Andy Dick has decided to check into rehab after suffering from an alleged overdose.
Dick, 59, told TMZ on Friday, December 12, that he is entering a rehabilitation facility near Palm Springs, California. The comedian shared that his friend Jenny Gimenez, with whom he appeared on Celebrity Rehab, stepped in to help him decide to seek treatment.
“Jenny Gimenez is my sister who saved me with Tim [Ryan],” he said to the outlet, referring to Gimenez’s husband.
Gimenez and Ryan, who are both sober, told TMZ that they were able to help Dick receive a “full-ride scholarship offer” to the center.
Andy Dick’s Ups and Downs: Arrests, Addiction and Controversies
Us Weekly has reached out to Dick for comment.
Earlier this week, multiple outlets reported that Dick was administered the live-saving medicine Narcan after he suffered from an alleged overdose. The actor and comedian addressed the reports on Wednesday, December 10.
“I don’t mind doing some crack every now and then,” Dick told TMZ at the time, adding that he felt “100 percent fine.”
The following day, Dick shared that he had no plans to seek treatment.
“When you say professional, should I call Dr. Drew again? Do I need help? Do we all need help?” Dick said in a video obtained by TMZ on Thursday, December 11. “I’m surrounded by my two friends, [and] it would be hard for me to escape from them.”
When asked if he would consider rehab, Dick declared, “F*** no. No, I’m not going.”
Over the years, Dick has publicly struggled with substance abuse. He has been candid about his battle and seeking treatment in the past.
“I had to stop drinking, or I was going to die,” Dick told Vice in 2016, recalling why he entered rehab for the first time in 2014. “I could see it very clearly. I was bleeding out of my ass. I was going to die. I would always say that I didn’t have a problem with drugs and alcohol, but I would drink when I was happy, when I was sad, when I was anxious. Without drugs or alcohol, I was depressed, frustrated, angry.”
Dick also opened up about how he struggled to find a program that would help him.
“When I would get a hold of one of the recovery centers, they would hang up when they found out it was me,” he reflected. ”No one wanted to help me because I was unhelpable. Why would they bring me in just to have me die in their bed?”
Later that year, Dick achieved 15 months of sobriety.
“I’m one of those ‘special needs’ cases. Seriously, I was written off by most people, and rightfully so. I was slowly dying, and I was frighteningly OK with it,” Dick wrote via Facebook at the time. “I knew I was going to die soon anyways. That was 15 and a half months ago. Today, I can say that Soba [Recovery Center] has given me my life and my family back. We are all kicking butt and loving life and each other!”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
