was a mess,” he said. “But I found my way through.”
He graduated in 1980 and attended medical school at the University of Southern California. Then he began hosting the “Loveline” radio show, which he did as a lark, but it taught him that the media could help educate young people about protected sex.He graduated in 1980 and attended medical school at the University of Southern California. Then he began hosting the “Loveline” radio show, which he did as a lark, but it taught him that the media could help educate young people about protected sex.
“I thought: ‘Oh, my God. I have to be next to these guys because they attract ears,’ ” he said.“I thought: ‘Oh, my God. I have to be next to these guys because they attract ears,’ ” he said.
He later opened his own medical practice and was named a medical director for the chemical dependency program at the Aurora Las Encinas Hospital in Pasadena. He said he left Aurora in 2010 after his celebrity attracted unwanted media scrutiny to the hospital after a series of unrelated patient incidents.He later opened his own medical practice and was named a medical director for the chemical dependency program at the Aurora Las Encinas Hospital in Pasadena. He said he left Aurora in 2010 after his celebrity attracted unwanted media scrutiny to the hospital after a series of unrelated patient incidents.
Dr. Pinsky described himself as a codependent personality with a perfectionist streak. And he does exhibit people-pleasing tendencies. When Mr. Carolla was ready to record, Dr. Pinsky snapped to attention.Dr. Pinsky described himself as a codependent personality with a perfectionist streak. And he does exhibit people-pleasing tendencies. When Mr. Carolla was ready to record, Dr. Pinsky snapped to attention.
“He gets mad at me,” Dr. Pinsky said with a sheepish grin as he scurried away. The two have a relationship that is sometimes uncomfortable to watch (Dr. Pinsky the empathetic listener compared to the more temperamental Mr. Carolla), but the shtick seems to work.“He gets mad at me,” Dr. Pinsky said with a sheepish grin as he scurried away. The two have a relationship that is sometimes uncomfortable to watch (Dr. Pinsky the empathetic listener compared to the more temperamental Mr. Carolla), but the shtick seems to work.
“I’m not into comedy as much as people think,” Mr. Carolla said. “And he’s not into changing people as much as people think.”“I’m not into comedy as much as people think,” Mr. Carolla said. “And he’s not into changing people as much as people think.”
Mostly, they like to perform.Mostly, they like to perform.
“Drew likes being in front of the crowd doing his thing,” Mr. Carolla said. “I don’t know whether he needs it or craves it. But he certainly finds himself in front of people on a regular basis.”“Drew likes being in front of the crowd doing his thing,” Mr. Carolla said. “I don’t know whether he needs it or craves it. But he certainly finds himself in front of people on a regular basis.”
In late March, weeks after Ms. McCready’s death, the two were at the House of Blues in Las Vegas for a stop during their “Loveline” reunion tour. To the crowd chugging cups of Mr. Carolla’s “mangria,” the comic’s acerbic wit was the draw. And even Dr. Pinsky was subjected to Mr. Carolla’s barbs.In late March, weeks after Ms. McCready’s death, the two were at the House of Blues in Las Vegas for a stop during their “Loveline” reunion tour. To the crowd chugging cups of Mr. Carolla’s “mangria,” the comic’s acerbic wit was the draw. And even Dr. Pinsky was subjected to Mr. Carolla’s barbs.
“You latch on to a fair to middling idea and then you hang on to it like a pit bull hanging onto a rope toy that has no value,” Mr. Carolla said to his co-host, taking a jab at Dr. Pinsky’s reality television credits, which include not only “Celebrity Rehab,” but spinoffs like “Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House” and “Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew.” “You’re a scholar. You are a man of science. Why? Why do you do this?”“You latch on to a fair to middling idea and then you hang on to it like a pit bull hanging onto a rope toy that has no value,” Mr. Carolla said to his co-host, taking a jab at Dr. Pinsky’s reality television credits, which include not only “Celebrity Rehab,” but spinoffs like “Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House” and “Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew.” “You’re a scholar. You are a man of science. Why? Why do you do this?”
Dr. Pinsky laughed and replied, “Wishful thinking.”Dr. Pinsky laughed and replied, “Wishful thinking.”
Later, Dr. Pinsky explained that “Celebrity Rehab” was his way of showing the public that addiction unchecked had serious consequences.Later, Dr. Pinsky explained that “Celebrity Rehab” was his way of showing the public that addiction unchecked had serious consequences.
“If doctors are not allowing ourselves to participate in the entertainment aspects, we are not going to have any impact,” he said. “The medical practice is not getting better.”“If doctors are not allowing ourselves to participate in the entertainment aspects, we are not going to have any impact,” he said. “The medical practice is not getting better.”
Supporters say it is his benevolent nature that makes him relatable on screen.Supporters say it is his benevolent nature that makes him relatable on screen.
“Although he has become a television personality, he has brought his actual personality to television,” said the actress Mackenzie Phillips, who starred in “Celebrity Rehab” with Ms. McCready.“Although he has become a television personality, he has brought his actual personality to television,” said the actress Mackenzie Phillips, who starred in “Celebrity Rehab” with Ms. McCready.
Dr. Oz, the well-known cardiothoracic surgeon, said he gets nervous when people approach him and mention that he treated a friend or family member.Dr. Oz, the well-known cardiothoracic surgeon, said he gets nervous when people approach him and mention that he treated a friend or family member.
“I always ask, ‘Are they OK?’ ” he said. Unlike Dr. Pinsky, he said he has escaped criticism in his transition to television talk-show host largely because people view heart disease differently from alcohol or drug addiction, which is just as deadly.“I always ask, ‘Are they OK?’ ” he said. Unlike Dr. Pinsky, he said he has escaped criticism in his transition to television talk-show host largely because people view heart disease differently from alcohol or drug addiction, which is just as deadly.
“The failure is not seen as my failure, it is the failure of the disease,” he said. “But Drew is criticized.”“The failure is not seen as my failure, it is the failure of the disease,” he said. “But Drew is criticized.”
Critics of “Celebrity Rehab” say medical treatment should not be confused with pop culture programs. Mary Karr, the author who has written about her battle with sobriety, said in a recent interview on the Web site “The Fix” that shows like “Celebrity Rehab” are reductive.Critics of “Celebrity Rehab” say medical treatment should not be confused with pop culture programs. Mary Karr, the author who has written about her battle with sobriety, said in a recent interview on the Web site “The Fix” that shows like “Celebrity Rehab” are reductive.
“They don’t show the psychological complexity, the real struggle and practice of what it is to have to give up the substance,” she said.“They don’t show the psychological complexity, the real struggle and practice of what it is to have to give up the substance,” she said.
Pat Taylor, the executive director of Faces and Voices of Recovery, an addiction advocacy group, said: “People being sick is not entertainment. He’s not the surgeon general. They are different roles.”Pat Taylor, the executive director of Faces and Voices of Recovery, an addiction advocacy group, said: “People being sick is not entertainment. He’s not the surgeon general. They are different roles.”
And show business often overrides the science. “We have a thing,” said Burt Dubrow, who has been the executive producer of “Dr. Drew on Call” since its debut in 2011 and has worked with other talk show hosts, including Jerry Springer and Sally Jessy Raphael. “If he gets to be too technical, I just say, ‘Huh?’ At the beginning there were a lot of huhs.”And show business often overrides the science. “We have a thing,” said Burt Dubrow, who has been the executive producer of “Dr. Drew on Call” since its debut in 2011 and has worked with other talk show hosts, including Jerry Springer and Sally Jessy Raphael. “If he gets to be too technical, I just say, ‘Huh?’ At the beginning there were a lot of huhs.”
On a breezy Tuesday afternoon in early April, Susan Pinsky, 53, sipped a caffè latte at a restaurant not far from the Upper West Side apartment she shares with her husband when they visit New York. She is petite, pretty in a pumpkin-colored leather jacket. Ms. Pinsky and her husband have been married since 1991 and have college-age triplets.On a breezy Tuesday afternoon in early April, Susan Pinsky, 53, sipped a caffè latte at a restaurant not far from the Upper West Side apartment she shares with her husband when they visit New York. She is petite, pretty in a pumpkin-colored leather jacket. Ms. Pinsky and her husband have been married since 1991 and have college-age triplets.
“We are coming off the end of a really good two years, and it looks good on paper, but it’s not forever,” Ms. Pinsky said after ticking off a list of shows her husband hosted last year. “You get a daytime product, it lasts for one season and, the next thing you know, you’ve got nothing. That’s why Drew works so much. He’s a workaholic because he has to hit while the frying pan is hot. And that’s how it’s always been.”“We are coming off the end of a really good two years, and it looks good on paper, but it’s not forever,” Ms. Pinsky said after ticking off a list of shows her husband hosted last year. “You get a daytime product, it lasts for one season and, the next thing you know, you’ve got nothing. That’s why Drew works so much. He’s a workaholic because he has to hit while the frying pan is hot. And that’s how it’s always been.”
Ms. Pinsky credited her husband’s media career, in part, to her desire for him to have one.Ms. Pinsky credited her husband’s media career, in part, to her desire for him to have one.
“If he hadn’t met me, I don’t know if he would have stayed in radio,” she said. “That was more my thing. I’m more a management promoter person. That was always my idea for him.”“If he hadn’t met me, I don’t know if he would have stayed in radio,” she said. “That was more my thing. I’m more a management promoter person. That was always my idea for him.”
Entertainment pays handsomely compared with medicine, even among the lesser known.Entertainment pays handsomely compared with medicine, even among the lesser known.
“Drew would love to have Oprah’s opportunities, but we kind of live in a different situation,” she said, referring to the woman who made others, like Dr. Oz, famous.“Drew would love to have Oprah’s opportunities, but we kind of live in a different situation,” she said, referring to the woman who made others, like Dr. Oz, famous.
Ms. Pinsky said she encouraged her husband to perform at the House of Blues with Mr. Carolla.Ms. Pinsky said she encouraged her husband to perform at the House of Blues with Mr. Carolla.
“Six zillion times I said to him, ‘You and Adam could probably do stand-up in Vegas,’ ” she said. “I just sort of pictured him there.”“Six zillion times I said to him, ‘You and Adam could probably do stand-up in Vegas,’ ” she said. “I just sort of pictured him there.”
When asked about it, Dr. Pinsky was indifferent.When asked about it, Dr. Pinsky was indifferent.
“I just go where they tell me,” he said.“I just go where they tell me,” he said.
But his wife does not go along with every idea.But his wife does not go along with every idea.
“He’s done weird shows, like, ‘Sex ... with Mom and Dad,’ ” Ms. Pinsky said, referring to a short-lived MTV program in which he talked to teenagers and parents about sex. “I said, ‘No, you are not going to travel across country and meet people and not see your kids and it just sounds stupid.’ So he said no. Then they gave him three times as much money. And then they moved it to California. And suddenly he was making all this money. And he did it anyway, but it didn’t make it.”“He’s done weird shows, like, ‘Sex ... with Mom and Dad,’ ” Ms. Pinsky said, referring to a short-lived MTV program in which he talked to teenagers and parents about sex. “I said, ‘No, you are not going to travel across country and meet people and not see your kids and it just sounds stupid.’ So he said no. Then they gave him three times as much money. And then they moved it to California. And suddenly he was making all this money. And he did it anyway, but it didn’t make it.”
(Dr. Pinsky tells a different story about “Sex.” He said producers talked to him about a pilot and he declined, warning that the advice they proposed giving was dangerous. They came back and offered to do it his way.)(Dr. Pinsky tells a different story about “Sex.” He said producers talked to him about a pilot and he declined, warning that the advice they proposed giving was dangerous. They came back and offered to do it his way.)
Ms. Pinsky said her husband and “Celebrity Rehab,” now on hiatus, performed a public service in helping to destigmatize drug and alcohol addiction.Ms. Pinsky said her husband and “Celebrity Rehab,” now on hiatus, performed a public service in helping to destigmatize drug and alcohol addiction.
“He is so hurt by anything that is negative,” she said. “I have to keep telling him: ‘I’m sorry, but you do what you want to do because you are doing the right thing in your mind. If somebody hates you that much, what are you going to do?’ Not everyone loves me. And I want him to have integrity, and control of his destiny, because he is the only one who can do that.”“He is so hurt by anything that is negative,” she said. “I have to keep telling him: ‘I’m sorry, but you do what you want to do because you are doing the right thing in your mind. If somebody hates you that much, what are you going to do?’ Not everyone loves me. And I want him to have integrity, and control of his destiny, because he is the only one who can do that.”
At the end of the House of Blues show in March, Mr. Carolla recounted a story about a 2005 panic attack Dr. Pinsky had after arguing with a guest during a television episode of “Loveline.” Dr. Pinsky retreated to his dressing room, followed by Mr. Carolla, who ordered him back on the set to finish the show.At the end of the House of Blues show in March, Mr. Carolla recounted a story about a 2005 panic attack Dr. Pinsky had after arguing with a guest during a television episode of “Loveline.” Dr. Pinsky retreated to his dressing room, followed by Mr. Carolla, who ordered him back on the set to finish the show.
“And you did, didn’t you, Drew?” Mr. Carolla said. The crowd cheered wildly. “You felt better about yourself.”“And you did, didn’t you, Drew?” Mr. Carolla said. The crowd cheered wildly. “You felt better about yourself.”
“I did,” Dr. Pinsky replied, not too convincingly. “But how dare you! These people are applauding that.”“I did,” Dr. Pinsky replied, not too convincingly. “But how dare you! These people are applauding that.”
Mr. Carolla laughed and told his co-host to meet him backstage. They had books and ticket stubs to autograph.Mr. Carolla laughed and told his co-host to meet him backstage. They had books and ticket stubs to autograph.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: June 7, 2013 Correction: June 16, 2013

An earlier version of this article gave an incorrect title for Burt Dubrow. He is the executive producer of “Dr. Drew on Call,” not the executive director.

An article last Sunday about Dr. Drew Pinsky misidentified the position that Burt Dubrow holds on the “Dr. Drew on Call” program. He is the executive producer, not the executive director.