Source: Entertainment Weekly
Special Report
Star Treatment- Where Ben Affleck and others go for rehab. Mariah Carey, Paula Poundstone, and AJ McLean all got pricey medical help this summer
by Nicholas Fonseca and Brian M. Raftery
"I am being stretched too thin," Ben Affleck told Entertainment Weekly in an interview last month. "I'm one of those people that finds no idea what to do with myself when I am not busy, and as a consequence I end up getting into trouble." Despite a full slate of film roles, trouble caught up with the "Pearl Harbor" star, who turns 29 this month. On Aug. 3, the actor -- who played a reformed boozer in last year's "Bounce" and whose father, Tim, is a recovering alcoholic and drug rehab counselor -- voluntarily began treatment for alcohol abuse at Promises Malibu, a California facility.
A source close to Affleck denies reports that the actor was on a gambling related bender in Las Vegas the last weekend in July -- or that the trip led to his decision to enter Promises: "He knows he's genetically predisposed to a condition. He saw a couple red flags, and before it became an issue he sought out help." Affleck is not in lockdown at the facility, adds the source, noting that the actor went shopping in Malibu Aug. 3 and checked out "Planet of the Apes" in Marina del Rey Aug. 5.
Affleck is far from alone on that road to Wellville. Just in the last month, numerous celebs have opted to dry out: After her arrest for lewd conduct and child endangerment (charges that she denies), comedian Paula Poundstone, 41, announced she was seeking treatment for alcoholism; Metallica delayed the recording of their next album so frontman James Hetfield, 38, could tackle his alcoholism; and a month after entering an Arizona clinic for drinking and depression -- delaying the Backstreet Boys' summer tour -- singer AJ McLean, 23, is now "in transitional care" in L.A., according to a spokeswoman.
Drugs and alcohol aren't the only culprits. After months of nonstop activity, exhausted songstress Mariah Carey, 31, checked into Connecticut's Silver Hill Hospital for a reported psychological and emotional breakdown. (She departed Aug. 7 after a two week stay, according to press reports.) A spokeswoman says, "We're taking it one day at a time." That's become an increasingly familiar refrain -- but it doesn't necessarily mean that Hollywood is any more troubled than it's always been. Now, however, it seems that for celebrities, 12 step programs include a 13th: acknowledging your problem in a press release.
So how do the stars decide where to go? The Los Angeles area claims countless rehab facilities. But since discretion is a must, A listers often seek more remote locales. "Any place that treats high profile patients [will] try to protect the individual that's getting treatment as much as possible from the press," says Dr. Richard Frances, Silver Hill's medical director. Adds James P. Mellody, executive director of the Meadows in Wickenburg, Ariz., "We protect their anonymity very, very carefully."
Still, word gets around. More up to date than those star maps on Hollywood Boulevard, here's a crib sheet on the type of clinics that are drawing as many celebrities as the Hamptons this summer.
HAZELDEN FOUNDATION Center City, Minn.
THINK… Mellow Midwesterner
ALUMNI Matthew Perry, Calvin Klein, Melanie Griffith
COST $17,200 for a 28 day stay
CAPACITY 165 patients
CAN I BRING MY ENTOURAGE? "People do bring their bodyguards with them, but they don't stay on the premises," says Hazelden's Niki Moyer.
PERKS Wooded walking paths along South Center Lake, Sunday afternoon movies, and a pool. "We really are out in the sticks," Moyer laughs.
PROGRAM One step at a time. Newcomers are assigned a peer group and a counselor and attend three lectures a day at the 52 year old site. Patients may only leave the 488 acre spread to attend local Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
PROMISES MALIBU Malibu
THINK... The hipster
ALUMNI Affleck, Poundstone, Matthew Perry, Andy Dick, Christian Slater, Charlie Sheen
COST $1,000 a day
CAPACITY About 12
CAN I BRING MY ENTOURAGE? Yes
PERKS Jacuzzi, a garden for meditating, and tennis courts
PROGRAM The four year old plan, modeled on AA's 12 steps, includes chores for patients and lots of individual attention. Graduates can return for extra visits, at $600 a night. "It is very plush," admits founder Richard Rogg. "But it's a very intense program."
BETTY FORD CENTER Rancho Mirage, Calif.
THINK… The grande dame
ALUMNI Elizabeth Taylor, Liza Minnelli, Mary Tyler Moore, Kelsey Grammer
COST A 30 day stay (the average) costs around $14,000.
CAPACITY 100
CAN I BRING MY ENTOURAGE? No
PERKS Fresh air and a Serenity Room where patients are encouraged to repeat mantras like "Think of all of the good qualities that you have."
PROGRAM Since 1982, the center has offered AA based tough love. Patients are expected to do "therapeutic chores" like making beds. Also required: group therapy, lectures, and meetings with various advisers (psychologist, nutritionist, and spiritual counselor).
SILVER HILL HOSPITAL New Canaan, Conn.
THINK… Tony country clubber
ALUMNI Carey, Oksana Baiul
COST $1,100 a day
CAPACITY 84
CAN I BRING MY ENTOURAGE? Probably not
PERKS Single occupancy rooms, a gym, a gift shop, and daily visiting hours. There's also an on site halfway house.
PROGRAM By the book. After an initial evaluation by a nurse, social worker, and psychologist, patients are placed with peer groups fighting the same compulsions. Creative therapy sessions use art, literature, music, and poetry to uncover hidden feelings.
THE MEADOWS Wickenburg, Ariz.
THINK… Desert extremist
ALUMNI McLean; Senate spouse Cindy McCain; Rod Stewart's son Sean
COST $32,800 for the 35 day program
CAPACITY 70
CAN I BRING MY ENTOURAGE? No, but visitors are welcome on Sundays. (Don't smuggle in lattes -- caffeine is a no no.)
PERKS "There are no spa like facilities," says Mellody. "It's about getting well." But this former dude ranch, a center since 1978, does offer a pool and tennis courts.
PROGRAM A chunk of Southwestern, incense burning Zen wisdom. McLean reportedly took an art therapy class (self portraits are a popular assignment). Patients attend a weekly open forum to address concerns -- perhaps like the mess hall's sugarless, high fiber meals.
