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Dr. Drew

Naked Truth; Remembering Amy Winehouse

Aired June 28, 2012 - 21:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DR. DREW PINSKY, HOST: Here we go.

Everyone is talking about the movie "Magic Mike". So we are going to go inside the lives of real male strippers. We got a Chippendale here to tell us what it is really like inside -- there he is, inside those clubs. We`re going to talk to a female stripper as well, and what people do there.

Plus, Mitch Winehouse is grieving the loss of his daughter, Amy, one year after her death.

Then, I`m taking your calls about everything and everything, but we will also talk about Obamacare and the landmark decision from the Supreme Court today.

Let`s get started.

(MUSIC)

PINSKY: And thank you for joining us this evening.

The new film "Magic Mike" opens just hours from now. It`s about the world of male strippers. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to the stage, one, the only, Magic Mike.

PINSKY (voice-over): "Magic Mike" is in theaters tomorrow and women are going nuts for this movie.

There`s even an online e-card going around of someone playing, "Dear God, please make Magic Mike in 3D."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think about as 3D as you can get it right now.

PINSKY: For the man going to a strip club is just about sex, but for women, is it all about the fantasy?

Chippendales are famous for wearing nothing but a bow tie, but they also dress as firemen, marines and with other jobs and now with the "Twilight" craze, even vampires.

Is male stripping just about crawling inside the female brain? And what does it really take to make hundreds of women swoon?

We are going to find out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PINSKY: Well, the movie has everyone talking about this, and how differently men and women react in strip club and two trippers, we are going to get into that.

Joining me now is James Davis, Chippendales dancer at the Rio in Las Vegas. Yes, with the way he`s dressed, I never would have guessed.

And a male stripper, Taylor Cole.

Taylor. Taylor, I will start with you. How are women different in these clubs?

TAYLOR COLE, MALE STRIPPER: I think the women are different because whenever they come to a show like that, they want to come to see a show, not necessarily just to see naked girl on stage. They want to be entertained, you know? It`s a little more to them.

PINSKY: And, James, is that you why guys have to have a job? In other words, you guys have to come out with, you know, as a fireman or a policeman or a construction worker? You have to have a job to keep them entertaining?

JAMES DAVIS, CHIPPENDALES DANCER: Well, it`s -- we think -- what we`ve learned over the years is for women, it`s more about the fantasy and creating that fantasy. And yes, you know, sometimes it takes the form of, you know, being, you know, swept off your feet by a fireman or an officer, even a vampire.

But yes, you know, we create that for them. And that seems to be, you know, what keeps them entertained. But, you know, yes, there`s a lot that goes into it I think.

PINSKY: All these years of working with Adam Carolla on "Loveline," he always said, yes, the guys have to have a job, when the female stripper comes out that`s her job, stripper. That is what the guys want her to be, a stripper.

Let`s take a call, Furschia (ph) in Atlanta -- Furschia.

CALLER: Hey, Dr. Drew. I went to the Chippendales show last week in Las Vegas and I have to say it was amazing. I have been to strip clubs before with male dancer and they were totally gross.

DAVIS: Well, thank you.

CALLER: But the Chippendales were amazing.

PINSKY: OK. Furschia, hold on now.

CALLER: Yes?

PINSKY: You say you have been before and it was totally gross. A, what do you mean by that? And B, why did you go back then for more?

CALLER: Well, my girlfriends, you know, they kind of peer pressured me to go again. So, you know, I gave into peer pressure but in the past, I have gone, guys ripped it off, it wasn`t a show, they just got butt-naked and just tried to put their thing on me. It was not attractive. I was grossed out.

PINSKY: OK. Now, see, that`s the part, those of us as husband and boyfriends thought, when they hear about male prostitutes, as Furschia said, putting their thing on her, what really goes on there? You know, when men go to women`s strip clubs, there`s often no touching. Is there more touching of the male stripper?

COLE: Yes, a little more. Like whenever -- whenever we put on our show, it is kind of the -- the club I work out of it, it is more of a Las Vegas-style show that we put on. There`s fire shows. There`s Cirque du Soleil type shows.

PINSKY: That isn`t more touching. We are hear -- we just heard a caller, Furschia, I think you are still there, saying the guy was putting his -- what did you say, Furschia, his junk? His thing?

CALLER: His thing.

DAVIS: That would not happen at a Chippendale show. We are up on the stage the whole time. Not Chippendales.

(CROSSTALK)

PINSKY: Now, gentlemen, the other thing that -- I just talked to a fellow last night who interviewed a series of male strippers are, it was the Thunder from Down Under guys, in fact. And they said that women are having sex with strippers on a regular basis or some kind of explicit sexual contact.

Is that so? I`ve heard that from male strippers a lot. How does that happen? What is that all about?

COLE: No, that really doesn`t happen as often as most people think.

DAVIS: I don`t think so either. I think that`s like a popular kind of like, you know, like stereotype, that like gets affiliated with, you know, male revue and male dancers. But I don`t think it`s always necessarily true. It certainly isn`t true where I work, I don`t think.

PINSKY: OK, I`ll talk to another caller.

COLE: Our club is geared more toward bachelorette and birthday parties. So, they are not looking to come out and have sex with the guys. They just want to see a show.

PINSKY: Michelle in Arizona -- Michelle.

MICHELLE, CALLER FROM ARIZONA: Yes. Hi, James, I went to your show a few months ago also and you definitely played into my fantasies, even ones I didn`t know I had.

DAVIS: Thank you.

MICHELLE: Amazing.

DAVIS: Awesome.

MICHELLE: I do have a question.

DAVIS: Yes.

MICHELLE: I heard requirements that maybe you guys sleep with some women but a lot of you were just too good looking to be straight. My question is: are most of the guys dancing up there gay?

DAVIS: Again, this is just another common like misconception about male revue in general, not just Chippendales. I think it`s across-the- board. They`re like -- oh, these guys are well maintained, they take care of their bodies, they care about their appearance, oh, they must be gay.

But honestly, again, it isn`t always true and certainly suspect true with us. Not to say we have anything against, you know, you know, people who are, you know, of a different sexual orientation dancing, you know, in a male revue. It just, you know, that just doesn`t happen to be the case most of the time.

I mean, if you`re dancing for, you know, hundreds of women every night, you got to have some interest in women, you know, that`s just the way it is, I think.

PINSKY: So, is the -- when Furschia was asking you questions and she talked about the more -- what did she call it? How did she describe the strip clubs, it was disgusting or something for her, was more gross. Are those the ones where sort of less branded kinds of operations where that kind of explicit stuff is going on do you guys think?

COLE: I think mostly, that`s more of like road shows, where it will be a club and they will make it a male strip club like once a month. So, they don`t have the professional entertainers that the big companies have.

PINSKY: I see. So it`s the more rogue opportunities where people are engaging in these kinds of behavior, because I`ve heard a ton of stories that actually -- and the men actually end up being very disturbed by women`s behavior. Do you guys get disturbed by the way they treat you?

COLE: I like the job. I like how women, you know, they are having a good time, they are screaming. At the end of the day, I choose to work there. So, you know, I don`t feel objectified or anything.

PINSKY: James?

DAVIS: Yes. Same here. I feel like the women are very respectful. They really like enjoying the show, enjoy themselves in a respectful way. I don`t feel like, you know, like I`m groped or anything like that, you know? It`s a -- yes, they have a good time and, you know, they -- they are there to see a show, you know, and, yes, you know, I feel, you know, not objectified on that respect.

PINSKY: All right. Next, we are going to talk about men watching women strip. I`ve got exotic stripper Joslyn James here. She`s going to tell us here what the guys are up to. There she is in my green room. She will be up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PINSKY: Welcome back.

Women are going crazy for "Magic Mike" -- the new movie that has Matthew McConaughey and Channing Tatum playing male strippers. We are talking about how and what it is about men and women, their reactions to sex and visual stimulation.

Rio Las Vegas Chippendales dancer James Davis is still with us.

And now, joining me is exotic dancer, Joslyn James.

Joslyn, I imagine men behave somewhat differently than women do in a strip club?

JOSLYN JAMES, EXOTIC DANCER: Actually, my experience has been with both, you know, couples, men and women, and women are actually a more wilder. Unless we are in a college town where there`s college guys, it`s actually really -- the dynamics is rather interesting.

PINSKY: So college guys are as wild as single women.

JAMES: Yes.

PINSKY: So, James, do you hear what Joslyn is saying? This is what I keep hearing, women`s behavior in strip club is really out of control. The women will say things like I couldn`t control myself, I don`t know what came over me, all of a sudden, one thing led to another?

JAMES: Yes.

DAVIS: Well --

PINSKY: Go ahead, James.

DAVIS: Yes, I think it`s like -- I think it`s just a matter of like when you`re a guy in a strip club, you know if you touch one of the performers, you`re in big trouble, you know, hands down. I think with girls, there just isn`t that line that etiquette as much. So, they kind of push that envelope I think a bill bit more than guys would.

PINSKY: Right. You don`t have a huge bouncer standing there ready to throw these women`s butt out on the street if they so much as reach toward you guys. However ,the weird dichotomy is, though, by the same tokens, there are clubs, areas in clubs people are actually having sex? Is that right?

JAMES: Absolutely.

PINSKY: And for women now, the men told us how it was all about the show. Let me ask you, James, about that. Do you expect this -- you are an entertainer now, you expect this to propel you into a career in entertainment, I don`t know, television or whatever?

DAVIS: Well, you know, honestly, it`s -- I guess you could look at it as a stepping stone. But honestly, like I`m actually musician, I play guitar in the Chippendales show. It`s a full-out production. You know, it`s like, you know this is kind of like the top tier, this is kind of where you want to be as -- in terms of, you know entertainment and being in a show on the Las Vegas Strip.

PINSKY: OK.

DAVIS: And, yes, you know, there are those misconceptions about it. But honestly, this is where it`s at, I think. I mean, honestly, as far as Las Vegas shows go, you`re a Las Vegas headline. I mean, it`s incredible opportunity to be a part of the Chippendales company as a brand and as a show.

PINSKY: OK. So James likes where he is at.

JAMES: Yes.

PINSKY: For the women strippers it is the money, isn`t it?

JAMES: It`s about the money and also I do feature entertaining. So, I do the whole costumes as well. I do naughty teacher, you know, I do a firefighter. I do --

PINSKY: So you do fetishistic stuff?

JAMES: I do performances as well. You got to play into their fantasy because that`s why you are there. So, you are their girlfriend or you`re their fantasy for that night, for those couple of hours when they are out with their fellows, or even when they`re out with their lady.

PINSKY: OK. Let`s take a couple of calls.

Sherry in Tennessee -- Sherry.

SHERRY, CALLER FROM TENNESSEE: Yes.

PINSKY: Hi, Sherry. Go ahead.

SHERRY: Well, I just don`t approve of husbands going to strip club. All and up down the highway when we traveled, went on a six-week camping trip and it was billboards everywhere, XXX.

PINSKY: Yes.

SHERRY: You know? It just leads to rape, molestation. I just don`t agree with it.

PINSKY: Well, Sherry, I`m not sure it leads to that, but did it threaten you seeing all those sorts of billboards and the possibility your husband might do that?

SHERRY: Well, you have to look over at your husband to see what he is looking at.

PINSKY: What do you say to that, Joslyn?

JAMES: I think that adult entertainers are just that, entertainers. We`re not trying to take anybody`s husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend. We are there to entertain. We are there to hopefully rile them soup when they go home, you know, they really, you know, give you the business, if you know what I mean.

PINSKY: Tawana in Oklahoma. You got a comment?

TAWANA, CALLER FROM OKLAHOMA: Yes, Dr. Drew. I danced for 15 years. Never seen any of the really nasty things they are talking about going on. I have to agree with the young lady. Most of us were there to make our money, raise our children and go home. I danced with girls that were (NAUDIBLE) nurses, teachers, et cetera.

PINSKY: But now -- that`s very interesting, Tawana, I appreciate your point of view.

Now, is it not also the case that a lot of people that choose stripping have trauma histories and drug problems? It`s also very common.

JAMES: It`s definitely very common but it`s actually like, like I always try to use the analogy, you know, you look at the Catholic Church, how much nonsense and debauchery and disrespect and really underground, you know, seedy stuff goes on. That is the Catholic Church. You are supposed to go to church and everybody I go to church and I`m prim and proper. It`s not really like that. Most of the stuff that goes on at church is dirtier than what goes on at strip club.

PINSKY: And, James, how about from the male standpoint sniff not treated as many male strippers with those liabilities but I`m sure it`s there, too.

DAVIS: You know, honestly, like as far as like drugs and all that -- I mean, again, it`s a professional environment. Like I don`t think, like, guys really carry those problems or at least no one I works with carries those types of problems or has those types of problems, everyone is healthy in a healthy state of mind, mind and body, because it is really, it is a lifestyle.

Honestly, I don`t feel you can be in shape and, you know, take care of yourself if you are not mentally, you know, in a good place, if you are abusing drugs or, you now if you have, you know, don`t take care of yourself. You know, it`s hard do something like this where it is so visual and you have to be in good shape.

PINSKY: James, let me ask a follow-up question, heard Furschia talk about the seedier clubs. Do any of the guys work their way through those kinds of clubs before they get to the high end, where you guys are?

DAVIS: No. Honestly, the guys get recruited. I mean, there`s a -- there`s a very, like, stringent audition process all the guys go through, and there`s requirements. Number one is there`s a height requirement. So, if you`re not six foot, you can`t be in the show. There`s only 20 of us worldwide, which you know, really a testament to how, you know, stringent and how, like, difficult it is to become a Chippendale and, you know, the - - really the dedication that you have to put into it.

PINSKY: All right.

DAVIS: But -- yes, all the guys are handpicked.

PINSKY: OK. We got to take a break. Joslyn and James stay with me.

A reminder, Channing Tatum was a stripper, I guess, he was a male stripper before he became an actor. And that`s what prompted, I think, some of this movie and this conversation.

So, get more calls and more conversation after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody sit down. We are going to be here for a while.

You don`t have anything sharp own that I can stick myself with, do you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good, because I do.

(SCREAMING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PINSKY: That was Channing Tatum playing male stripper in "Magic Mike", the new film from Warner Brothers. One thing you never see is men being picked up by women strippers and tossed around or anything. I`m just saying that is one of the differences.

I am back with Chippendales dancer James Davis and stripper Joslyn James. She, herself, best known as one of Tiger Woods` mistresses.

James, are you -- are you excited that this movie is out and people are getting a glimpse of your profession?

DAVIS: Well, yes, I think it`s going to bring, you know, male revue back into the public eye and into the mainstream. And it`s going to have a real, kind of profound effect I think shaping people`s opinions of what a male revue is. I mean, it definitely covers one aspect of male revue but it doesn`t necessarily cover what we do at Chippendales.

I think what you will see in "Magic Mike" is more of a traditional male revue, like it`s more solo act. You know, you`ll see more dollar bills and, you know, g-strings and thongs and all that kind of stuff going on.

Whereas at Chippendales, we don`t do the tipping. You know, we are up on stage it is a full production show at the Rio. And yes, you know, it`s -- it`s kind of evolved into a different kind of creature all together. But you know, getting that attention from the movie is definitely, you know, a huge positive thing, I think.

PINSKY: So I`m learning from both of you and Joslyn, you as well, that there`s different kinds of stripping, different qualities, revues.

DAVIS: Yes, sure is. There really is.

PINSKY: And clubs really into inappropriate stuff and more drugs and alcohol are prominent, even probably prostitution.

JAMES: Yes.

PINSKY: And others that are really very protective of the dancer.

JAMES: Exactly. Yes.

PINSKY: Interesting.

All right. Christine in California -- Christine.

CHRISTINE, CALLER FROM CALIFORNIA: Hi.

PINSKY: Hi there.

CHRISTINE: I have a question for Joslyn, actually. I`m -- I was a stripper in Hawaii from 1987 to 1996. So the better part of a decade worth, you know, it was all about the cocaine back then.

And the stripping -- my club was not one of the higher end ones but wasn`t in the seedy arena as well. It was more burlesquey. There was a lot of shows back in the day. We had costumes.

My question for you is: do you -- is there anything in your past -- I`m currently trying to write about it on my website, poletosoul.com and I don`t know -- is there anything that you find that you just regret? Do you have any regrets or do you just take it all with you and own it and learn from your mistakes or anything that you`re ashamed of?

JAMES: Nothing I`m ashamed of. There`s just been a couple of times I wish I would have wore the shoes before I tried wear them on the stage because you know, sometimes you`ve, like, you niece glass or two of wine that maybe you probably shouldn`t have had that second glass and your depth perception isn`t really good. Plus, I can`t really see that good in the dark. So, you miss that one step going down from backstage and kind of twist your ankle a little bit.

PINSKY: I imagine, though, I would just imagine, though, that this profession, for both of you, must have an effect on not just your relationship but even your ability to have relationships?

JAMES: For me, I believe so, for myself. It`s actually taught me to be more intimate and more eye contact and actually, like, look at people while I talk to them, because you want to --

PINSKY: That`s with, like, you know, casual connections. How about with sustain relationships over time?

JAMES: Well, for the most part, I`ve always had, you know, pretty decent relationships.

PINSKY: OK. How about James? How about you?

DAVIS: I got to tell you, you know, it just takes the right kind of person, you know? I think -- it just takes, you know, the person who understand what is you do.

PINSKY: Let me interrupt you. Is it hard to find that -- is it hard to find that person? Are most women really intimidated by what you do?

DAVIS: I don`t think so -- I think -- you know what I think maybe had the nine to fiver who works as a bank teller might be, might not really understand as much as like someone who is also kind of in the entertainment industry, you know, people -- I find that girls are a lot more receptive if they are -- they work in similar fields. Again, it`s a job. At the end of the day --

PINSKY: James, my staff, female staff is in my ear. I know your girlfriend may not be intimidated but they want to know you have a girlfriend presently, just in case you don`t?

DAVIS: Well, yes, I actually have been with the same girl for two years now. And yes, you know, again, it just takes the right kind of person.

PINSKY: All right. Fair enough.

Take another call, June from Missouri -- June.

JUNE, CALLER FROM MISSOURI: Hello.

PINSKY: Hi, June.

JUNE: Hi.

PINSKY: What do you got?

JUNE: This I guess is for both of them. Does it interfere with your relationships with another partner?

PINSKY: That`s kind of what I was just asking. Did you have something specific in mind, June? Let me flip around own, June, could you have a relationship with James or do any of your previous -- first answer that one, answer that question.

JUNE: I don`t think -- I don`t know. I don`t believe so.

PINSKY: OK. And how about if you were in a relationship with someone, are you OK with him going to a place where someone like Joslyn is dancing?

JUNE: No.

PINSKY: You don`t like that?

JUNE: No.

PINSKY: Why?

JUNE: A man or a woman shouldn`t go and see strippers. I mean, they have another partner that they can see all that stuff. And they want to do all that. They don`t need to go out for.

PINSKY: Joslyn says she does it specifically so he returns home to you.

JAMES: Exactly. That`s the whole -- that`s whole reason based off of the strip club and entertainment -- adult entertainment field is to entertain somebody.

DAVIS: Gets you all riled up.

PINSKY: I still think women don`t like the men in strip club.

JAMES: I love my partner to go to a strip club.

PINSKY: Well, maybe you kind of maybe have a different view of it perhaps. I think women don`t like it generally feel very threatened. Don`t like men looking at adult stuff.

JAMES: I know that, I know that.

PINSKY: OK. Well, James, thank you. I hope the "Magic Mike" has great success.

DAVIS: Thank you.

PINSKY: We are going to get a look into what Channing Tatum`s career was like before he became a big film star.

Joslyn, thank you for joining us. We appreciate it.

JAMES: Thank you.

PINSKY: Now, up next, singer Amy Winehouse died one year ago. Her father, Mitch, is here to tell us why he wrote a book about her and what it is like to grieve the loss of your daughter. Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PINSKY: Welcome back.

The one-year anniversary of Amy Winehouse`s death is almost here. The singer/songwriter died from alcohol-related issues in July of 2011. She was just 27.

Her troubles were well documented. Amy`s death is a tragic reminder of how addiction is a potentially fatal disease and needs to be managed as such.

Joining me, Amy`s father, Mitch Winehouse. Mitch has written a book called "Amy, My Daughter."

Mitch, what prompted you to -- first of all, I got to say something. Let me say, I`m so sorry, as dad to dad. I mean, this must have been just -- I have seen you out in public talking about this and I just feel so awful for what you must have gone through. This is a horrible disorder, addiction, and it steals the best and the brightest and it stole your daughter, and I`m sorry for that.

MITCH WINEHOUSE, AMY WINEHOUSE`S FATHER: Thank you. I appreciate it. Thank you.

PINSKY: Is there anything about that topic that prompted you to write the book?

MITCH WINEHOUSE: Well, there were three main reasons that I wanted to write the book. The first was that I felt it would help me in my personal recovery, which has, to a certain extent. The other was that there were so many misconceptions after Amy passed away. People assumed it was either suicide, believe it or not, or a drug overdose, that I wanted to set the record straight.

And also, we`ve created the Amy Winehouse Foundation, and obviously, from this book, all the proceeds, my proceeds, go to the foundation, and we needed the money, because there`s lots of young people that need our help, both in the UK and in the U.S., and that`s what we`re doing.

PINSKY: With addiction?

MITCH WINEHOUSE: In the U.S., sorry, in the U.K., we are supporting a -- we are supporting drug rehabilitation in the U.K. In the U.S., the very first project that we`re doing is down there in New Orleans, where we`re hopefully going to be working with the New Orleans jazz orchestra and creating some afterschool music clubhouses for the kids to attend.

PINSKY: Outstanding. And let me ask something about what`s going on in Europe. It seems like Europeans make this weird distinction. And we actually saw it here, I guess, with Whitney Houston, between drug addiction and alcoholism. Those of us that work in the field, it`s all the same. Why do people point at Amy and go, oh, if it`s alcohol, it`s ok, but if it was drugs, it was bad?

MITCH WINEHOUSE: Well, because in this country as well, you know, alcohol is, you know, you`re not buying the alcohol from your local alcohol dealer. You`re buying it from a supermarket or you`re buying it in a bar. It doesn`t have the --

PINSKY: The illicit quality.

MITCH WINEHOUSE: The criminal element, the illicit quality that drug addiction has.

PINSKY: Yes.

MITCH WINEHOUSE: So, it has a -- but you know what, as you all know, alcohol will get you quicker than crack or heroin will.

PINSKY: That`s right. I mean, in our country, the things that kill people are cancer, or cause severe medical problems, or, alcohol, cigarettes, and pills. Those are the big ones. My parents -- my patients don`t die of cocaine or heroin anymore.

Mitch, I hope you`ll permit me. We`re going to take a few phone calls, and I want to talk to some of Amy`s fans and hopefully yours as well to see what they have to say. Karen in Virginia.

MITCH WINEHOUSE: Yes, fire away.

PINSKY: Karen.

KAREN, VIRGINIA: Yes. Hi, Dr. Drew.

PINSKY: Hi, Karen.

KAREN: Hi, Mr. Winehouse.

MITCH WINEHOUSE: Hi, Karen.

KAREN: I have a comment to make. I feel so bad for your loss of your daughter and commend the foundation and everything, but I feel that blame for Amy`s death is on herself. Once that hurt and denial is broken down and then the person, the addict is responsible for the recovery.

PINSKY: Are you a recovering person yourself, Karen?

KAREN: Yes, I am. Yes.

PINSKY: OK. And it seemed like poor Amy never really got her head around recovery. There was (ph) really something that -- let`s face it, she had bad addiction and it killed her. I mean, that`s the reality. Not everyone gets well from addiction, Karen. That`s the unfortunate truth.

KAREN: I know. I know.

MITCH WINEHOUSE: You know --

KAREN: We have a disease that tells us we don`t have a disease. And once that denial is broken down, then we`re responsible for taking care of it, which is abstinent. It`s never cured, but the remission is abstinent.

PINSKY: Right.

KAREN: And healthy living and, you know, 12-step programs, whatever is necessary. It`s not.

PINSKY: OK. Let me Mitch respond to that. Go ahead, Mitch.

MITCH WINEHOUSE: OK. Well, I understand what you`re saying, and I appreciate what you`re saying, and to a certain extent, I agree with you. Amy stopped taking drugs in December 2008, and she proved not only to herself but the world at large that there is life after addiction. She did extremely well, and she was extremely strong to get away from crack cocaine and heroin.

But then, of course, the alcohol kicked in. And this isn`t the delusion of a grief-stricken father. She told me in April she was going to quit drinking in the same way that she`d quit drugs. And the last six weeks of her life, five and a half of them, were spent in sobriety. That is typical of somebody who`s moving towards total abstinence.

PINSKY: Yes.

MITCH WINEHOUSE: Unfortunately, the last two days, she drank an inordinate amount of alcohol, which again is typical for somebody who is moving toward sobriety.

PINSKY: Yes.

MITCH WINEHOUSE: And it was just an incredibly unfortunate accident, but I agree with you. In my book, I lay the blame for -- partly for Amy`s drug addiction at her husband, Blake, who said he introduced Amy to class A drugs. She took to it like a duck to water. Fine thing to say about your wife.

As far as -- did he not kill her. He`s not responsible for her death. She is responsible for the amount of alcohol that she drank, bottom line.

PINSKY: And Mitch --

MITCH WINEHOUSE: I agree with you, Karen.

PINSKY: And Mitch, it`s interesting. I mean, hearing you talk about your daughter`s condition now, and I`ve heard you speak about it in previous months. And it seems like you`ve had a bit of an education about this. You really had to really learn about this disease and how it affects people.

MITCH WINEHOUSE: Well, you use the term correctly. Disease is the correct word. In the UK, in the UK, it`s not regarded as a disease, because if somebody was suffering from a heart attack or cancer, the state -- if they can`t afford private care, the state pick them up, DNHS (ph) will care for them. They will nurture them.

They will either get them back to health or if they die, they`re cared for in the most loving way, except if you are an addict. If you`re suffering from alcoholism or substance abuse, that`s it. If you can`t afford to pay for your own treatment, you`re left to die.

PINSKY: That is just awful.

MITCH WINEHOUSE: For our country, the UK and the U.S., the two greatest countries in the world, to allow people who are suffering from an illness to die like that is disgusting.

PINSKY: Mitch, I agree, it`s completely disgusting. And for anybody who wonders is this an illness or isn`t? First, I urge to you define what a disease is. And as far as I`m concerned, anything that affects the biology of your body and brain that results in circumstances and behaviors that result in your death or potentially threaten your life and have severe medical consequences, I call that a disease. I just do.

And Mitch was talking -- Mitch, I got to take a break. I`ll let you make that comment in a just second. Mitch mentioned Amy`s husband, that is Blake Fielder-Civil, and he actually is in prison presently. HLN asked his representative for a response. We were unable to get one. Mr. Winehouse stays with me, and we`re taking more of your questions and calls after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMY WINEHOUSE, SINGER: I was drinking a lot, not anything terrible. I was just trying to forget about the fact that I had finished this relationship, and my management at the time felt I was -- well, I wasn`t working, so I didn`t see them a lot. They just kind of stepped in and thought they were being the good guys, just stepping in and strong arming me into a rehabilitation center. But I just didn`t really need it. You know, I knew I was in love.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PINSKY: That was Amy Winehouse from a 2007 interview. Her death, a sad reminder of ongoing problems with addiction. I`m back with Amy`s father, Mitch Winehouse. And Mitch, I want to know more about what the struggles were for the parents. You know, Amy`s struggles with addiction and the people she was around all happened -- all sort of played out in public. What was that nightmare like for you guys?

MITCH WINEHOUSE: Well, you know, we knew very quickly what Blake was about, and we knew that -- when we found out that Amy was taking heroin and crack cocaine, it became impossible, you know? There were terrible arguments with his parents, his parents who he never hardly saw. Amy brought them together again after being apart for some time. They accused Amy of introducing Blake to class A drugs.

You know, had all this nonsense -- you know, apart from having the normal sufferings that we have to go through in trying to deal with this problem, we had Blake`s parents as well that were also on our case. And it was extremely difficult. And we finally managed to get -- to get Amy to go to rehab in an island in the middle of the English channel.

And it was so secret. It was actually a submarine base in the second world war, but Blake managed to get drugs out to this island in the middle of nowhere. And of course, the whole thing was a fiasco. So, Amy`s recovery actually started when he went to prison. Once she got away from him and away from his -- away from his coercion and manipulation, she actually started to recover.

And one of the things I was going to say before the break, doctor, was and I`m sure you know this anyway, is that the vast majority of female addicts are basically coerced into it by their male partners who are already addicts, because of the manipulation aspect as a form of abuse and is actually a form of rape as well, because at some point, they may want to -- they may want their women to prostitute themselves so they can get their money.

I mean, it`s a terrible situation, and yet, they`re still not able to get any help in the UK. It`s quite preposterous.

PINSKY: Let`s take a couple more calls. Michelle in Missouri -- Michelle.

MICHELLE, MISSOURI: Hi, Dr. Drew.

PINSKY: Michelle.

MICHELLE: I would just like to say that I am really happy that you have opened my eyes that addiction is a disease and not really a choice. What I would like to know is to ask Mitch Winehouse, looking back at his daughter, Amy`s life and career, is there anything he wishes he had done or had not done to help Amy in her recovery?

PINSKY: OK.

MICHELLE: Currently, my sister is 41 and is in a state-funded rehab center for alcohol and prescription drugs for 21 days, but this isn`t her first.

PINSKY: Right. And so, you understand what it is to be a family member and have regrets about things you should or wished you had done, right?

MICHELLE: Right.

PINSKY: OK.

MICHELLE: And I just wonder if there is anything that sticks out on his mind I should have or should not?

PINSKY: OK. Let`s ask him. Mitch.

MITCH WINEHOUSE: Michelle, that`s great question. Um, and in all honesty, we did everything that we could do, short of taking Amy and locking her in a room somewhere and we were actually advised to do that by some who thought that -- some person who thought they were well meaning, take her in a room, lock her up for a month, feed her three times a day.

And at the end of the month, of course, she would have been cured of alcoholism or drug addiction.

PINSKY: Not cured. Not cured. She would have just been --

MITCH WINEHOUSE: Not cured. She would be an absolute raving -- suffering from insanity.

PINSKY: Well, nobody but her thinking may have cleared up a little bit by virtue of giving her sufficient time without the drugs in her system, but she still would have wanted to go use drugs, for sure.

MITCH WINEHOUSE: I mean, it`s absolutely not -- you know, you can`t do that. It`s kidnap.

PINSKY: Right.

MITCH WINEHOUSE: You know, it`s absolute nonsense. Nobody in their right mind is going to do that.

PINSKY: Right.

MITCH WINEHOUSE: You know, but nevertheless, things like that do occur to you to do that, but apart from that, I don`t know what else we could do. And I will say, I will say in Amy`s case, she -- she never recovered from drug addiction. She was in recovery for almost three years from heroin and crack cocaine.

She never took any illicit drugs after that. And as we`ve established, she was on the way to -- she was on the way to full abstinence from alcohol as well.

PINSKY: And Mitch, let me ask this.

MITCH WINEHOUSE: -- never quite made it.

PINSKY: Well, I got a few less than a minute left, but did you see this coming?

MITCH WINEHOUSE: No, not at all. If she had passed away four years ago, I`d held my hands up and I would have said, well, what can we expect? She was extremely ill, but she`d recovered to such an extent that when she did pass away, obviously, it came as an absolutely terrible shock to us.

PINSKY: And I guess, do you have messages out there for other fathers or parents that are struggling with children with addiction?

MITCH WINEHOUSE: What message can I give? All I would say is it`s difficult sometimes, because sometimes, the family are the victims of the person who`s suffering from the addiction. We know this can happen. But if you can, just carry on loving them. I know it`s difficult, but you know, I do believe that love conquers all.

And it`s the most powerful influence in the universe and what else can I say? Love conquers all. Just keep trying to love them.

PINSKY: I would also say my friends that are addicts in recovery, I would say it`s much worse to be the family member than the addict, themselves, because the family member suffers so much. They`re fully cognizant of what`s going on, and oftentimes, have to lose the people they love so much.

Don`t forget about the program, Al-Anon, or any of those 12-step co- dependency programs. Mitch, thank you so much, and also thank you to our callers.

MITCH WINEHOUSE: Thank you, doctor.

PINSKY: Thank you, sir. After the break, call me on any topics, 1- 855-DrDrew5.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PINSKY: Live better now. HLN and I want to help you live a healthier life. It is a timely topic, especially tonight after the Supreme Court upheld President Obama`s healthcare law. Interested in what you have to say about it. Let`s go to Pat in Illinois -- Pat.

PAT: Hi, Dr. Drew.

PINSKY: Hi, Pat.

PAT: Hi. I just wanted to say that you do wonderful work.

PINSKY: Thank you. That`s very kind. What`s going on?

PAT: Well, I`ve been a nurse for over 20 years.

PINSKY: Yes, ma`am.

PAT: And I think this Obamacare situation is not going to make the healthcare situation any better.

PINSKY: OK.

PAT: You know, as you know, a lot of physicians, you know, they run their own private practices.

PINSKY: Yes.

PAT: And they have the right to say what insurance they take and what insurance they don`t take.

PINSKY: That`s not going to be -- that`s not really going to be very much the case going forward, but go ahead.

PAT: Yes, you know, I mean, a lot of physicians don`t take public aid.

PINSKY: Right.

PAT: So, I kind of think that Obamacare is just going to fall into this. I think we`re going to end up like Canada, you know --

PINSKY: Well, I hope not. I mean, I`m actually hopeful about it, Pat. I`m a fellow of the American College of Physicians, and they very strongly are in favor of solving a couple of problems that this did solve. And I, too, I`m like you, I`m skeptical when the government gets involved with anything.

And I know it`s going to cost a lot of money and who`s going to pay for it. And when it does get paid for, it`s going to be restriction to access. That`s the future, I`m afraid. But presently, it does solve a couple of problems.

One is, people don`t have to worry about losing their insurance. And they don`t have to worry about getting insurance with their pre-existing problems. That problem is over. And you would agree with me as a nurse, that was a bad thing, right?

PAT: Yes.

PINSKY: OK. That was a bad thing, and the problem is over. Number two, we had millions of people uninsured, the vast majority now are going to be insured. They are. I mean, that`s a problem we had to deal with. That`s being dealt with. And, I think would you like this too, as a nurse.

Primary care is going to be highly reinforced to this plan by through funding and through research and through training programs, and I think nursing is going to play a very, very important role of holding down costs. So, I see a bright future for nursing in primary care. That`s good, right?

PAT: Yes. That is a good thing.

PINSKY: That`s good. But I share your concerns. I mean, I`m like you. I think nothing more efficient than the doctors and nurses doing their job, and when big systems get involved with it, it`s rough. But the other thing, the insurances are going to be required to spend 80 to 85 percent of their money, which sometimes goes to bond funds at Wall Street.

Now, they have to spend it on the care of patients, and I like that, too. I`ll take some of the good with some of the bad, OK? How about that?

PAT: Right. Well, I agree with you there, but I also think, you know, healthcare as profit funded no matter what anyone says.

PINSKY: Yes. And that`s going to be -- well, again, insurances are being restricted on how much profit they can make. I got to move on. I appreciate that call, Pat. Let`s go to Josh in Iowa. Josh, what do you got?

JOSH, IOWA: Yes, Dr. Drew. I`m glad you could take my call. I`m really concerned about my friend here that has a really bad drinking problem.

PINSKY: OK.

JOSH: And asked me to get (INAUDIBLE) blackout and he doesn`t remember anything.

PINSKY: All right. Josh, there`s a very -- be very clear about how to manage this, because pretty much, all the circumstances are pretty much the same. Here`s what you do, if he gets sick or he endangers himself, you take him to a hospital. You don`t get into conversations about going. You throw him in the car and you take him. Number one.

JOSH: All right.

PINSKY: Number two, you sit him down, and a moment when he`s sober, hopefully he is, and this gets through to people and you say to him, I can no longer be in your life and see you destroy yourself life like this. I got to go.

It`s either time for you to take care of this and maybe find some resources for him and get sober and get treatment or it breaks my heart, but I`m going to have to leave you. I can`t be a part of this because you`re not a part of the solution. Everyone around that person is a part of the problem. More of your calls after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PINSKY: Let`s get back to your calls. I`ve got Teresa in Illinois -- Teresa.

TERESA, ILLINOIS: Hi, Dr. Drew. I love your show, watch it every night.

PINSKY: Thank you, Teresa.

TERESA: I`m a Muslim, and we`re not supposed to have sex before marriage.

PINSKY: Right.

TERESA: And my love interest has pressured me and pressured me and pressured me --

PINSKY: Let me stop you. Is he also Muslim? Does he share your values?

TERESA: Yes, he`s also Muslim.

PINSKY: So, I`m confused. Why doesn`t he appreciate and share and honor and protect your values that he shares?

TERESA: That`s my problem. I finally gave in and I`m wondering if that`s a pattern of abuse, the pressuring and the --

PINSKY: How old are you, Teresa?

TERESA: Yes. I was wondering if that was a sign -- that he`d be abusive toward me.

PINSKY: How old are you?

TERESA: I`m 27.

PINSKY: How old is he?

TERESA: He is 28.

PINSKY: You know, on one hand, what I think to myself is, you know, that a male have a motivational priority, particularly, in their 20s, where this is a big deal for them, and it`s very hard for them not to. On the other hand, I`m thinking wow, at the very minimum, this guy is not honest. He`s not true to himself and his belief system.

It doesn`t necessarily mean he`s going to be abusive to you, but it certainly -- to me, it means he doesn`t really appreciate your point of view and cherish and protect that. So, this concerns here but does not like meltdown concerns.

TERESA: I`ve been in abusive relationships in the past.

PINSKY: Well, then -- here`s the bigger issue. If you`re really attracted to him, I`m concern you picked another abuser. That`s my biggest concern.

TERESA: Yes.

PINSKY: Now, if you`re intent on leaving, that`s also another sign that the guy might be OK, because if you`re only satisfied with guys that are abusive and abandoning, this guy may be actually available, there are some concerns. I would say maybe talk to people, maybe talk to clergy or somebody in the church that can really help you out with this.

I got to keep going. C.E. in Kentucky -- C.E.

C.E., KENTUCKY: Hi, Dr. Drew.

PINSKY: Hi, C.E.

C.E.: What are the physical affects of drinking household products containing alcohol?

PINSKY: Well, it depends what kind of alcohol. I mean, talking about ethanol, I assume ethyl alcohol -- and you know, my patients get into alcohol that`s not in a liquor bottle through things like mouthwash.

C.E.: Talking more like hairspray?

PINSKY: Hairspray is usually not -- do you have a kid doing this?

C.E.: No. I`ve done it before. I`ve been in the recovery now for 22 years.

PINSKY: You sprayed hairspray, right?

C.E.: No. Punch a hole in it and filter it through bread.

PINSKY: Wow. Very nice, C.E. That`s a new one even for me. I worry -- I have to look at the specific hairspray and what the, you know, issues are in it. Usually, it`s the propellants that people are getting into. They get high from the propellant. You got it from the alcohol. Very creative. You`re in sobriety now?

C.E.: Yes, 22 years.

PINSKY: God bless you, my friend. You had it big. You had it bad, right?

C.E.: Yes. Twenty-two years old when I got sober.

PINSKY: Congratulations. Listen, you`re fine now. Congratulations. And go (ph) out there to help other people, OK?

(CROSSTALK)

PINSKY: Right, my friend. Jennifer in Michigan -- Jennifer.

JENNIFER, MICHIGAN: Hey, how are you?

PINSKY: I`m good. How are you?

JENNIFER: Fine. I love your show.

PINSKY: Thanks, Jennifer. I`ve got about a minute, so let`s keep it short. What do you got?

JENNIFER: My thing is, I was in an abusive relationship for ten years. And I got out of the relationship. The problem is, I have been having a lot of trouble to let go of his family. I know if he ever finds me, he would probably do something really bad to me, but I have a hard time letting go of his family. I don`t know what to do.

PINSKY: You mean you`re saying that you feel so attached to his family that you`re willing to risk your life to be around them?

JENNIFER: No. I mean -- I married now and I have three children with my previous husband but --

PINSKY: Jennifer, let me just talk a little sense into you. Cut it out. Stop it. Really, seriously. If it were just you and you`re single woman, I`d be like, OK, well, we got to figure this out, but you have three kids. Mom, stop it. You have three kids. They can`t live without you. I don`t care how much you want to be around that family. It ain`t OK for your kids. Jennifer, listen to me, all right?

Thank you all for watching, and thanks for your calls, of course. And thank you to my guest. And see you next time. In the meantime, Nancy Grace starts now.

END