Dr Phil’s horrible life-shaming show often discusses addiction (because it’s a problem many face) and the good doctor is full of helpful suggestions for “enablers.”
“The One Thing You Must Do to Stop Enabling a Drug Abuser
Candice, 29, admits to using drugs on a regular basis but blames her mom, Constance, for giving her cash or driving her to her dealer to buy them. “I have used cocaine when I was younger, alcohol, Xanax, opiates, methamphetamine, heroin,” she says. “I’ve used pretty much anything to escape my mother.”
Constance admits she enables her daughter but says she never knowingly gives her money for drugs. “Because of Candice’s drug use, I’ve had drug dealers show up at my home and demand money from me,” she says, adding that she has wanted to call the police, but Candice was too scared, so she didn’t. “Drugs are controlling her life. I’m afraid she’s going to die.”
Watch the video above to hear Dr. Phil’s message to Constance and anyone who might be enabling a drug abuser.” [drphil]
careful, you’ll poke your eyes out
Never mind that “trivializing someone’s addiction” is another thing that doesn’t help, it turns out that the Dr Phil show was, behind the scenes, helping make sure their guests were in worse condition before they went on the show.
Statnews reports [stat]:
LOS ANGELES — He had won “Survivor,” the reality TV test of grit and strength. But Todd Herzog was so drunk when he appeared on the “Dr. Phil” show in 2013 that he had to be carried onto the set and lifted into a chair.
“I’ve never talked to a guest who was closer to death,” show host Phillip McGraw declared on camera.
TV viewers, however, didn’t see the setup for this shocking scene. Herzog, who was battling alcoholism, told STAT and the Boston Globe that he was not intoxicated when he arrived at the Los Angeles studio. In his dressing room, he said he found a bottle of Smirnoff vodka. He drank all of it. Then someone handed him a Xanax, he said, telling him it would “calm his nerves.”
America’s best-known television doctor presents himself as a crusader for recovery who rescues people from their addictions — and even death. But in its pursuit of ratings, the “Dr. Phil” show has put at risk the health of some of those guests it purports to help, according to people who have been on the show and addiction experts. Guests have been left without medical help as they face withdrawal from drugs, a STAT/Boston Globe investigation has found, and one person said she was directed by a show staff member to an open-air drug market to find heroin for her detoxing niece.
Alcohol and Xanax synergise; they can be lethal if you’re not habituated, and even if you are, you can find yourself incapacitated fairly quickly.
In another incident, to illustrate what junkies go through, the show “enabled” a heroin score, with staff accompanying a performer to Skid Row for a buy.
King-Parrish and Kaitlin went to the “Dr. Phil” studio, where another show staffer joined them. All three got into a cab headed for Skid Row.
The staffer shot video, which later aired on the show. In it, King-Parrish tells the camera, “I am scared to death right now.” The camera follows Kaitlin from behind as she walks towards homeless encampments. King-Parrish said Kaitlin was gone for about a half-hour while she shot up heroin.
The trip made for riveting television. Experts say it could have harmed Kaitlin or her baby.
Dr Phil is a horrible parasite we can thank Oprah Winfrey for promoting to stardom via her show. Thanks, Oprah!
By the way, my default category is “Burn it to the ground.” So, now that the category taggers have been sacked, I’m glad I don’t have to lift a finger to categorize my feelings about Dr Phil.
Hm. My wife used to watch Dr. Phil a lot (even bought one of his books!) back in the early days, but no more. I was not impressed; I could tell he was a huckster pretty quickly, after watching only a few episodes — same principle as the miracle cures of evangelicals. And his religiosity and authoritarianism was also perfectly evident to me.
(OTOH, his mantra was (is?) “How’s that working out for you?” And, for him (and his nepotistically-enabled family) it’s working out great. So, no hypocrisy there, and indeed that’s a very practical bit of advice, IMO)
It’s always been pretty obvious that he’s a huckster. Real medical professionals concern themselves with, you know, patient privacy and choice. Not manipulating them and exposing the details of their lives on TV. It’s amazing to me that anyone has ever managed to mistake this conman for someone who’s genuinely concerned with patient outcomes.
… and I’ve just seen the video of the specific claim by Todd Herzog. 2 liters of vodka with mixers, which he quaffed while waiting to go on air? and then was given xanax?
(no fucking way, tolerance or not. Not credible — he’s either lying or wildly exaggerating)
[200 ml, maybe. But that’s just a buzz]
Dr Phil is a despicable quack. But every one of those shows do the same thing. The segment producers emotionally stir their guests and leave alcohol in easy reach. And then put the guest in front of an audience that has been whipped into a frenzy and planted with shills. Of course, the guests freak out.
@3 John, Two liters of vodka is well within the realm of possibility for a heavy drinker. I’ve seen drinkers do it more than once, and I’ve seen the blood alcohol levels that substantiate it.
Racuous, in one drinking session… maybe. Not me! But that’s one funky large bottle of vodka right there… I usually see them in 700ml at 37% size.
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[PSA]
As we all (should!) know, alcohol takes time to enter the bloodstream, and there’s a maximum rate at which that can happen. Drink more than one can process, the remainder abides. So one can get drunker and drunker well after one has drunk the last drink. Catches novice drinkers out.
But over, say, 1 hour? I saw the clip, he was not out of it, just legless.
“Skid Row”.
I don’t even.