Charlie Sheen: Dr. Drew Pinski calls for quick trunaround

Dr. Drew Pinski is candid and right. He addresses the fact that Charlie Sheen is a known addict and has been for some time. One question Dr. Drew did not address is that drug dealers and other forms of procurers know Sheen is an addict and yet, they still furnish drugs to him. Unless we create a law that punishes those who give drugs to a known addict, we will always be risking the lives of addicts who don't know how to ask for help.

Will Charlie Sheen be alive five years from now?

Let's be clear about it. Charlie Sheen’s behavior and example to those who admire him and want to emulate him is a disgrace. I am a fan of the show “Two and a Half Men” but we should no longer be willing to be entertained if what we are watching is an addict who has scripted his life so he can destroy it.

The world has watched as celebrities like Elvis Presley, Kurt Cobain, Heath Ledger, Anna Nicole Smith and many others have lost their battle with addiction for the sake of “entertainment.” Right before our eyes, in this very moment, we are watching a beloved and talented actor spiral further out of control. Charlie Sheen has been loosing the battle against addiction for years and his condition is far worse than what many may realize. If Charlie continues on his self-destructive mission of cocaine-induced binges and psychotic drug swamped episodes with porn stars and prostitutes, he will face a certain death or a long-term commitment into a mental institution.

If there is a likely comparison to Sheen’s example, it would be that of former Hollywood producer Don Simpson who died in 1996 at the hands of an addiction so vicious, toxicology reports showed he died from a lethal, accidental drug overdose with a cocktail of 20 prescription dugs in his system. Simpson, like Sheen had plenty of money to pay anyone to furnish him anything he craved. Like Sheen, Simpson took it to the extreme with 3-day porn star and prostitute drug binges that corrupted and twisted his addiction into sexual obsession far beyond what one could imagine. Simpson controlled everyone around him with money to further his self-destructive pathological lies and self-destruction. For Simpson, like for Sheen, the truth was what he wanted it to be, regardless of how detached it was from reality. He could afford to pay for the silence of those who knew too much and he could hire dangerous henchmen like Anthony Pelicano to intimidate those who would try to stop him.

Sheen and Simpson are similar in many ways. For now, the only certain difference is that Sheen is alive and Simpson is not. But that too may change if no one heeds the warning of the events of the past three months. Good looks, talent, power, money and audiences begging for more, keep the destruction going. Sheen, who has unlimited funds to feed any desire and so much popularity and women throwing themselves at him, has taken full advantage of his privileges. If he is to be saved, he must be taken away from the life he knows so he can learn how to live without drugs. He must accept that he is a father to his children, not a 13-year old who just discovered puberty.

In the last three months, Sheen has taken it to another level. While Sheen has made it part of his marketing campaign to sell himself as a bad boy, what he has really done is script his addiction and made us all worry that he is going to die. Charlie Sheen, where will you be five years from now?

Dr. Phil: Keep up the GOOD work!

Recently we learned that a homeless man named Ted Williams exploded into fame due to the sound of what is called his golden voice. He stood on the side of a street wearing a camouflaged Army jacket holding a sign, while he was video taped by a passer by. He gave a pitch of his radio voice to the passer by and we can all imagine that he probably never dreamed of what would happen next and how fast. Later the video went viral and soon the entire country knew Ted Williams as “The Man with the Golden Voice.”

Williams who is truly gifted, was given opportunities to step into a career in broadcasting and things moved very quickly. About two weeks into his new-found fame there were news reports of his having a rap sheet for various crimes, casting a shadow over Williams.

Yet Williams remained optimistic and kept on going with his new-found fame. Fast forward to a sudden altercation with a loved one which lead to police having to show up at his hotel room and detaining Williams and his daughter, who during an argument had thrown an ice bucket a Williams head.

After Williams release from the police station the news reported Dr. Phil had stepped in to aid Williams with his dispute and other family problems. Dr. Phil also took it upon himself to help Williams with alcohol and drug abuse issues.

Today we have learned that Williams has checked into rehab. Dr. Phil is truly a good Samaritan for helping Williams and Williams should thank his lucky stars for this intervention. Too often do we see people striking it rich in Hollywood, not understanding that they have been given a voice with which they can do a lot of good and then they chose not to. Dr. Phil may have very well saved the life of Ted Williams.

There is something however with which I take issue. Getting a start in recovery by being exploited by major media as an addict who ”lies every time his lips are moving” as Dr. Phil expressed in last night’s show, is not and should not be part of the message in recovery. Shaming an addict is not what an addict needs to find recovery. Addicts know that lies are part of addiction and it is up to the addict to admit this if he or she is going to grow out of addiction. Addicts being prodded into a solution that “sounds good” is not progress. Regardless of positive events in life, for many addicts that state of hopelessness is difficult to overcome and it does take time.

In recovery as in addiction, we are not oblivious to what we have done to ourselves. After all, we were not born imbedded with the deceptive ways of addiction. These behaviors have befallen upon us through addiction itself. When addiction leads to homelessness it is extremely devastating. Hope is lost and it is hard to imagine for it to ever return.

There is no doubt in my mind that Williams held on to his dream and had a vision for what he would like to become one day. He probably never envisioned that it would happen for him in the way that it did. He should be able to heal from his addiction and learn the new required skills to live a meaningful life that is healthy, loving, productive and without the toxic influence of people who help drive the addiction.

Shaming an addict who has found new hope and wants to recover is like betting on the inevitability for that addict to relapse. Therefor we must be careful and mindful.

God speed to you Ted Williams! Take it one day at a time and remember if it doesn’t feel good, you’re not doing it right.

Dr. Phil, please keep up the GOOD work!

Alexandra Datig, Sober 12 Years

Howard K. Stren is a Free Man: Now what?

Though I understand the D.A. and the former Attorney General’s reason for wanting to prosecute and applaud them for sending the message that what happened to Anna Nicole will not be tolerated, I agree with the Judge on Howard K. Stern. Stern is extremely lucky to be a free man after what happened to Anna Nicole.

At the same time Stern was also using, which from the footage I saw on TV was quite evident. The bottom line is however, Anna Nicole was not forced to use drugs; she made the choice.

To say that Stern exclusively furnished drugs to Anna with the intent to feed an addiction was difficult for me to fathom. In my observation, he and Anna appeared codependent when it came to drug use. It has been documented that Anna had been exposed to potent intoxicants long before she met Howard K. Stern. There is no question that Stern could not have foreseen the early consequences resulting in Anna’s death.

At the same time, help is for those who want it, for those who are ready for it, not for those who “need it.” Though there are some addicts who are too far into their addiction to see what they have done to the world around them (like I was) and need help, they cannot be helped, they can only be shown the way. Sometimes that means 5150 involuntary holds, sometimes that means jail, sometimes it means that something incredibly horrific must happen before we have that psychic shift to change.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we got better at recognizing a problem and doing something about it that promotes for the problem to stop at a pace that is healthy and acceptable?

The doctors in the case acted against what is legally, ethically and morally right. Doctors take an oath to do no harm. The doctors should not be allowed to continue to prescribe addictive drugs unless and until a special course is completed regarding the dangers in furnishing drugs to a known addict.

Once bitten, twice shy. If these doctors were in my jurisdiction there would be a two-year course, with a grade requirement after which there would be an assessment as to whether there is competency to continue to practice medicine.

As for Anna Nicole, she has lost her ability to get a second chance at life. It is a tragic ending of a woman who wanted a better life and didn’t know anymore how to hold on to what was real. I will miss her.

As for Howard K. Stern, my advice is for him to start helping people who are hopelessly lost in addiction so we can start preventing what happened to Anna.

Rave Parties: A Magnet for Drug Use

Today The Los Angeles Times reports that 17 people got injured at last night's New Years Eve rave party where 26,000 young men and women were in attendance. Reports showed that out of the more than 60 injuries sustained at the party, the 17 cases hospitalized were drug and alcohol related. Recently we got a face-to-face look at the serious damage raves can do to people because they have a stigma for drug use:

Hot Seat Debate: Coliseum Rave Ban Ends: MyFoxLA.com