7th Annual Experience Strength and Hope Awards Honors Actress Turned Drug and Alcohol Counselor Mackenzie Phillips

This year’s honoree for the Experience Hope and Strength Award is award-winning actress Mackenzie Phillips (American Graffiti, One Day at a Time) for her memoir High on Arrival. Mackenzie is also on staff at the Pasadena Recovery Center and has been working there as a drug and alcohol counselor since 2014.

The Experience, Strength and Hope Award is given in recognition of an individual’s honest life’s memoir including their journey through addiction to recovery, and their dedication and enthusiasm for carrying the message of hope to a society awash in addiction.

The awards ceremony is taking place at the Skirball Cultural Center on Tuesday, February 16th and will be hosted by Ed Begley Jr. (Portlandia, Best In Show.) The recovery awards show directly benefits Writers in Treatment.

As a troubled teen star on the TV show One Day at a Time, Phillips made several visits to rehab before getting sober. Her memoir, High On Arrival, documents her lifelong battle with near-fatal addictions—and reveals the shattering truth behind her complex, secretive, and damaging history with her father, the legendary John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas. In 2008 Phillips was arrested at Los Angeles Airport for possession of cocaine and heroin. Her bail was set at $10,000.

“I have publicly thanked the LAPD and Airport Police more than once for stopping me in my tracks and saving my life back then,” Phillips said, “because had I not been arrested that day, I don’t know that we would be having this conversation today.”

She now uses her past experiences to help others and offer hope to individuals who are struggling with substance abuse and addiction.

“We are very proud of the work Mackenzie has done at the Pasadena Recovery Center and thrilled that she is being honored,” said Michael Bloom, CEO. “She is hard working, dedicated and making a difference for her clients.”

1n 2009, she was featured on the show, “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew,” which is actually filmed at the Pasadena Recovery Center. It was there that she met CEO Michael Bloom. Lunch followed, and then work followed. A few groups a week at first, and that led her to go back to school to earn her certification as a drug counselor.

The Pasadena Recovery Center is a 98-bed drug and alcohol treatment center nationally known for its 12-step based comprehensive treatment program and highly skilled, licensed and certified staff. Serving the community since 2000, the Pasadena Recovery Center is dedicated to providing compassionate, comprehensive care to those suffering from chemical dependency and is proud to offer lifesaving and life-changing treatment at an affordable cost. Pasadena Recovery Center recently opened Spruce House, their first affiliated sober living facility for men.