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Nov. 22, 2024 - Dr. Oz Podcast
42:45
Charlie Sheen's Explosive Confession & His Struggles | Dr. Oz | S7 | Ep 112 | Full Episode
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Time Text
I've sensed a resistance from you about tackling this.
Dr. Oz, Charlie Sheen.
But maybe something about the mania is pushing you back to the addiction that are much more dangerous for you than the HIV. The other issue he doesn't want to face.
It could be causing some of your problems.
The explosive new interview you haven't heard.
Okay.
How do we intervene?
How do we fix it?
What do we do?
Coming up next...
I've never seen anything like the response to the interviews I did with Charlie Sheen at home and here in our studio.
We spoke candidly about living with HIV, his addictions, his hyperactive sex life.
But then, surprisingly, for the first time, Charlie opened up about the other issue that might be driving all those inner demons.
It's a bombshell and a breakthrough.
And it's the focus of today's one-on-one interview with Charlie Sheen.
Charlie Sheen has been on Hollywood's A-list since breaking out at age 20 in Platoon.
At his peak, he was making $2 million an episode on the long-running hit, Two and a Half Men.
But all through Charlie's charmed career, he battled alcohol and substance abuse, leading to several stints in rehab.
He admits his addiction to gambling cost him millions.
And his sex life has long been the focus of tabloid headlines, most notoriously when he went on a drunken rampage against a porn star in a New York City hotel.
But it was his legendary temper that finally sent Charlie's career into a tailspin.
Leading Hollywood and Charlie's fans to speculate what really was behind the years of erratic and self-destructive behavior.
When I interviewed Charlie at home, I felt compelled to ask the questions many have been reluctant to.
Not just about Charlie's physical health, but also about his mental health.
Do you have a lot of ups and downs?
In your emotional coping with the world?
Yeah.
Yeah, I do.
But they're not as severe as they used to be.
You know, the chart used to look like that.
It's more like this.
Have you ever thought that maybe you're manic?
That you have these incredibly creative times when you're just...
Everything's alive and you're in Technicolor?
And other times when everything's gray and dark?
Yeah, I've been...
I've been described as that, been diagnosed as that.
You've been diagnosed by who?
Just people's certain medical opinions, certain personal opinions that might be bipolar.
That was a profoundly important bit of conversation for me.
Because you raised the possibility that you have a mania.
And I'm curious, although you were lighthearted than that, how seriously you've taken that possibility?
But there's a chemical imbalance that almost pushes you to make some of the decisions you make and make you prone to addiction and the many challenges that you faced.
Part of that is true.
The majority of, in my experience, my only experience, mine, With manic behavior is usually in the throes of deep partying, deep substance abuse and drinking.
It doesn't really happen when I'm not doing that.
It has never really reared its head.
And it's interesting how I answered that question.
I've been described or diagnosed by enough people that, and I guess at some point you have to take a look at it if it keeps walking like a duck, you know?
So, well, and I'm not opposed to investigating that aspect of myself.
We've come this far, might as well just fix it all, right? - So even a simple search for mania on Google gives you a couple of clues.
Okay.
I'm going to go through these.
Did my picture come up?
Yep.
Not yet.
But I'm actually curious if it's not because of the drugs that you behave manic, but maybe something about the mania is pushing you to take the drugs in the first place.
So as an example, you find sometimes when you're not doing drugs that you're irritable and restless.
Occasionally.
Less need for sleep than most people.
Occasionally.
Racing thoughts.
Here and there, yeah.
High sex drive.
Not these days.
I'm gonna put yes for that.
And a tendency to make grand plans.
Who's describing them as grand?
Charlie, everything about you is grand.
You just, you reach for the stars always.
And which is, again, what I've learned, I'm a heart surgeon, so I have to learn this through the painful experience of taking care of patients of mine who had mania or other issues.
It's what made them unique.
It's what made them who they were.
So I actually don't want to squash out who you are, but I want to make sure that we're helping you.
Listen, if you've got a broken leg and I send you to run a windspin, you're not going to do so well.
No, I'm not.
No.
And so I want to give you all the tools that you can...
So I'm going to ask a couple questions if you don't mind.
Those are the Google questions, but I called around a lot of people.
Okay.
We did a lot of homework to get ready to try to help you.
Okay, good.
And a lot of folks who are facing similar consequences.
I'll put a name on it.
But do you feel like you have mood swings?
You described in June and July doing things with cocaine and alcohol that were not in your best interest.
Not at all.
You had some dark periods.
Extremely.
And then you had some very high periods.
You're looking for solutions, chasing the cure.
Sure.
Do you feel like those mood swings are normal?
They've always seemed normal to me.
That's as honest as I can be.
I've just accepted it as part of my makeup.
If there was a pill that would fix the mood swings, would you be scared of taking it?
Yeah, I would.
What else is it going to fix?
You know what I mean?
I know exactly what you mean, and thanks for being honest about it.
I'm just looking for the things that work and not work for you.
If there were meds that would not take away your genius, that would not destroy your creativity, did not take away the colors from a psychedelic world that you live in, that might actually help you make better decisions.
If such a thing existed, forget pill, if a treatment existed that got you that, what do you think then?
I would certainly consider it, sure.
What would be the positive aspects of dealing with the mania without taking away the creativity and all the other wonderful aspects of who you are?
Would be to once and for all find out.
And then I can either say, you know, thanks for being right or thanks for assessing me correctly.
Or I can finally say, you know, Enough, you're wrong.
At least I would have the data to go from.
I think it makes sense.
Are there people in your life who would be happy and relieved if you got help in this area?
They would be curious as to the extent of the intervention or the treatment or whatever you want to call it.
Again, it's dicey for me because I embrace, I don't look at it as mania, I just look at it as, you know, existing and exploring a very interesting and full world and universe, you know.
If the temptation to make some of the decisions that have harmed you went away, would your kids be happy?
Would your mom be happy?
Would your dad be happy?
Your ex-spouses.
Would that be something that would be celebratory for them?
Of course it would, yeah.
Of course it would, sure.
Charlie, from day one, when I got that poem, describing your quest to chase for the cure, I felt in my heart that as much as you were chasing for a cure for HIV, I needed to help you chase for a cure for you.
I needed to help you deal with problems that are much more dangerous for you, crazy as it sounds, than the HIV. Okay.
I'm not an expert in everything, obviously, but I know how to get the right people.
So I brought in a top expert who specializes in addictions and manias and I think is custom-made for you.
It's a very brave step for you to talk to her, but I think it's a very important part of your chasing for the cure.
Are you okay with that?
Of course I am, sure.
When it comes to bipolar, we would talk about symptoms you had, medical problems, histories of substance abuse, but there are some questions that are associated with having manias that are a little more specific that we could ask you now if you would be willing.
Hey there.
Hi!
I'm Dr. Modir.
Hi, I'm Charlie.
It's a pleasure.
It's so nice to meet you.
Thank you.
Likewise.
Please sit.
Dr. Shala Modir is a Los Angeles-based psychiatrist, double board certified in both addiction and psychiatry, a rare combination.
She specializes in the treatment of mood imbalances like depression, anxiety, mania, and bipolar disorder.
Prior to the show, Dr. Modir connected with Charlie to get acquainted before meeting face-to-face in our studio.
I've heard you're an absolute expert in this field.
And if I was gonna talk to anybody, that I'm in the company of that exact person, so that's pretty cool.
We're back with Charlie.
All right, so I want to introduce you to Dr. Shahala Modir.
She's sitting right there in the front row.
Get comfortable looking at her.
I'm going to ask her to work with me and you.
Okay.
And maybe if you're okay, it'll go beyond the scope of what we're talking about here today.
So Dr. Medeir, if you could help me and Charlie and frankly everybody else understand what might be going on from what you've heard so far.
And then you have the freedom as a psychiatrist who's world renowned in this area to ask better questions than I could ever ask to help all of us, especially Charlie, understand what is happening.
So when it comes to bipolar, especially when there's substance abuse, it's a complicated diagnosis to make, right?
So I think here we're just trying to help you identify what might be in the way of you, longitudinally over time, making better choices that lead to you having a happier, healthier existence.
So when it comes to bipolar, for example, you know, normally we would take like an hour and a half to sit down and have a clinical interview where we would talk about symptoms you had, medical problems you have, family history, histories of substance abuse, developmental history.
But there are some questions that are associated with having manias that are a little more specific that we could ask you now if you would be willing.
I mean, we're all here.
We're all here.
Yeah.
Sure, I'd be wide open.
Yeah, why not?
So, what kinds of questions would you ask to help folks figure out if they've got a mania?
Sure.
So, Charlie, has there ever been a time when you haven't been your usual self and you've had periods of elevation with increased energy and other people have noticed that you've also had increased energy and you haven't been your usual self?
Absolutely.
Yeah.
And during that same time, have you also had periods where you were not your usual self and maybe you didn't need any sleep and you have no need for it?
That's happened, sure.
Yeah.
And how about periods of time where maybe you were arguing more with other people or fighting more and other people noticed a change in your behavior?
Yes.
And have you also had periods where you've either had increased spending, hypersexuality, excessive gambling?
Have you been following me around?
That would be a yes.
And have you ever had many of those symptoms all during the same time period?
Wow.
Most likely, sure.
Yeah.
And has anyone in your family ever been diagnosed with bipolar or any other mood disorder?
Negative.
Yeah.
And how much of a problem have any of these things caused you?
Like as far as like work is concerned or relationships or financially, have any of these periods of time where you experienced these symptoms had negative impact?
And if so, has it been like mild, moderate or severe?
It's been all three of those.
It's been detrimental.
At times, it has enhanced and benefited certain situations, oddly enough.
No, it's true.
Probably hurt them more times than helped.
Yeah.
So those are some of the questions we ask when we're screening to see if someone might have a disorder like bipolar.
Obviously it's a complicated diagnosis to make and you know we're not going to make it in five minutes.
We have to do a thorough assessment.
But those are some of the questions we would ask.
I've sensed a resistance from you about tackling this.
Perhaps for fear of being labeled, for fear that the treatments wouldn't work anyway, or if they did work the side effects were overwhelming.
So the big question is, would you be willing to give Dr. Modir a chance to help you as you chase the cure?
You have faced the demons in your life.
You're gonna keep facing them.
Would you be willing to give Dr. Modir a chance to help you?
We're back with Charlie.
So the big question is, would you be willing to give Dr. Modir a chance to help you as you chase the cure?
Absolutely, I would.
Yeah.
She's presented it in a way where it makes sense and it's not an attack.
There's no judgment.
I'm not saying that it's felt like that from the people that I trust and love, but no, it's She actually met and experienced briefly who I am before she diagnosed anything or the conversation went further, which never happens.
You know?
I don't want you to ever forget that some of the folks who have been the brightest, who have changed the world, were able to do it because they overcame their mania, their bipolar, their depression, even their schizophrenia.
A lot of bad stuff out there, but somehow it changed how their brain worked in a way that allowed it to do things that others couldn't.
Sure.
Think of yourself like you're a Maserati, a Ferrari.
Whatever car you like, just buzzing along, high-powered, cool, everyone likes it, until something doesn't work quite right.
And then everybody hears the motor's not working.
Sure.
And I think that's oftentimes how mental health enters into the lives of people who are incredibly prosperous and vital for our civilization.
Right.
So I think the good news is, even if I do have this thing, I'm in really superior company, is what you're saying.
Yes.
In every way possible.
Thank you.
So, they're brilliant people, geniuses, who walk around with mania and other issues that, in fact, force them to be creative, allow them to be creative.
I want you to feel that strength deep in your heart.
Thank you.
That you can look for cures in places that people might have stigmatized you for.
You're already doing it with HIV. You have faced the demons in your life.
You're going to keep facing them.
Sure.
They're compounded sometimes, but you've got determination, you've got courage, you have wisdom you're bringing to it now.
Thank you.
And I want to keep sharing your journey with the entire world.
We will do this together.
Deal?
Thank you very much.
We'll be right back.
I'm talking about a spokesperson for the HIV community.
Do you see yourself right now as that person?
I think something like what you just described has begun today.
The threat of terror attacks has all of us on edge.
We don't understand how powerful our minds are.
Life coach Ayala Van Zandt helps you overcome your fears.
My son was shot in the head.
My son suffers every day.
What you focus on grows.
And right now you're focusing on the fear.
Ayala's life-changing tip.
All new Oz.
I want you to give some concrete steps for Dawn and everybody else out there to help them lower their fear, their worry.
That's coming up on Wednesday.
The war on salad.
Is it overrated?
Find out if you should stop eating salad today.
We break it all down in our Food Truth series.
Plus, famed model and restaurateur B. Smith's battle with Alzheimer's.
How's it changed in the last year?
How's it more difficult?
And the frightening night she went missing.
She was gone somewhere between 14 and 17 hours.
It was...
It was very scary.
Au revoir.
That's coming up tomorrow.
Chasing a cure is not a one-man job.
How are you going to shine light where there's darkness now?
I think I will have access into certain areas where others have not.
And that's the power of celebrity.
That's the power of fame.
And I'm not saying that abusively or arrogantly, just knowledgeably.
We're back with Charlie.
Okay.
So we're lucky to have some women in the audience who have been living with HIV. I want to thank you all for coming.
There are quite a few here.
And Charlie has agreed to answer some of your questions.
So I'm just going in the order that I have.
Maria, are you first?
No, actually, you know what?
Andrea's first.
Go ahead.
Go ahead, Andrea.
Thank you.
Hi, Charlie.
Hi, sweetie.
How are you?
I want to say I commend you because this is a brave step for you.
Thank you.
And I commend you as a woman living with HIV since July 11th, 2007. Oh, wow.
Wow.
Yeah.
My question for you, I know when I first got my diagnosis, it was like a ton of bricks hit me.
I wasn't a woman.
I was a woman that was married that contracted the virus from her husband.
And it hit me like a ton of bricks.
And my question is to you, what support group do you have with other persons that are that are living with HIV that can help you through some of the things you may experience and or what support group do you have that's really working with you other than Dr. Oz that is helping you through especially those hard times because getting a diagnosis of HIV is very traumatic of course you know it's sometimes it can play on you mentally you know and
what do you do what support do you have in place that helps you during those times That's a really good question.
Wow, I don't have, in the classic example or definition, I don't have a said support group.
But just listening to you ask the question, I'm thinking, well, why don't I have that?
You got your first member here.
Your first collaborator.
Wow, I just assumed that when I came out that people would show up in droves and say, oh, we're in the same boat, let's form a group, and I would lead it, you know?
And that hasn't happened until right now, so that's as honest as I can be with you.
Wow, awesome, awesome.
But also...
But I'm not discounting the support group I have in place, you know?
Right.
And you need that, and that's a wonderful and awesome thing because the education is very important at this point in your life.
And I'm opening up.
I'm a woman living with HIV. If you ever need information, you have a whole lot of advocates that are here for you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Go ahead, Michelle.
Charlie, I commend you.
Oh, thank you.
I commend you.
I'm a very spiritual person.
I'm a woman who's been diagnosed with HIV for the last, it's going to be 25 years.
Wow.
Whoa.
Yes.
And what I'm about to share with you, I run a campaign here in New York for the Centers for Disease Control called HIV Treatment Works.
And I am yet to meet heterosexual men who have taken a stand on talking about our responsibility, how we interact with women, our community.
Do you see yourself right now as that person That can come forward to encourage other heterosexual men.
Take a stand.
Take a responsibility.
Let's partner with our community and continue the education.
I'm talking about a spokesperson for the HIV community.
Specifically, the heterosexual men.
Gotcha.
I'm looking for that person.
Yeah.
I mean, it's...
I think something like what you just described has essentially begun today.
Thank you.
I'm not patronizing.
It's without actually Joining a foundation yet or subscribing to, and this is also new to me, you know, but I do feel that, and I'm proud of the fact that I think that my honesty and my efforts are going to put me in that position whether I want to be or not, and the good news is I do want to be.
Thank you.
Go ahead, Maria.
Hi, Charlie.
How are you?
Hi, sweetie.
How are you?
Wow.
I actually get to see you face-to-face instead of always on TV. I needed to say that.
Likewise.
I'm a Latina woman, and I was diagnosed in 1994. Wow.
So it's been 22 years.
And back when I was diagnosed, there was no pre- and post-counseling.
There was no education.
There really wasn't no treatment whatsoever.
Right?
So...
I understand where you at, because I fight demons.
At the same token, what I want to ask you is, what are you doing?
What part are you playing within yourself to educate yourself, when it comes to living with HIV and AIDS, to further take care of yourself?
Not just with your team, but you, for Charlie, for who Charlie is.
Now, Charlie Sheen.
Charlie, so that you can protect yourself and your partners and have a support system.
Because for me, when I got diagnosed, my support system was my brother and my mother, and they're no longer here.
But I still hold on to them.
Go ahead, Charlie.
It's funny you say not Charlie Sheen.
My real name is Carlos.
I know.
Yeah, I know you do.
I know you do.
So that's the guy I sit down with.
Yeah, I... Again, I don't mean to be redundant.
This is all so new.
And these questions are generating...
It's very inspiring and creating a lot of...
Curiosity, and I can also feel that there's an urgency.
And that's okay, because I'm a guy who's up to any task when asked, you know, or when delivered there for whatever reasons.
And again, I think a lot of what I've done, entertainment-wise or otherwise, for some reason has led to...
Being in this position, and I'm not gonna look at it anymore as a curse, but...
Rusty, take it away.
Hi, thank you.
Carlos, that's who I'd like to speak to.
I've lived with the virus for 25 years, and I still have periods of fearfulness.
Wow.
So I'd like to know if you've experienced them and if you have, what are those moments that you become fearful in?
I do experience those.
You're not alone there.
Thank you all for having the courage to do this.
I feel like the junior member of the group, you know?
I have a couple of questions I probably should ask backstage, just for out of respect.
But no, as far as the fear goes, it's...
I have to take a step back and really ask myself how much of it is a story I'm writing and how much of it is rooted in truth.
It's usually the former for me.
I try to stay up to date on the latest research.
But I get exactly what you're saying when sometimes you go to bed at night and think, man, there's some bull**** inside me trying to kill my ass, right?
And I go through the same thing, you know?
So I don't have a solution for that other than...
Most of those fears, for me, the doomsday ones are not true.
They're not true, you know?
I think so.
If you have a higher power, please hold on to him.
Thank you very much.
We'll be right back.
Now that he's faced his demons, what's next for Charlie Sheen?
Charlie's back in February.
The chase for the cure continues.
Next, if you saw a drunk stranger about to get behind the wheel, would you try to take away their keys?
NBC's investigative reporter Jeff Rossin stages a social experiment.
But you let him walk out the door.
What our hidden cameras reveal will shock you.
Coming up next.
The war on salad.
Is it overrated?
Find out if you should stop eating salad today.
We break it all down in our Food Truth series.
Plus, famed model and restaurateur B. Smith's battle with Alzheimer's.
How's it changed in the last year?
How's it more difficult?
And the frightening night she went missing.
She was gone somewhere between 14 and 17 hours.
It was...
It was very scary.
All new odds.
That's coming up tomorrow.
My son was shot in the head.
My son suffers every day.
Life coach Ayala Van Zandt helps you overcome your fears.
Right now you're focusing on the fear.
All new Oz.
That's coming up on Wednesday.
A new government survey shows that more than 4 million people admit to sometimes drinking and driving.
So the question is, if you saw a drunk stranger about to get behind the wheel, would you try to take their keys away?
With the help of actors portraying a bartender and an inebriated customer, NBC's national investigative correspondent, Jeff Rossin, staged a social experiment.
Hidden cameras capture how people react when they think a drunk person is about to drive.
And the results are revealing.
It's been a long week.
This guy is drunk.
Two more.
Two.
And he's about to make a really bad decision.
I'm taking my keys and I'm driving home.
Will someone stop him before he gets behind the wheel?
Our hidden cameras are in place at McQuaid's in Lindbrook, New York.
I'm Tim and I'm playing the drunk.
I'm Joe and I'm playing the bartender.
We're watching everything from a control room next door.
Let's push that camera in just a hair.
First up, these three women.
When they walk in, our actor is already three sheets to the wind.
Excuse me.
Can I get one more of these, please?
Yeah, one second.
He's slamming back shots, and the women are giving him dirty looks.
Can I get one more round, please?
This woman even calls over our bartender.
But now, Tim's ready to go home.
I gotta go.
All right.
Even dropping his keys.
They watch him leave.
And no one stops him.
Ready?
Go.
Hi, ladies.
Jeff Rossin from NBC. You saw he was drunk and he walked out of here?
I was just going to go out.
We just said we were going to go out there because we knew he wasn't moving.
But you let him walk out the door.
Did you think to stop him?
No.
It's a good lesson because he had too many stories about drunken driving.
And I said, let's get his license plate number.
But we didn't stop him, you know, which was a mistake.
When we roll again...
No, everyone seems concerned as Tim stumbles out the door But they don't stop him.
How are you guys?
So why not get involved?
I don't feel particularly safe going after someone.
I just think it's the establishment's place to monitor what he does.
So, what if we turn our drunk guy into a drunk girl?
Two more.
Jeff Rossin is here.
We're going to get to the drunk girl scenario in just a moment.
Why would people hesitate to step in and say something?
It's like that gentleman said, you know, I don't want to get involved, but especially with a man.
Women especially told us, you know, a guy can be a belligerent drunk, and they could overpower me, perhaps.
Do I really want to get involved in that?
It was the fear factor, frankly, and look, we...
We all like to think we'd get involved, but in that moment, first of all, you want to sort of step away and think somebody else will.
Then you add into the fact that that person could be belligerent.
He's drunk, unpredictable.
It could be dangerous.
That's why.
Let's go to our audience.
I'm curious.
How would you guys deal?
Who would step in and take away his keys?
Go ahead.
What would you do?
Hi, I would definitely step in to see if maybe they came with a designated driver.
And if not, I would let them know if they needed me to help them call a cab or arrange for other transportation.
Because it's just too dangerous and it's a social responsibility.
So you're saying the right thing, but I'm going back to what we found.
And I'm going to come back to you in a second, maybe with that feedback.
Okay, go ahead.
What would you do?
I would offer my assistance and maybe try to get him to maybe take another transportation source.
But I would definitely tell him that it's not the greatest idea to drive.
Are you surprised that no one stepped in?
I'm not really surprised.
Only because, like you said, you're fearful that someone's going to attack you.
You never know how they're going to respond, especially if you don't know them.
So I'm not at all surprised.
All right, so we got a not surprise, and we got folks saying, I would have stepped in, I would have planned to go in there.
We conducted a poll on DrRoz.com asking, if you saw a drunk man about to get behind the wheel, would you try to take the keys away?
Eighty-three percent of the folks who responded said yes.
83%, that's four out of five people in this audience, and yet not a single person in the bar actually did that.
So, Jeff, are you surprised by the survey result?
I'm not.
I mean, I'm not surprised by those results, because look at the audience.
We all want to think that, I love you all, I love you all, I promise, but we all like to think that we're more courageous, we're braver, and in that moment we'll jump in.
I would say yes, sitting here today.
I even did that experiment.
Would I jump in in that moment if somebody was bigger than me?
I'd like to think I would.
But I don't know if I would, even though we should.
Did any of the patrons in the bar speak to the bartender?
Yeah, as you saw in the piece, at least one of them did, but even off camera, several of them did.
And experts say, that's the surefire way to do the right thing without putting yourself in danger.
Go to the bartender, go to management.
And that woman did the right thing in that piece.
You know, cut him off.
Stop serving him.
And if they're going to get up, maybe call the police on that.
Call the police on that person.
You can do that from your cell phone.
Figure out their license plate.
Now the question is, what if the person drinking was a woman?
Jeff's team turned the tables and replaced the drunk guy with a drunk girl.
Did the reaction and response change?
What do you guys think?
Yes.
The women think yes.
We're going to find out when we return.
Coming up next, we put a twist on Jeff's drunk driving experiment.
Two more.
Would you still be apprehensive to get involved if the drunk person was a woman?
It's important to keep in mind that drunk driver is a drunk driver is a drunk driver.
How to stop anyone from driving drunk.
Next.
The war on salad.
Is it overrated?
Find out if you should stop eating salad today.
We break it all down in our Food Truth series.
Plus, famed model and restaurateur B. Smith's battle with Alzheimer's.
How's it changed in the last year?
How's it more difficult?
And the frightening night she went missing.
She was gone somewhere between 14 and 17 hours.
It was...
It was very scary.
All new eyes.
That's coming up tomorrow.
The threat of terror attacks has all of us on edge.
We don't understand how powerful our minds are.
Life coach Iyama Van Zandt helps you overcome your fears.
My son was shot in the head.
My son suffers every day.
What you focus on grows.
And right now you're focusing on the fear.
Iyama's life-changing tip.
All new Oz.
I want you to give some concrete steps for Dawn and everybody else out there to help them lower their fear, their worry.
That's coming up on Wednesday.
We're back with NBC's national investigative correspondent, Jeff Rossin.
Now, we just saw Jeff's team stage a social experiment to find out how people react when they think a drunk guy is about to drive.
But what if it's a drunk girl who's about to get behind the wheel?
We're about to find out.
We send in our actress, Sarah, and she's already plastered.
You having a rough day, right?
Yeah.
What he doesn't know, those shots are really water, and she keeps throwing them back, getting a lot of attention at both ends of the bar.
But now it's time for our actress to leave.
No, I'm okay.
They aren't letting her go anywhere.
My car's right out front.
It'll be...
Doesn't matter.
It'll be out front day tomorrow.
I have family on the road.
I don't really want anybody getting killed and you getting killed.
Aw, you don't...
It's not worth that either.
That's so nice of you.
I am a driver.
I'm going to have my guy get a lift on now.
You did such an amazing thing.
You offered to give her a ride home.
Absolutely.
Why?
Because I don't want her to get killed or kill somebody.
You stepped right in.
Did you ever consider not stepping in?
Yes.
You thought about not getting involved.
And I said, you know what?
I'd rather step in.
If more people stepped in for other people, there'd be less drunk driving accidents and people killed.
We roll again and get our biggest surprise yet.
Why don't you drink some water?
Drink some water.
This man is already concerned.
Actually, yes, she's about to.
Thank you.
Stumbling out the door, he seems conflicted about what to do, mouthing to himself, she's gonna drive.
He gets up, going after her, even jumping inside her SUV. I have a driver.
He's my driver.
Can he drive you home or something?
I don't want you driving.
It's not worth it.
Trust me.
Sir, sir, sir.
Hi.
Jeff Rawson with NBC Today Show.
This is a social experiment.
She's an actress.
It's apparently had somebody kill themselves.
God forbid she got into an accident.
You not only came out to stop her from driving, but you got in the car.
If more people do that, we'll be okay.
Jeff, what surprised you the most?
First of all, love that guy, right, who went in there and said, you know, I have a driver, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna have him take you home, and he chased her out.
You know, it's that damsel in distress, I think, you know, that's in men, maybe, but there are some women out there, too, who wanted to help her as well.
Everyone involved got involved with the woman because You know, smaller frame.
She wasn't acting belligerent.
Maybe the guy was acting a little more belligerent.
I think that's what's at play here.
It's important to keep in mind that drunk driver is a drunk driver is a drunk driver.
Man or woman, they can do as much damage, and we should act the same way to both.
You know, you see the moment of change in their faces.
You captured it beautifully when they finally realized we got an issue here, but then they don't really want to get involved.
And you mentioned the fact that there's a physical risk, potentially, of the guy, but he's much more dangerous behind the wheel.
You also don't want to get in trouble.
I mean, you don't want somebody to say, I'm not drunk, and get into a whole argument with them.
I think there's a piece of us that says it's somebody else's problem.
And frankly, social responsibility, it is the wrong thing to do.
Like I said, pick up the phone and call 911. Just get a license plate.
That way you don't even have to get involved with them.
I just saw a drunk driver take off.
Here's the description.
Here's the car.
Here's the plate.
Or have management go to the actual person.
It's their responsibility to the bar not to over-serve.
Did you go back to the folks who were witnesses to the drunk guy and ask them what they felt about a drunk woman?
Yeah, and they were pretty open about it, and they said they probably would get involved with a drunk woman.
Although, I will tell you, a few of the women who didn't get involved with the guy told us, you know what, and it's like the audience did a few minutes ago, they thought they would get involved, and they were surprised and disappointed in themselves.
And I think that's what happens to us.
You know, we like to think that we're Perhaps more courageous than we are.
And then when we're faced in that moment, you never know how you're going to react.
But you watch something like this and you realize how important it is.
So we did another survey, like we spoke of earlier, with a male drunk person getting in their car.
And we this time asked what they would do, our audience, if they saw a drunk woman.
You know, we take the keys away.
87% of you said yes, which is not that much more, actually, than what you said about a guy.
But we saw, I think, a very different outcome.
Hugely different.
I mean, it could not be any more different.
Everyone got involved for the woman.
No one really got involved for the guy.
Wonderful work as always.
Thanks for being here, Jeff.
We'll be right back.
Thank you.
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How's it more difficult?
And the frightening night she went missing.
She was gone somewhere between 14 and 17 hours.
It was...
It was very scary.
All new eyes.
That's coming up tomorrow.
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We don't understand how powerful our minds are.
Life coach Iyama Van Zandt helps you overcome your fears.
My son was shot in the head.
My son suffers every day.
What you focus on grows.
And right now you're focusing on the fear.
Iyama's life-changing tip.
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I want you to give some concrete steps for Dawn and everybody else out there to help them lower their fear, their worry.
That's coming up on Wednesday.
Some of it was difficult.
Some of it was not so difficult.
I think I did really good.
I think I'm kind of proud of how it went.
It was just nice to be present.
I'm kind of proud of myself.
This doesn't happen, you know?
I don't usually say that.
And I'm okay owning that.
This does, I mean, really redefine the whole essence of winning, doesn't it?
If there's anything I want you to take away from today's show, it's the power of facing your inner demons, head on and without hesitation.
Unchecked, those demons can devastate not just your health, but the health of your family, your friends, your loved ones, sometimes even perfect strangers.
As Jeff Rossin reported, it takes a lot of courage to step in and do the right thing to stop a friend or a stranger from driving while drunk.
In fact, it takes even more courage to look in the mirror and realize that you might be the problem.
And that's what I'm so inspired by, watching Charlie Sheen come to grips, first with his physical health and now with his mental health.
Charles is going to be back on this stage in February.
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