It's no secret that reality shows use drama to get ratings, but how much of that drama relies on alcohol consumption?
It's no secret that reality shows use drama to get ratings, but how much of that drama relies on alcohol consumption?
ET goes inside the world of reality television to find out how just much these shows rely on alcohol consumption to make good television, and what impact all that drinking has on contestants struggling with abuse and addiction.
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Looking behind the scenes of hit shows like The Real Housewives, The Bachelor and Jersey Shore, ET got the inside scoop on whether or not the shows' producers intentionally encourage the cast and contestants to get trashed in order to ratchet up the drama.
Loveline host and addiction specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky sat down with ET and revealed that he knew, first hand, of alcoholics who were pushed to drink despite being upfront about trying to recover.
"What really disturbed me was, I was treating alcoholics who had been on reality shows, and they were very clear that, in spite of talking about their alcoholism, they were still encouraged to drink," said Drew, who has worked with many celebrities dealing with addiction problems and undertaking rehab programs on his former reality show Celebrity Rehab.
"If you want a recipe for trouble, get people to drink and you will see extreme behavior," continued Dr. Drew. "In a way, you can't blame reality producers for encouraging drinking, but it's certainly not healthy."
Check out the video for more of ET's inside look at alcohol in reality television, and hear Dr. Drew's opinion on what needs to happen to make it stop.
