Russell Brand​ in conversation with Dr. Drew​ Pinsky at Live Talks Los Angeles

thank you so much for coming thanks have me on your radio show and thanks all of you for emerging from what must be a very difficult time in your country to to attend this event I can only assume you're in great suffering and but now we have sanctuary now we have each other we're here and we're free and we're together also on Facebook live it's Nicky here is a Nicky it's nearly on it got to even sound like Joe tell them how Bill Moore was oh I've just been on Bill Maher and I had a British Minister I was a little bit worried about going on it you know sort of live television narcissism that's me the second part but it went really really well actually I had a tremendous time I really really enjoyed it it was really really brilliant fun and I also enjoyed being with you earlier we had a very intelligent discussion about addiction and his connotations more broadly that's in fact what fascinates me I'm interested in you know bog-standard addiction that's what I suffer from substance dependency addiction in all of its forms if you take away one aspect of addiction I'll merely Morphin attach to something else like some greedy phantom but what happened but what I'm interested in is how this condition exists in less pronounced than less extreme forms and how I and how he exists as I say the ubiquity of addiction particularly the ubiquity of addiction in a system that relies upon dependency on external phenomena to motivate yourself eg consumer capitalism which is a very much mistaken is what we're living in now and we got a no conversation about happiness and happiness being something that could be solved yes you liked that didn't you I've never saying that I do like that because because I think we've got all kinds of shitty ideas about happiness here how it went right dr. drew as I recall was that you goes you know you said it was ludicrous there was in the Constitution the right to pursue happiness and I goes I think that happiness he actually should be a constitutional right and then you said but what is happening as I said I don't mean leisure i mean happiness wholeness contentment only said what is the difference dr. drew did between happiness and pleasure and I said well the difference is that you can be sold pleasure you can't be sold happiness pleasure is a commodity pleasure can be stimulated pleasure is a car pleasure is your shoes pleasure is alcohol and drugs pleasure can be commodified happiness is innate is inherent it's within you already no one owns it no one can sell it to you and this is where I think the addiction becomes a decoding device for something that is quintessentially wrong with our time we have been turned from citizens into consumers and addiction is merely the amplification of this phenomena the addicts are the outliers of something that is ubiquitous consumerism thank you there are heroes like that I'm trained here it's nuts that we've been put on a magic carpet isn't it well don't you dare close your eyes a whole exciting point of you tell me princess you be the princess I want to be a legend in this yours to be that wicked monkey there's always a wicked monkey you're the princess on you a nice performing on your radio show for what lovely buff older man I'm looking ain't you - hey - stop overhead what a lovely buff man Oh your biceps okay baby are comfortable but my shirt back on sorry about that so so and let me let me just put a little finer point on the happiness versus pleasure thing what I said was that I feel very strongly that we're confused about happiness in this country and we're interested in pleasure and what's called hedonic happiness as opposed to what really makes us fulfill which is eudaimonic happiness which which is invested deeply and explain that as it comes out virus though I don't even know very startled had this idea about the purpose of human existence is something called eudaimonia and people have argued about how it should be translated it was originally translators happiness but in recent years has been translated as flourishing and so flourishing is really thought to be the heat the reason for human existence well what is flourishing well it's not heroin it's not cocaine it's not new boots that will give you pleasure that's a lake that's a certain kind of happiness but it's very fleeting it's very it needs more all the time it's very addictive as opposed to you demonic happiness which is what recovery is about which is about being whole and regulated and really ultimately they find that being of service to others being present with others much unless we were talking about earlier service to others is how you find you demonic happiness nice aunt we learned a baby buddy Greek what's up well I don't give you more room knowing you like what it was that is a little Greek up here that's true it's our pleasure sign attention synchronicity are the Lord but but to be to be actually achieving eudaimonia you have to have some skills he called that technique you are dead some wisdom he called that phronesis and so you had to have some capacity something you trained to do to make the difference to really contribute in a way that would make you you demonically hold now you talk about it baby right do what you want to know I'll tell you anything I'll tell you anything I'm here for you I trust the moment entirely I'm ready to be lots of questions here we go hey Russell before you go I read them your brief versions of the 12-step which I loved good job like I was well with our fellow humans they did particularly at the first five steps are you [ __ ] yeah could you not be [ __ ] yeah are you on your own going to unfuck yourself write down all the things that are [ __ ] up and then tell somebody trustworthy about it yeah it's tricky those four or five there's no way of getting around the admin but I do like I'm gonna leave you out the car but we don't [ __ ] chimpanzees your selfies so sit back down and relax hopefully you've done a lovely bear the beginning this is just me connecting with them after all wants to connect you're nuts my fellow humans hello hello hello humans I love you I love you hello we're free we're free finally we're free at last you know like look yeah see for me the way they said the reason I wrote this book was because like I suppose I've got to a point where I felt like I could finally trust myself I forgot to the point where I finally understood that I didn't know nothing by was beginning to understand this program I've unpicked my head so many times when I started this thing I was a smackhead in a crackit but I know that even before before that like her your great William Burroughs has said like I was looking for God I was looking for connection and when I couldn't find it when I found myself in a culture that wasn't willing to serve that need that's need for connection that need for a love when it didn't have that language and it still don't have the language in this game worse then I gotta have the opiates I've got to have frills I've got to have distraction eventually of course as you know if you are an addict or if you've ever loved an addict that thing will take you to hell it will deliver you unto the true true darkness but in a sense that is a gift because then you have to amend the problem you have to address the problem came so I was willing to a forced admit I was powerless over addiction my life had become a manageable or stilted really very kindly iterated I'm [ __ ] you know once I've made that once you've made that I think the germ is there the potentiality for growth occurs in this moment of surrender this is why I believe the idea of surrender of supplication is present in most excuse me theology so for burping in the middle of just before the word theology as well there you go that's bay force right there that shows you the kind of scope we're operating on belching and using long words next to a Greek cup and an actual doctor with the most gorgeous Bonnie sips the second power so that the second step is it Oh believing that is possible for things to improve believing that you do have the right to be happy not pleasure not these glorious glorious boots or is ridiculous fantastic trousers but something deeper and more nourishing and transient and permanent something beyond time and space which we know are just our miserable interpretations of animalistic phenomena there's no such thing as time and space when you have a limitless time limitless space our consciousness he's grasping for the real truth and I believe that within this program are the tools to access it without Hallucigenia but you can find the truth of these yours already this is the difference between happiness and pleasure pleasure can be sold to you happiness is already yours it need only be awakened that part of the process of Awakening is unpicking and picking yourself from the tapestry that they have woven between our freedom and their need to treat us as consumers so this is why I've become to see addiction noise occurs but as a blessing as a calling as an awakening because I've got no choice I have to get clean I have to get free and I feel the people that carry their songs quietly to their graves lives of quiet desperation them I want to awaken as well I know I'm limited you know I mean Hawkins I know a word or six I can rent on look at me now renting renting doc I'm renting like mad but like up I believe this thing works and I think it will work for anybody who tries it and like those of you there are addicts you know that as because the other thing I [ __ ] learned from this program is that I'm no better than anybody else but I'm also not worse than anybody else there is a great liberty in that there is a great freedom in that that we don't need centralized power systems we don't need hierarchies we don't need iconic idols that control power and manipulate power needs to be as close to ordinary people as possible and ordinary I've done quite a lot of coffee dr. drew a lot of God am i showing any of the obvious symptoms but yeah I mean this is where I love his book I mean it's all in there I mean it doesn't quite come at you quite as furiously what are you repeating it but but it's all there and so I can just sit back you can listen to this man as far as I'm concerned because I were you surprised that you you and I were as in agreement as we were this afternoon yes I always like I suppose there was a prejudice among us you know and from antithesis and synthesis and antithesis we must find synthesis those of us that see the world more mechanically and scientifically oh and people that feel things spiritually we must learn it's the same language you know and I guess because you are an actual doctor dr. drew off the TV of love like dr. drew I feel like up y'all know anatomically you know what what is the chemistry of love the biochemistry of love so and and of course you are a medical doctor and you know I'm assuming not like me just they're sort of a jumped-up smack it with a point to prove in a book to sell so like it is nice to find that we are in agreement when it comes to these so these fundamental truths that the 12-step program takes you from unconsciousness to consciousness from an awake in my case I'm talking for myself here to awakened that I believe that we don't choose between having a program and not having a program which used to mean a conscious program and an unconscious program if you're not working a conscious program you're being worked by your unconscious program the program of your childhood the program of your conditioning the program of your class all these things clogging up my mind when I realized had a problem that was the start when I can't believe it could be bear that was some hope for me when I knew I weren't gonna solve my problems my own [ __ ] up head cuz if it was gonna be if their answer to my problems in my head I'd a [ __ ] found it by now so I was willing to accept help both from people that were further down the path than me and thank god there's many of them and probably in this room there'll be people with more time than me that could have written their own book and I hope they [ __ ] will cuz I'm gonna need help down a line and I've been four or five the admin the inescapable admin the journey of discovery the learning of your own personal myth who are the characters were your archetypes what is gonna be your journey your story now early in a conversation with this group that you're asking about trauma do you want it and I noticed that one of the areas that addicts connect on is around trauma do you want to talk about your early experiences at all yes I think that you're like those of us that are dealing with chemical dependency it takes us a little while to get to the trauma and the shame a trauma and shame are usually a part of most chemically dependent Abuk stories and I imagine the perhaps trauma and shame a part of life and given that we don't live in a spiritual utopia my understood my personal experience of trauma and shame it's just you know ordinary biographic beer because I have the privilege of being in support groups I know that there's people in this room that have much worse childhoods than me people that had shoulders that weren't as bad as me people that have got more time than me people that got less time than me I'm somewhere in the middle where I belong in the collective in the community the true I suppose trauma is a it takes you off your intended path one thing I am absolutely certain about is that the the accuracy of this word recovery is that you recover the person you were meant to be that there is an intention on a biochemical biological level the same way as there would be of a tree barring a negative incident and disease the tree won't flourish it will become the thing it was intended impediment impairment intoxication will prevent this it will prevent the intended journey being experienced but the program is a way of getting you back you know like undoing the trauma in the shame yeah great great we were thinking about it oh thanks - you're welcome other questions from you guys he wants it lots of hands up where is the microphone now oh I see just I get to see Ted's phone in his hand that's how we know where he is there you are - you've got to say your name says we know who you are my name is Katie you just made my day started I have a problem sticking to things I feel really good I'll start something like yoga or exercise or or a path that's actually gonna help me and within just a few days or a couple of weeks even though I'm feeling so much better I just fall off the wagon and go to all my old habits again how do you find consistency in a big issue change is hard yes change is really really hard but it's also a mess a quite simple it is very beautiful that you have this intention it is beautiful that you have this attention like what I do I just tell you how I work my program mate and you see if it resonates with you Katie like I all the time like for a long long time I knew I had a problem with drugs pornography it's very very difficult to rest away these things that you're using and medicate yourself and make yourself feel better my experience is unless you address the root causes of feeling inadequate it's very difficult to exact change very important therefore I believe to deal with these things with a good deal of self compassion and self-love is no book that you were trying to change there is something built in there 12-step philosophy that is vital in this instance and this is the notion of keeping it in the day one day at a time there is no need making a philosophically abstract commitment to for the rest of my life I will become a yogi for the concept of the rest of your life does not exist in this moment it is a fiction today we have today today we have now so if you make a commitment simply to today this is how I will eat and I would say under the guidance of others and this is how I will conduct yoga conduct exercise whatever your spiritual and life practice is once you've taken guidance on it made a personal commitment just try it for a day and know that sometimes you're gonna have to slip up and fail because this is what we are we're human beings try to belong to a community of people that have similar intentions to you that will support you in this new endeavor so you don't feel like you're hooked into the mainframe of pessimism and negativity that wants to tell you you're not good enough so you have to buy good enough from some shell from some store from some code find your community in your connection among you and let yourself give yourself a little bit of break if you [ __ ] up it's beautiful that you have the intention keep it in the day I see there that person next you loves you don't name there you go so that person will support you and you have that communion and support of one another I suppose that what I'm suggesting is that we build systems that connect us to the better aspects of our nature not continually living systems that are predicated on the negative aspects of our nature of course I'm greedy of course I'm selfish I'm an ego mania look how long it's taking me on to this [ __ ] question I'm also very very loving person so if you put me in systems where the loving aspect of my nature is nurtured that is what I become and this is what I suggest you give to yourself because you deserve it doo-doo-doo-doo well there where's my bloody love line do it we could do could we talk ton I'm not sure even transatlantic but but they're really two important things know what he said which was that you know have a connection or another person that other person supporting is really important and then all those negative tapes about yourself I'm the person that doesn't succeed no hi Brussels my name is Jessica I'm up at the top and the cheap seats same price I insisted on a communist strategy come on they love communism in America ello mate alright first I wanted to say thank you for your books particularly revolution I studied Princeton at Harvard and Princeton and I tell everyone you're our best modern-day philosophers I'm getting away with it I have three young children and I find myself lately crippled by anxiety between the earthquakes and the mass murders and the hurricanes and I'm wondering if your book applies to the kind of anxiety that effects especially parents of young children how can we be ensure that we'll be here for them tomorrow it would be dishonest of me to say that I can in a position to answer you directly on the matter of young children cuz my little baby she's only 11 months old I'm grappling on the foothills of fatherhood and I can only imagine the pressure that you feel with the globe or geopolitical issues you're talking about through the framing of loving that little delicate gorgeous vicious beautiful slide of a child [Applause] by this book was precisely constructed for a few things one like so that people that are box pattered addicts like me would have a different type of language to talk about recovery and talk about God but then the other intention was for people that hadn't reached the kind of rock bottom's that I have and as I've already said much worse than me already in this room you know one census could have access to the mattock or the program anxiety freeze fear in three syllables you know fear and fear is a huge part of any addicts makeup any addict will tell you there is a governing principle I am dominated by fear fear lurks and looms in me if I'm not careful the fear it washes me away see and what I feel is important for me to express and like I make explicit in the book is that I am NOT better than you I know I'm vain and narcissistic and these trousers look great but what I mean is is that I'm a [ __ ] you know like I'm not [ __ ] told pure consciousness you know me but like I like check it okay he made the mistake of Yumi's phone number once I treat my own personal suicide what is it this time Russia it is very late you said there's no such thing as time I'll go to him my relationship my relationship it's not like I love this woman I don't know if it's gonna work I don't know if it's gonna work he goes well perhaps the relationship won't work maybe you will get married and then both of you will die like you know he's like he's enlightened Disney sounds like to me that he's in life like me I'm still [ __ ] around out here you know I'm still crazy so like but what I believe is if I'm around other people that have the same aspirations as me this part monkey part design that collectively we can come together and do a little bit better god I can understand she must be [ __ ] terrified bringing up that kid I would say this is how I feel with stuff like that I think what is it that I have got that I can contribute for the benefit of like my baby myself this audience dr. Drew and I tried to continually tune myself into this and let me tell you this I am NOT an isolationist I'm not a quietest I don't think we meekly shuffle off into the good good night I feel that the time for blazing and awakening is upon us so the fear is an interesting spur for action fear is a signal change is coming so don't be afraid but recognize that fear is an impulse that's asking you to take an action and the action in this case he's fine what you can do and do something about it don't look too long in your anxiety and whilst I say this to use easy say when I'm doing it myself because I feel front all the time are some other [ __ ] to help me yes I suggest write it swim the people that can help you it really depends how how relevant this is becoming if it's interfering your ability to be available to your kids and I were looking into that for sure not a position that psychology that you don't want medication you want some support support support next question you are left in the back hi Russell hi dr. drew who does the geography announcement extent from edge to edge he really is but of course the people are seated randomly already yes so in a way it will matter if we just tell right when TP / and there there's still random isn't it randomness occurs on its own that's its job I think bear doesn't seem fair but Susie's not is my name is Jenny and I have a question yes yes I know that that go boys it might what's your name sorry I'm sorry I look around ontology at one time my name is Jenny Jenny all right mate hey Jenny before you start you mind if I stand up to incinerate oh yeah sorry I made my point all right stretch my legs there go ahead my question is I know a recovering addict and they are trying to decide if they should do 12 steps or rehab all right how long you been clean not me it's a family member wait say that again Lucky's the family member my brother Damien what did you say my brother is trying to determine the best route in terms of recovery and he doesn't know who should do rehab or a 12-step boy that's those are apples and oranges a little bit I mean he absolutely humbly should be involved in 12-step but he also may need primary treatment it depends how severe what the drug is as a medical detox what concomitant issues there are so I mean if you want and one thing I tell people sometimes go to a meeting just go show up and and see what the people there tell you it because they'll tell you a few if you're not if you're not stable enough for a meeting those great I got you know we know this program that's good where is he now right here give him the microphone in the [ __ ] problem mate in your words I am [ __ ] and what what variety of facts what particular chemical our curio cookie oh yeah they'll get you yeah it is it's pretty [ __ ] worthy yeah you own it right now no no no to be first research is cocaine though to use a couple other ones mixed in right little alcohol no not a drinkers oh okay I got over the phase of drinking more mature how about the park stop that to was okay so there was Potter was alcohol right now we just have cocaine listen my I'll give you a therapeutic value of one addict talking to another you do you want a stop taking cocaine yes well I don't know it's got Weaver let me have a work with him you if you get the spider I need some [ __ ] method they don't I'll kick you in your direction [Applause] you wanna stop why it is like you said drive me to the darkest darkest of Hell do you believe it's possible for you to stop yes do you think you're gonna be able to stop it on your own no I've already tried and weapon I went to a darker spot in hell yeah terrible miserable failure there I reckon you're gonna need real help now like your sister day I was saying like I'll surely be reassured it be 12 step how long you been doing it and how much you doing it's been a year and it's been we'll say three to four grams a week cracker intranasal intranasal cuz that bicarbonate it's so dope if nothing else it means a lengthy prison sentence seems a bit cruel for a bit bicarbonate soda still illegal on its own it's quite nice for cakes I think in it oh well I just tell you my personal experience mate like offal but when I first got clean what awful was happen to me was I went away into treatment and I went away for three months and I sort of needed it a bit if not just for their therapeutic expertise are the people that were treating me in the access the counsellors that wouldn't otherwise admit it broke the sort of rhythm of my life you're just gonna be in four walls for a while yeah and it helped me it helped me to understand I don't know mate but me I see my own life mythically don't miss read me what I'm saying is that I've tried to look for patterns and symbols and something needed to happen crisis needed to happen and I reckon in your intuition and based on the fact that was your sister that first out said bloody ask the question I feel that possibly a little bit of time away might be beneficial but as they say as we say in 12-step fellowships nobody stays clean as a resolver treatment centre properly everyone knows people have been in and our loads of them so like it for me it provided me with basis because that like when I first got clean in a treatment center fourteen and a half years ago and I went in there thinking I'll just do enough I'll just do enough to get my career on track never after to actually happen but I'll just do enough no I just do enough to get my career on track and then I'll go back I'll go back because I like drugs man I like drugs a lot but something happened to me while I was in there I sort of realized it wasn't necessary and it wasn't working so I feel like if I could wake up stick him in a bit little bear jail time for him I returned dr. blood we able to enforce this we could I didn't know that about Russell but either a narc oh no no no prison I mean the imposition of external power yeah of course but but yeah my sense is and you know I have to deal with this stuff a lot is that he's actually in a state you might appreciate this we didn't he can't trust himself he says he wants to get sober because even if he's overtaken by this disease so even though he wants to hate him know if it tomorrow he's gonna be sober are you yeah it's just it's so powerful that's why I say I don't believe you it's cuz your disease is in you and it's talking it's talking you all the time and he's right if you go into a place where you can't use that it quiets it all down and you get you you come back into control of your own body literally with a little bit of time and then to do something to make sure it doesn't come back looking you're full treatment ain't cheap hmm so somebody would take you right now if you want they'll talk to you afterwards so there you can just hook up maybe run over there giving your numbers and things and I'll do it okay but thank you for thank you for looking great if nothing else the courage to stand up in a room and talk about this is you know just praiseworthy so good for you hello Russell dr. drew I'm Paloma I'm an addict Eileen just for today for nine years I'm from Brazil I I've been cocaine free for nine years right I moved out here five years ago I was married to American and my daughter was born I got pregnant on my second day here of course and then we're doing on the first day the first day so I very I still feel very divided as far as culture and I have a green card but sometimes I feel like that very divided and I'd like to know your suggestion would you be my sponsor and just kidding you got a same-sex sponsor so my ego fragment my personnel are very fragmented you know and I still feel this way even though I go to the rooms and I have a sponsor what's your question might how do you deal with the division like have you found this way yourself this way in your recovery at some point the division between one what you yourself and your ego trying to find ways because my ego knows me very well so um I've been fearful hmm well if you are you're asking me what is there you feel what divided conflicted at ten years of recovery yeah conflicts it between what and what between me as a person in this country in me as a Brazilian in as an addict in recovery and sometimes I just wanting to be whole again you know so what is the question is it to do with some of your national identity in your geographic situation or is it to do with addiction if you ever felt this way in your recovery did you feel alienated in different countries in the rooms [ __ ] feel alienated with one person you know like I may not feel alienated on my own I mean I don't know what the impact is of the current political climate on people that are from Latin America and living in this country but from what I'm watching on the TV I can imagine it could be a bit [ __ ] antagonistic but I'd be surprised and upset if our Father in recovery communities that are by definition non judgmental of nation gender sexual orientation or creed if that was not considered a safe place for any person of any background are you on any medication psych meds yeah well my personal opinion is that that's a medical matter and we have known the early edition well but my fear is your aren't some addictive meds like klonopin or something like that and that's what makes it very difficult or impossible to engage in the program of recovery that's why that's why here it's a it's the drug that the the shooter in Las Vegas was taking a relative of that it's a benzodiazepine it's the hidden epidemic in this country people are being prescribed those medicines hand over fist and it's you can't get so Bravo's method it keeps your disease active what's the it's explicit reason for his prescription sleep anxiety I mean I'm fearful that our mother up here would get prescribed that that's why I was sort of what you're on it yeah it's it's it let me let me give a little sidebar every prescription opioid death in this country includes a prescription of a benzodiazepine it is the hidden epidemic it is a really big problem and I feel like I don't know when I'm saying I don't mean to this I'm not singling you out my feeling is it you know because people can't get fully engaged they feel alienated from their peers they can't get engaged in their program and they don't know they don't understand why it's happening to them because the doctor doesn't go oh by the way this is an addictive medicine and it can block your emotional systems it's bad it's a problem and I'm a nassima I'm an evil person for saying that in the psychiatric community they would say that that I'm unenlightened I don't understand and take care of psychiatric patients and I I'm the same person that was vilified for saying when Heath Ledger died that we were gonna see the tsunami of opiate deaths I I have a I just found a footage of me and Larry King in 2002 or whatever was going this is the beginning here it comes and everyone just absolutely vilified me for that but now we're in the middle of it I'm here to tell you the same thing about the benzodiazepines I have no reason to say it I've no I don't believe there is such a thing as a good drug and a bad drug a evil drug and a angelic drug there's just molecules and the human relationship with them and the consequences next we might say somebody you know you make sense hi my name is Rhonda I'm recovering alcoholic and addict I just celebrated 25 years what's happened it's a good timing my question is I actually recently a couple years ago wean myself with the doctor's approval off an antidepressant and I did it with an amino acid therapy and I wanted to know especially dr. drew what you thought I am if we talk about a great generalities I don't want to give people it's complicated right verónica therapy is individualized you need to be in good hands with somebody who really understands not just pharmacotherapy and medic and is well trained medically but understands addiction I have not seen good results from you know therapy you might have been able to taper off without it I don't know I don't want to I don't want to undermine something that work for you I'm just I think it's just the 25 years sober off meds sounds right to me however you got there so so yeah I don't have a strong opinion next question hi this is Russell this is Jordan all right what you're talking about earlier about your intended path and you need to flourish you know like a tree and basically you know alcohol and hallucinogens narcotized you no pun intended or they just suppress I guess overall happiness is what you're talking about um just basically to specify in the turn on your intended purpose I have a close childhood friend great upbringing doesn't have any of the symptoms of you know it's not in his lineage that he has alcoholism or anything but totally normal kid on the outside and inside but would it be to argue that this person he's been abusing alcohol the last five years but he's been completely happy hasn't affected any relationship she's been in with his family his friends his girlfriends none of that so to me it looks like he's just completely happy and his happiness is actually from it's like a door an unlocked door that was opened that he wasn't it wasn't aware he wasn't aware of basically my question is happiness is subjective I mean but as long as you're not ruthless and intended evil purposely with alcohol do you think your intended purpose could be your your path could be involved with I think maybe it's like someone's drinking and it's not problematic that's all out of my jurisdiction because I've known people that can smoke crack and be jolly good found out the next day and they're no trouble my where I'm interested and where I feel like I'm qualified is if someone is drinking and it's making them unhappy and it's causing problems in their life and the life of other people this is what resonates with me and my experience and this is what this program is for so you know I guess I don't have a moral or ethical position on people drinking on people having sex on people doing drugs as a matter of fact that's not where I come from my position is about people being connected and do I feel the drugs possibly negative for most people to take him yes or probably but that falls under the banner heading of sort of none of my business really you know I'm only interested in people that want help that's off you know that's just my particular path and it's the path that I've been taught the path I've been given so like your main if he's alright sounds like say lucky bloke cuz me I get [ __ ] up on a daily basis over like you know over chocolate next question okay so how do you know when someone actually wants to stop and then how do you deal with like the violence that comes from some of the drugs like I was dating a guy and he started doing meth and about a month and a half in it just turned to complete violence and then it was always an excuse Oh someone else gave it to me and someone else did that and it's not my fault and you know I didn't want to take it like how do you suggest you deal with that well I would suggest that you've got two issues there you've got someone who's got a crystal meth problem and you've got someone who's got a codependency issues and the person that's got the crystal meth problem is the bloke you're talking about the person with the codependency issues you you're not qualified to deal with a coat of paint over the crystal meth but you are qualified to deal with a codependency me personally if I find myself in a relationship with a person that is not beneficial it's not loving I don't give people very many opportunities to get in tune with what I would call higher frequencies somebody is treating you badly particularly violence forget physical even emotional spiritual is an issue for me that is a very clear signal that you need to leave the situation meth meth is a drug of violence period and it's a pernicious drug sneaks up on people and it creates a paranoid agitation where people are focused on family friends girlfriends co-workers neighbors and they become aggressive and paranoid and violent toward those people and they do not break until they've been in treatment you have to get them out of that environment it's very dangerous do not [ __ ] around with this this is no BS okay all right next question up here on your right hi I'm mo all right we said no recording with me no recording please thank you Russell and dr. drew I have a 17 year old son kind of going through this journey and I just need to know what you would say 80 or 17 year old self dealing with dual diagnosis trauma and addiction and his mom about like hanging in there oh you poor thing I'm in a 17 year old son you all sad and yeah terribly difficult and I wish that I had the opportunity to somehow deal with how I was when I was 17 I was a wild Punk our soul must be difficult for you and I feel for you because like my mom I know when for a great deal of distress and pain because of my behavior I feel that even though this is a young person and possibly still technically a minor there is something applicable or like powerful I'm interested in in this book is behavioral forms of addiction because once I was like one or two years clean behaviorally he's one dealing with you know like because after a lucky year or so I wasn't craving going out and scoring and use him what I was dealing with is the way I relate to other people my own emotions my own fears somebody is young as 17 even though I was a drug addict when I was 17 I was a using drug addict what I would say to myself or perhaps more practically it's like I can't talk to past me little bloody idiot but like you know but your son near know like what I would try and find out what are the what he's here right let's game a little bastard look he's so sweet come over here little darling he's interesting isn't it doc how that codependency works like he's always the poor codependent person has to do the question then some little junkie comes slithering out of the dark [Applause] [Laughter] look at your poor mum she's all upset what drugs you're taking too many drugs for a child isn't it kids doing drugs what's happening now well do you wanna stop I do just got out of rehab on Monday that's good have you since then I have not I have not now you're a proper little bastard aren't you no you know even got drugs to calm him down oh my well that's [ __ ] me well firstly I think it's amazing that you're clean it's amazing that your mum have you somehow she's obviously [ __ ] terrified she would be I would be what worries me when I'm a seventeen year olds I'm actually old enough to be his [ __ ] father doctor and in fact there are some sort of biological resemblances what were you doing 18 years ago we making bad choices like this young man because now I mean you're very charismatic there's a possibility great hair well but all right I can tell you I say is this might get so I'm being silly because for me it's very important to be silly there's enough darkness and sadness in the world but let me tell you and the fact is position where I'm also obliged to be entertaining and it's very very serious subject only to [ __ ] glib about it by like if you're 70 and you're taking loads of drugs my guess is is that you know some people take drug clips of right laughs I had made suits of drugs because it was a riot laughs and some of them are okay some of them [ __ ] up and died as a matter of fact me though I was taking those drugs because I felt worthless I felt inadequate I didn't feel as good as other people when I went to bed at night I felt I've still feel the [ __ ] thing now to tell her the truth worthlessness loneliness not good enough disconnected Oh me I wouldn't even be so what I want to say like presumptuous is to start analyzing what your familial and social conditions here in the fact that you're here with a mother and not a father and I remember when I was 17 the sort feeling of the lack of a male and the lack of maleness inner and outer and the sort of pain that I carried as a result of that but what I sort of do know is that from 17 to 27 I took more and more drugs and I went on a longer and longer journey and he got [ __ ] worse and worse and I hurt more and more people and of course my mum more and more pain cause a lot of people were a lot more pain and he got kind of a lot worse I wouldn't change aspects of it that was the journey I had to go on but like see you have got access to this program now in this moment you have got the knowledge that drugs aren't working for you now in this moment if drugs work I'd still be [ __ ] taking them tell me the truth mean that the reason I've not taking them now is we don't [ __ ] work it's pretty practical reason really and then I was given this great gift that when I stopped taking drugs I was given access to the thing I was looking for in the [ __ ] first place connection truth or 408 it was benign people that took me by the hand and loved me not the carnival for here I was used to as a kid schools that then tell me the truth people that weren't qualified to take care of me so what I reckon mate what's your name again Joey ah look at Joey you're such a little [ __ ] sweetheart well I reckon Germany is that even though you seem young and if you're not I'm only 17 I could get [ __ ] off it for years and years I could be smoking rocks and blazing and banging up and smoking weed and causing all sorts of chaos you have got a unique opportunity but same as we were saying there what was your name again mate Katie it's a thing that you deal with one day at a time it's a thing that you don't deal with alone I say you get yourself involved in communities if drug and excesses like clean drug addicts for [ __ ] sake already involved with the wrong type earning that caused me right this is the thing that I want to be clear about I can't stress this enough because I am a chef now when it comes to showing off I'm quite good at that but when it comes to addiction I know different from anybody else ain't that different from you how many days you've got thirty [ __ ] amazing if you can do it for 31 days you can do it for you you do for 14 and a half years you just do the same things that you did today tomorrow do you remain connected do you think about people that have got less time than you stay in touch with people that have got more time than you you have a concept of a higher power where you read the literature you attend support groups the whole thing with your mother we'll get to that down a line made that copy complex that could be dr. drew territory or possibly dr. Freud territory I'm mucking about I'm mucking about having a laugh but it seems to me mate it's really lovely that you came up here I would say that once you've done treatment once you're on you're on the path but the paint don't ever really go mate but from the pain you get this kind of connection like for me I wouldn't give up my pain now because it means that I can talk to you in a way that I wouldn't be able to if I'd have been like the people that I so long admired and aspired to be like the people that seemed chiseled and clean the people that didn't seem buckled and broken like me I wouldn't give up my wound now I believe that it's the wound that we connect through and is your dear Leonard Cohen or is he Canadian says there is a crack in everything it's how the light gets in and we learn to love our cracks knock back crack Joey we learn to love the imperfections so may it's a very very simple business that book may actually be of use to you on his own it's not a [ __ ] nuff attend some support groups do exactly what you were told don't try to be in control of your situation anymore accept benevolent kind authority because there is such a thing as that run over all right you better do well Joey because if I read about something bad happening to you it's gonna really [ __ ] up my speech you know the other thing we've had to codependence and we haven't told them what to do yet right yeah you tell them you comes in with a grater the same the same intensity and poetry that you do but but you've got to go to a Lynette you got it work as hard as he does if you're not part of the solution you're part of the problem so you literally have to go to meetings every day you got to go to a line you've got to get a sponsor you got to work step same thing for our method lady yeah you yeah I know it's not your problem I know it's not your thing but the fact that you've chosen to be with that guy tells me all I need to know you need to do this it's very very important we were before Russell came out he were talk a little about codependency and you know how delicate and difficult and challenging it is it's a hard thing to recover from you don't get a follow on or something [Music] [Music] [Applause] or an institution don't forget my work [Music] is the imperative to love like it's not the death doom and gloom death mill the reason I mentioned death is because it provides context it means that we're not just trundling through life limitlessly time is precious the moment is precious the connection is precious so don't live in an illusion that's of the implication I start this book by talking about death to provide that functional necessary actual practical boundary the literal boundary that surrounds our life is it don't go on forever you know other than possibly limitless consciousness accessible through all kinds of spiritual technologies and illusions who knows about that stuff the reason I'm talking about there isn't like you know it's not a gothic doom and gloom is not in a black cape staring out way faced its glory joy connection we're here for such a short while don't engage with the illusion find the personal truth in yourself because that is the point of access and connection by which you can live in a deeper more beautiful reality like when I look at my little daughter I think ah this person she is perfect she is beautiful and then another voice goes she is temporary she is going to die I don't like that for but it's true more than that please God she you know she will go on without me into the future that I will never see an understanding of this reality reminds me of my function of my role to equip this human being with what they need emotionally in the world so my talk of death is really my way of understanding and accepting my personal limitations it's not a sort of a gory gothic doom and gloom thing it's we must be here now we must love because of this thanks Mel two quick things firstly thank you for writing the book thank you for sharing your recovery and I certainly hope people are listening because you speak a language that is accurate and accessible and I hope they listen so thank you for me thanks dr. drew dr. Khoo thank you for all day long looking after me on your radio show on your podcast and now on our live show and thank you for the great work you do for people like me [ __ ] up junkies we need you thanks mate [Applause]

Channel: LiveTalksLA

Views: 243,820

Rating: 4.8597622 out of 5

Keywords: Russell Brand, Dr. Drew, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Substance Abuse, Recovery, Sober, Alcoholics Annonymous, 12-Step, Interview, Live Talks LA, Live Talks Los Angeles, Henry Holt

Id: B3PsE-lFEE0

Length: 55min 23sec (3323 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 11 2017