Dr Oz: Pat O’Brien Addiction, Rehab, Rock Bottom + Memoir Review

Dr Oz: Pat O’Brien Memoir Review

TV personality Pat O’Brien is the author of a new book, I’ll Be Back Right After This, in which he chronicles his own struggles with addiction. He was a guest on Dr Oz to talk about his journey and what it was like to share his story.

O’Brien’s distinctive voice made him a successful sportscaster and entertainment news anchor for Access Hollywood and The Insider. Behind the scenes, he was battling alcoholism and substance abuse.

Dr Oz: Pat O’Brien Addiction

You might remember that Pat O’Brien’s explicit voicemails, which made tabloid headlines and derailed his career. Despite the public spectacle, it took four trips to rehab for O’Brien to find the help he needed and achieve sobriety.

He sat with Doctor Oz to recall what his life was like before things got off track. He said that he was proud of what he had accomplished in his career. Later, he had a three-day binge during which he blacked out.

He does not remember what happened during that time, or how he woke up in a different city, not knowing how he got there. His employers confronted him and insisted that he go to rehab.

Dr Oz: Pat O’Brien Rehab

Dr Oz asked O’Brien about his first time in rehab. He said that he felt like bad things would not happen to him, but he found himself in bad shape. Pat said he did not want to identify himself as an alcoholic.

O’Brien said that he was assigned the W.C. Fields cabin at rehab. It began to rain, and O’Brien reflected on his family and what they would think of his situation. “I just broke down and cried,” he said. Detox drugs kicked in and he had trouble walking.

He found himself in the mud in his pajamas and began to cry. “That’s the consequence” of addiction, he said.

Dr Oz: Pat O’Brien Rock Bottom

But that was not rock bottom for O’Brien. He relapsed by picking up wine on the way home from rehab. Dr Oz wondered what it is like to go back again. Pat said you don’t realize what you are doing to your life.

“It’s the only disease where you don’t admit you have it,” he said. While it may be easy to stop drinking, the “-ism” part is more complicated. O’Brien said that he has been sober for six years. But all the negative feelings inside you can make it difficult to maintain sobriety.

“You’ve got to take care of yourself, love yourself, forgive yourself, and move on from there,” O’Brien said.

Dr Oz: Pat O’Brien Wizard of Oz

Dr Oz said that with everything O’Brien has been through, it’s amazing he survived. He fell down two flights of stairs and broke his neck. After Anna Nicole Smith died, O’Brien felt that his show was partly responsible for his death. He was found in a pool of blood after injuring himself.

By the fourth trip to rehab, his counselor, Chuck Rice, pointed out to him that he was going to die if he did not change his behavior. While walking through a forest, he thought of himself as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and realized he had the power to go home at any time.

Dr Oz: Robin Williams Depression

The suicide of Robin Williams affected many fans worldwide. Pat O’Brien said that Williams was sober when he died. The actor suffered from severe depression. Pat recalled how welcoming Williams was when O’Brien got out of his first rehab stint.

Alcoholism, Drug Addiction, and Depression affect and endanger many people, and O’Brien said we have to start taking it more seriously so there is not a stigma and people can get the help they need.

He concluded by saying he has learned that your ego will always lie to you. You can read more of O’Brien’s journey in the memoir I’ll Be Back Right After This.