Rather than directly intervening to save addict Amy Winehouse, it appears that family and friends of the troubled singer are instead making a documentary to appear on UK television. The facts revealed in the new doc, entitled “Saving Amy” are riveting, but I just can’t help but wonder if all the effort put into making the film should have been used to stage a real intervention and get Amy some real, long-term help for her many problems.

Amy Winehouse came “close to death” twice during her worst moments, says her father.

Detailing his daughter’s lowest points for the upcoming TV documentary Saving Amy, Mitch Winehouse says that while the media have been reveling in her downfall, “They didn’t see her lying in bed for days in a dark room,” he is quoted in Hello! magazine.

“She was close to death twice. We have been working a lot to get her to where she is right now,” said the elder Winehouse, who now claims his daughter is drug-free.

Amy’s mother, Janis, also appears in Saving Amy – and is highly critical of Winehouse’s husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, who announced last week he is divorcing the singer after seeing photos of her with hunky rugby player Josh Bowman.

Monday brought tabloid reports that Amy Winehouse, 25, has moved from Bowman on to another man at the St. Lucia resort where she is vacationing.

Mitch Winehouse is quoted in Hello! as saying about Fielder-Civil’s intention to divorce: “I had to call Amy before she heard about it from someone else. She asked me, ‘Daddy, why does he want to divorce me?’ I said, ‘You know I don’t like him, but I have to admit that your behavior with another man is not what marriage is all about.’ “

[From People]

It’s hard to say who is in greater denial here: Amy or her parents. If her dad truly thinks his daughter is “drug free” right now, it’s no wonder she’s been able to perpetuate her substance abuse problems for this long. Does he not believe the photos that surfaced last week of a wasted Amy crawling around on hands and knees at a Caribbean resort, stealing drinks from patrons? He’d rather take the word of his junkie daughter, which is worth even less than tabloid reports at this point. It does bother me how often Amy’s parents use the media to talk about their daughter’s problems – but rarely do they mention what they are doing themselves. Her dad, especially, likes to run to the newspapers and tell them how serious her condition is- but then he proclaims her drug free?

Anyway, I’m sure a lot of people will be watching the documentary when it airs, but how will that help Amy?

Here’s Amy in the Caribbean on January 2nd. Images thanks to Bauer-Griffin.