Dr. Drew Pinsky is known for his various television shows, such as VH1’s “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” and “Celebrity Rehab Presents: Sober House,” along with the MTV show, “Sex…With Mom and Dad” which just began its second season.
He is the service Director of the Chemical Dependency Program/Residential Treatment Center at Las Encinas Hospital in Pasadena, California, has hosted the syndicated radio program “Loveline” for over twenty-five years, and is the author of two books.
I was lucky enough to score a phone interview with the incredibly busy doc as he waited to catch a flight to New York this afternoon (where he reportedly sat a mere five feet away from Alec Baldwin) and we discussed his many projects.
To begin, I asked Dr. Drew to give me the gist of his MTV program “Sex…with Mom and Dad.” He explained that the show focuses on teenagers and young people who are “…acting out” sexually and lack “…emotional contact with their parents,” thus leaving both the parents and the kids in denial about the situation. I used this as an opportunity to ask Dr. Drew about having the dreaded ‘sex talk’ with his own children, triplets who are currently in their late teens. He replied:
“It’s important to understand that there should be no ‘sex talk’ at all…this freaks kids out. Rather, an open dialogue between children and their parents [regarding sex] should begin around the age of twelve. Parents should answer questions without creating an agenda.”
He explained that his daughter began asking questions at five years old, his sons, however, were slightly different:
“[The] boys closed down. When they began talking about [sex] they talked to their mother.”
I was also more interested in learning about Dr. Drew’s new book, “The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissism is Seducing America” due in stores March 17 (you can also pre-order a copy from Amazon.com).
According to an editorial review, the book discusses how celebrity figures, like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, along with their media-enablers, have changed what is considered to be ‘normal behavior’.
When I asked Dr. Drew to tell me a little something about the book he stated that celebrities “…are sick. They suffer from traits of clinical narcissism; always needing narcissistic gratification. ” According to the good doc, celebrities from Britney Spears to Robert Pattinson suffer from traits that may include vanity, exhibitionism, superiority, and entitlement. This then leads non-celebs to “mirror” celebrity behavior using outlets like YouTube and internet blogging.
He went on to explain that non-celebrities, “…have their own desire to glorify people until they become envious of that person [and] then tear them down.”
For those of you, like me, who can’t get enough of Dr. Drew’s VH1 programs “Celebrity Rehab” and “Sober House,” fear not! I managed to ask the Doc right before he boarded the plane if he ever worries that the celebs that sign up to be on those programs join the cast more for publicity than for help.
“We are always concerned with what motivates a patient to seek treatment. I have found that if you pay them to show-up and pay them to stay-in, they stay longer and increase their chance of getting better.”
If only there was enough money to pay all the Amy Winehouses in the world to go to rehab.
I want to thank Dr. Drew Pinsky for finding the time in his busy schedule to talk with me today. You can catch “Sex…with Mom and Dad” on MTV Weekdays at 4 ET/PT.
