Update on Lindsay Lohan; Is Being Fat Killing America`s Kids?
DR. DREW PINSKY, HOST: Here we go. Interesting show tonight. Childhood obesity. An in-your-face campaign against fat. Mario Lopez is here answering your questions about fit kids. And wet houses. Should there be a place where alcoholics can drink themselves to death? Plus, we`ve the latest on Lindsay Lohan, Whitney Houston, flooding in the South. Then, online bullies, you beware. That story coming. Let`s get started. Guess what? Out-of-control celebrities -- shocking. We have some details about the alleged drug use that sent Whitney Houston back into treatment. It caught my attention, so I suspect you`ll be very shocked. I`m hard to shock. First, Lindsay Lohan is sentenced to 120 days in jail, but she probably won`t spend any time actually behind bars. TMZ reports the sheriff`s department may let her serve her time under house arrest, which actually would help her. She pleaded no contest to stealing a necklace. Take a look at this.</s>LINDSAY LOHAN, ACTRESS: I respectful, and I`m taking it seriously.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t care that you`re Lindsay Lohan.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lindsay Lohan will plead no contest to misdemeanor theft at a pretrial hearing tomorrow.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her walking out of a jewelry store with a necklace.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Prime News has just confirmed tonight that Lindsay Lohan decided to go to trial.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lindsay Lohan could be back behind bars before sundown. As expected, a no contest plea for Lindsay Lohan in her jewelry theft case today. It is, in effect, a guilty plea, 120 days in jail. She will then have to serve 480 hours of community service.</s>PINSKY: The judge says she doesn`t believe the actress has a substance problem. I don`t quite know where to start with this, Judge. In due respect, Your Honor, I don`t know where you did your residency, I don`t know where you did your clinical training. But I have 20 years of experience treating 10,000 addicts and alcoholics. Lindsay Lohan is one of my peeps. She is one of my peeps. She really is. Yes, she has significant psychiatric and psychological issues. But that is the second issue. That doesn`t cause the addiction. The addiction is a primary issue. And unless that is treated, this girl is going to die. Now, putting a bracelet on her and putting her on house arrest will help her. But please don`t be rendering her psychiatric care and determining her clinical course of what her treatment should be. Please. Lindsay, again, this girl needs our prayers, not our disdain. And I hope the judge will refer her to people that can treat her psychiatric issues and her addiction. They are separate and overlapping, but one doesn`t really so much cause the other. They are two separate conditions. Joining me now is Dylan Howard, senior executive editor of "Star" magazine. All right, Dylan. What happened in court today?</s>DYLAN HOWARD, SR. EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "STAR": Oh, man. I`m so mad.</s>PINSKY: I wish our judiciary would have a systematic way of approaching it, because addiction and alcoholism is the problem of our time. They are helpful to us. But when they have these varying different ways and blaming patients for being sick and punitive -- I don`t know. Anyway, what`s going on in court?</s>HOWARD: Well, she dodged a huge bullet. There`s no doubt about that, Dr. Drew. And just to pick up on what you said, this here is her probation report, which reveals that she actually tested positive after being released from rehab for alcohol use on February 8th. Now that must be concerning.</s>PINSKY: Well, she`s just treating her depression. She must be sad. She was just treating her psychiatric problems with alcohol.</s>HOWARD: That must be it.</s>PINSKY: There`s cocaine and speed in there, too. Shocking. Shocking. A drug addict on cocaine and speed. I`m shocked.</s>HOWARD: This must be concerning, that the judicial system is failing someone like Lindsay Lohan. She`s dodged a bullet.</s>PINSKY: Well, let`s face it, she`s a tough case. But yes, it is failing so far.</s>HOWARD: She will go under house arrest, 140-day jail sentence. Under house arrest, it will end up only being 14 days because of the California legal system at the moment, and the sheriff system. So, Lindsay Lohan, very much the victim -- the recipient of good lawyering today.</s>PINSKY: Well, I hope the house arrest helps her contain and structure, because she has had -- a few months ago she was in recovery and, magically, her psychiatric symptoms were better too. Tell me about Whitney.</s>HOWARD: Well, Whitney Houston is receiving outpatient treatment at the moment. And my sources tell me that the reason behind this is a startling crack cocaine addiction. And my sources tell me at its height, she was spending $3,000 a week on using crack cocaine.</s>PINSKY: Well, that`s $12,000 a month. That`s a pretty good habit.</s>HOWARD: This hasn`t just snuck up Whitney Houston though. She has been under serious issues for some time. She performed in February at a Clive Davis concert. There, people, onlookers were telling me that they had concern for her. She had a spectacular failure of a tour last year. She`s getting treatment at the moment, and there is genuine concern that one of the greatest singers of our generation may not be able to come back unless she gets the help she needs.</s>PINSKY: Well, she may die. I mean, listen, guys, again, a reminder, addiction is a potentially commonly fatal condition. The prognosis for somebody, frankly, like Whitney, worse than for most cancer patients. Think about that. So getting outpatient treatment may not quite be enough. I mean, a $12,000 a month cocaine habit, you want to go away and spend six months in a structured environment. Dylan, thank you very much for the update. Appreciate it. We`ll have you back.</s>HOWARD: Thank you.</s>PINSKY: All right. So is being fat killing America`s kids? It might be, which is why there`s a growing call to action. Watch this, and then we`ll talk and we`ll have a special guest.</s>PINSKY (voice-over): Georgia`s kids are obese, one in five of those aged 10 to 17.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mom, why am I fat?</s>PINSKY: The state has launched a campaign -- it`s controversial -- to fight fat. "Chubby just isn`t cute."</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t have to be around the other kids because they always pick on me.</s>PINSKY: It`s outraged some people. One wrote, "I find it despicable to use children like that." First lady Michelle Obama has been leading the nationwide charge for two years. And celebrities, including Beyonce, are on the health for kids bandwagon. Child-star-turned-dance-star and TV host Mario Lopez has the latest entry in the fitness derby, making fit kids a family affair.</s>PINSKY: And my buddy Mario Lopez joins us. He, of course, the host of "Extra." Mario, good to see you.</s>MARIO LOPEZ, HOST, "EXTRA": Always great to see you.</s>PINSKY: He is the ambassador to the Boys and Girls Club of America. His new book is called "Extra Lean Family." Let`s get a picture of that book. There we go. It`s a very useful book, Mario. And it`s about -- as I was saying, you and I talked about a minute ago. I`m a father of triplets, and during those first two years of child rearing, I probably gained 15, 20 pounds easy. I couldn`t pay attention, and I didn`t pay attention.</s>LOPEZ: I`m surprised, because after running for a few kids, that usually will be enough to keep you in shape.</s>PINSKY: You know what though? It`s so stressful, and this is what maybe you address in the book, is I started eating. Because you deal with emotions and stress by putting bad things in your mouth</s>LOPEZ: We definitely address that in the book. And let me be clear, Dr. Drew, it`s not a diet book, because I don`t believe in diets. Diets don`t work. People work. They just need the right information. "Extra Lean Family" really does provide that information. And I`m proud of the way it came out. My last book, "Extra Lean" focused on the individual. This book, "Extra Lean Family," focuses on the household. And I`m a proud new dad, and I want to start my family off on the right foot when it comes to what they eat. And I want them to know that what they eat affects those closest to you.</s>PINSKY: By role modeling?</s>LOPEZ: By role modeling, because parents are the biggest examples. I don`t have to tell you that. And the number one most important room in the house to me is the kitchen. So much takes place there. For example, we also want to practice the lost art of the family dinner, because people don`t sit around the table and eat anymore and have conversations together. We want to get kids involved in the cooking process, whether that`s just chopping vegetables at first, for the older kids, or setting the table, washing lettuce, whatever the case may be. Kids need to understand what it takes to make a good meal, and they are going to learn how to cook by being there.</s>PINSKY: Well, a couple of personal questions. More babies?</s>LOPEZ: Definitely.</s>PINSKY: More babies?</s>LOPEZ: Definitely.</s>PINSKY: Good, because then you`ll have a big table full of people.</s>LOPEZ: Well, we`re trying.</s>PINSKY: Right now.</s>LOPEZ: So we`ll see.</s>PINSKY: Right now. Not at this second, but I mean you`re trying --</s>LOPEZ: Yes, not at the moment, Dr. Drew.</s>PINSKY: Rhoda (ph), our stage manager, get your mind out of there. Stop it. Stop it. But the other thing is, I actually work with your trainer. Are you still working with Jimmy now?</s>LOPEZ: Jimmy Pena, yes. And as a matter of fact, he helped me with the book here. He`s on the cover. A great guy.</s>PINSKY: Great guy, great trainer. Intense.</s>LOPEZ: Intense. Extremely intense. He used to be the fitness instructor over at "Muscle and Fitness" magazine. And an expert in this field, and someone I really trust and someone who is a good friend. And we both love food. I`m very passionate about food, and I want people to take a journey with food. It`s not about -- and I grew up where food is so important in my culture. It`s not about deprivation, and so many diets are about you can`t have this, you can`t have that. Most of the time you can`t have carbs, which is so bad, because it`s the body`s preferred source of fuel and energy. And my rule is, you should have carbs, protein and fat at every meal. OK? I want people eating frequently throughout the day. And most importantly, I want them practicing portion control, because we have become this big gulp society, all-you-can eat buffets and what have you. But if you are grazing all day, if you will, then you`re not going to get hungry, and you`ll have a little bit of fat in there, you`re going to keep burning that fat. I liken it to a fire in a furnace. You stick one big, heavy log there, it`s going to take forever to burn. Right?</s>PINSKY: Yes.</s>LOPEZ: But if you keep putting little pieces of wood to keep that fire burning, that`s your metabolism. It`s going to keep burning all the time.</s>PINSKY: And the fat will help satiate appetite, which is something I want to get into a little. Maybe we don`t have time for it today, but appetite management is something nobody ever talks about --</s>LOPEZ: Yes.</s>PINSKY: -- because we`re just into just gratifying all the time rather than learning to manage our appetites.</s>LOPEZ: We get into it in the book. And I`m so glad you brought that up, Doctor. We get into it in the book. And another thing that we get into as well, we are very detailed with the grocery lists and the shopping lists. I`m a former inner city kid. I get it. I know what the three tacos for 99 cents is all about.</s>PINSKY: Well, that`s the point. That`s what I was going to say, it can be expensive to do this, but I think if you pay attention, it doesn`t have to be. Is that correct?</s>LOPEZ: It doesn`t have to be. And as a matter of fact, I find it less expensive to cook at home. And we talk very detailed about how to buy in volume and how to buy smart and how to feed the whole family, and how to be clever with your leftovers. And again, this is -- we have got delicious Mexican food in there, all kinds of different desserts. But they all have a healthy spin to it, and they all involve the family. And it`s not just for the kids, but for the parents, too, because that`s where it starts. Because the parents are leading by example. If you`re not putting the vegetables on your plate, or pushing them off to the side, then the kids aren`t going to do the same.</s>PINSKY: But there`s an interesting subtext in what you`re suggesting, which is that filling with the relationships may help manage the appetite, too. Is that accurate, that being in the presence of love and caring and nurturance and connectedness, that`s the way to eat so you`re not just filling the emptiness?</s>LOPEZ: Statistics show, too, that families that dine together, their kids do better in school. They have better relationships with their parents. And they are just overall more positive young people.</s>PINSKY: I would tell you what, wait until your kids hit high school. They get busy and the start running around. But I look forward to eating with my kids whenever I can. It`s something you really miss when you don`t have, especially when you`re accustomed to doing it when they`re younger. And I hope they miss it, too. So, the book is "Extra Lean Family." Here it is. I recommend it highly. And one quick question on Jimmy. You don`t expect people to maintain the intensity of a Jimmy Pena training program in order to lose weight?</s>LOPEZ: This is not a training. There`s no exercise in here whatsoever. This is completely a food book.</s>PINSKY: Got it.</s>LOPEZ: This is all about food.</s>PINSKY: Nutrition and health.</s>LOPEZ: Nutrition and health.</s>PINSKY: Mario, thank you so much. We`re going to have you back later for a special edition of the "On Call" segment. We`re going to talk about obesity in children and diet and that kind of stuff. But up next, an expanding conversation with a familiar face from reality TV.</s>PINSKY (voice-over): The real housewife with a real story about eating disorders. You don`t want to miss her advice on battling food issues. And later, a story that may enrage you, or perhaps just break your heart -- shelters that let chronic alcoholics drink to death. They say it`s humane, but you know I`ve got some thoughts.