WASHINGTON – News of pop star Justin Bieber’s Miami arrest for driving while intoxicated is the latest in a string of outbursts from the teen.
But Dr. Drew Pinsky, host of “Dr. Drew on Call” on the HLN network, says Bieber’s mixing of marijuana, alcohol and prescription medications makes him very concerned, more so than Bieber’s previous high jinks like throwing eggs at a neighbor’s home or legal fights with a body guard.
Pinsky says substance abuse is likely the core problem for Bieber.
“You can look at any celebrity death in the last ten years, when an addict, even someone with a mild addiction, dies of addiction it’s because of the combination of prescription medications,” Pinsky says. “The real issue here is that there is no way to get this young man into treatment.”
Celebrities tend to have genes that make them predisposed to addiction. And they are also surrounded by enablers and sycophants who aren’t willing to tell them no or hold the celebrity accountable, Pinsky says.
“It’s very difficult for these people to change their behaviors until something terrible happens,” he says. “It’s common in many addictive pathologies that either people have to lose their freedom, nearly lose their lives or in the case of women lose their children before they really get with the treatment process.”
Pinsky is board certified in addiction medicine and previously starred on the TV show “Celebrity Rehab.”
You can hear Dr. Drew on WTOP at 11:22 a.m. and 1:22 p.m. weekdays.
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