I COMPLETELY AGREE.
You guys absolutely must read the piece Sex Rehab cast member Duncan Roy wrote at The Daily Beast. It was no surprise to me that he shuns Dr. Drew and the entire “televised rehab” process. I’ve talked more than once about my enormous distaste for Dr. Drew Pinsky, whom I believe exploits addicts at their most vulnerable time to create fame and fortune for himself. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Fame is an addiction, one that is every bit as destructive to most of these people as their relationships with drugs, alcohol or sex. Dr. Drew wouldn’t treat someone for their alcoholism by encouraging them to smoke marijuana every night, and he shouldn’t be treating Z-list celebrities for their alcoholism by offering them a television show. It’s unethical and it disgusts me. It’s one thing to do when you’re an asshole Hollywood producer, and another thing entirely to do under the guise of being a medical doctor who took the Hippocratic oath. UGH. Okay, rant over. Here’s a snippet from Duncan’s piece:
Our primary care givers were Dr. Drew and sex therapist Jill Vermeire. My first meeting with either of them happened the evening of the first day of treatment. Jill was telegenic, slightly tattooed, and her breasts fit snugly in duchess satin shifts. Drew was ruggedly handsome and built—a gray fox. It was immediately apparent that while Drew may be an astounding drug and alcohol specialist, he knows very little, or anything, about the precise science of sex addiction. More disturbingly, he does not believe in God, which is a fundamental prerequisite to any 12-step program. (He admitted to me that he is an atheist.)
In the U.S., doctors enjoy a cultural omnipotence, a perception that they do nothing to disabuse. Drew’s role as America’s kindly uncle masks Dr. Omnipotent superhero! He would recycle Jill’s lines when he began to founder—and in the edited broadcasts, we see her thoughts and insights come out of Drew’s mouth. It comes as no surprise that Drew writes about narcissism because he genuinely wrestles with his own.
In fairness, Duncan does admit that he received quality therapy on the show — from every therapist other than Dr. Drew. But he makes some interesting revelations on the show — that all of the women were porn stars “discovered” by the same enterprising, “reptilian” Hollywood manager, that Kari Ann Peniche (from the Eric Dane/Rebecca Gayheart sex tape) failed every one of her drug tests and was allowed to remain in the house, and that one of key therapists that he signed on to work with wasn’t even that involved with the show by the end:
They persuaded me to meet Dr. John Sealy, one of the most important sex therapists in California who was affiliated with the show and would also be occasionally treating the cast members and act as the show consultant. I liked and trusted him, but again I said no to the producers. Interestingly, during that meeting Sealy confided in me that the producers of Sex Rehab had very different intentions from his. He genuinely wanted to shine a light into the shaming world of sex addiction, while Irwin Entertainment seemed hellbent on drama and titillation. (As it turned out, Sealy’s involvement on the show was minimal because he was awkward in front of the cameras, and not nearly as televisual as reality TV demands.)
Argh. I cannot sigh audibly enough over all this. I find the entire suite of Dr. Drew’s VH1 shows utterly unwatchable, because they make me so angry. It’s one thing to fuck with people’s lives when they come to you looking to do anything for fame, and it’s another entirely when they come to you looking for help and you know, as a doctor, that they need it.
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