Dr. Drew Is 'Scared' for Andy Dick, Says He Has to Want to Get Better

Dr. Drew says he is "scared" for Andy Dick following his apparent overdose this week -- but says not all hope is gone ... and Andy simply needs to be ready for change.

Check out our clip -- TMZ caught up with the famous doc after we broke the news of what appeared to be Andy overdosing on the street in Hollywood a few days back ... after which he told us he doesn't plan to enter rehab.

Dr. Drew has a long history with the famous comedian and has helped him get treatment several times for his substance abuse struggles, and tells us he and Andy's loved ones are scared "to death" about his situation, adding ... "This is a life-threatening illness. It's a progressive illness that ends in death."

But, Dr. Drew doesn't feel Andy is a lost cause. He says he's seen hopeless situations get miraculously better ... but when it comes down to it, Andy needs to look at himself in the mirror and be ready to make the commitment to get sober -- adding Andy's done it before. He's not sure what could be holding Andy back -- deep pain, a strong dependency on alcohol or drugs, or something else ... but he tells TMZ he thinks he will come around when the time is right.

On the other hand, Dr. Drew says sometimes a person's situation forces them into sobriety -- such as an arrest -- or, perhaps, a near-death experience. At the end of the day, something will have to motivate Andy to take the leap.

When we spoke to Andy the other day, he told us he smoked crack cocaine before a pal spotted him and rushed to administer Narcan, noting he does "a little crack every now and then." But, Dr. Drew brings up an interesting point -- he may not have OD'd at all. Andy is a known drinker -- with his close ones telling TMZ he can down more than a fifth of vodka per day.

Listen to what Dr. Drew tells us -- Andy may not have been high on cocaine after all, and could have been totally knocked out from his drinking habits. However, he concedes it's possible he was given cocaine laced with an opioid like fentanyl ... and was slumped over from the concoction.