Kathleen Bigsby, CEO of The Canyon in Malibu, Calif., recently appeared on Nashville’s WSMV Channel 4, the local NBC affiliate, to discuss the challenges of addiction for those in the public eye. At the same time, Foundations Recovery Network CEO Rob Waggener was featured on CelebrityAccess.com. Profiled for In the Hot Seat With Larry LeBlanc, Waggener addressed the specific issues that drugs and alcohol pose in the entertainment industry.
“People in the entertainment business have the means and the resources to access illicit substances faster and easier than anybody else, so all of the normal barriers are gone,” Waggener stated. “They generally also have more money, and they are surrounded by substances.”
In her interview, Bigsby explained that it’s important for celebrities be removed from their insular environment, where they’re often surrounded by a team that has a vested interest in them continuing to work, no matter their condition. They need to receive treatment in a private setting in the hands of an expert team.
Another key to long-term success is integrated treatment, which addresses both mental health and addiction issues. “About two-thirds of individuals with substance dependence also have mental health concerns,” Bigsby said. “And so we think it’s really important to get beneath the addiction concern and address what’s going on.”
FRN offers clients an integrated, personalized treatment program that combines mental health and addiction treatment approaches and places emphasis on engaging the client in the process of change. Its treatment program incorporates the traditional 12-step philosophy while utilizing motivational interviewing techniques.
This fall, FRN will host a conference titled “Power, Fame and Recovery—Addiction, Health and Wellness in the Public Eye.” Held at The Breakers Palm Beach in Palm Beach, Florida, Sept. 26-29, 2011, the event will give treatment providers and professionals the opportunity to explore the unique implications of power and fame in the struggle for lasting recovery.
Watch Bigsby’s full interview here: http://www.wsmv.com/video/27323696/index.html.
Read Waggener’s full interview here: http://www.celebrityaccess.com/members/profile.html?id=557.
For more information on Foundations Recovery Network, contact FRN’s Chief Information Officer Lee Pepper at treatment@frnmail.com or 615-345-3209.
About Foundations Recovery Network: The FRN family of treatment facilities includes Michael’s House in Palm Springs, Calif.; The Canyon in Malibu, Calif.; La Paloma in Memphis, Tenn., and a full-service outpatient treatment center in Atlanta, Ga. FRN offers a continuum of care for those battling with co-occurring disorders, including outpatient services, vocational rehabilitation and residential programs.
