Dr. Drew’s drug history?
To millions of viewers that tune into VH1 reality series Celebrity Rehab and Sober House, David “Dr. Drew” Pinsky is one of Hollywood’s most powerful weapons against drug and alcohol addiction. But now, in exclusive interviews with Life & Style, two former colleagues at KROQ — the LA radio station that gave Drew, 51, his big break on the program Loveline — have come forward to talk about the doc’s past. They say Drew knows firsthand what it’s like to fall under the spell of illegal drugs — because he was once a frequent cocaine user himself.
In 1982, Drew hadn’t even finished medical school when he met KROQ DJ Jim Trenton at a party. “I asked him to do this segment with me called Ask a Surgeon,” Trenton tells Life & Style. “Listeners could call in and get answers to their romance and medical questions.” The segment was such a hit, it soon evolved into Loveline — which remains on the air to this day.
While they spent their days helping listeners with their love, sex and health-related problems, Drew and Jim spent many of their nights partying away. Often, Trenton says, that included cocaine use. “He used to say to me, ‘Jim, I love cocaine,’” Trenton notes. “He’d say that a lot — that he loved coke.” In fact, Trenton adds, Drew “did coke with a lot of different people, including myself, on numerous occasions.” Joanna Swylde, who worked as an intern at KROQ at the time and partied with Drew and Trenton, confirms Trenton’s claims. She tells Life & Style they even used to snort lines of cocaine off album covers in the control room at work. “We would do it during the breaks on the show,” Swylde recalls.
Although Drew used coke, “I don’t think he was addicted to it,” Trenton tells Life & Style. “He used it recreationally.
“I would say by the mid to late ’80s, he had quit,” Trenton says. “We all stopped doing it.”
January 13th, 2010 at 5:58 pm
lol. kinda makes the whole disease-with-a-spiritual-solution-only concept look silly when people up and quit partying without those 12-steps. There are so mnay shades of gray in a program that encourages a lifelong self-diagnosis of some terminal “disease” that turns put to be just a bahavior in others who refuse the diagnosis. This bit of history would have been good to know when he was my doctor at LEH several times.
January 14th, 2010 at 3:47 am
Isn’t this the same twonk that said it was impossible to ever ever ever in a billion years get over heroin addiction? That you were either using, in a programme or dead? Putting my hand up as fulfilling the premise but none of the latter criteria: Doctor Drew; you sir are incorrect as well as being a penis of the highest order. And just in case there is anyone sub 80IQ reading this (looking at you, Dr McDegreeDrew) yes I do mean that in a derogatory sense.
January 14th, 2010 at 1:04 pm
I’d still hit it!
January 14th, 2010 at 11:06 pm
It all depends on the person…If you aren’t an “addict” its much easier to use drugs recreationally and then quit before things get out of control. If the people who commented had two brain cells they would realize plenty of people drink, smoke pot etc. and it doesn’t have a negative effect on their lives. Many other people, like the ones Dr. Drew helps, are addicts and can’t stop when drugs start to have serious consequences. Love the ignorant comments.
December 23rd, 2010 at 1:40 am
In the same way a lot of people can have the odd glass of wine , once in a while. It’s harder to rationalize to Mr.Blow, Ms. Crack or O’ Booze , u can’t ever do it again, cause your an addict…. unless u can say not me.
But he does make sure that their are people around who the patients can relate to/look down on……………no???