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Recovering with Mackenzie Philips

Published on Thursday, June 6, 2013 | 12:19 pm
 

Mackenzie Phillips visited her Alma Mater on Wednesday, June 5 to speak about her book and encourage recovering addicts at Pasadena Recovery Center.

You may have seen Mackenzie Phillips in American Graffiti or as rebellious teenager “Julie Cooper” on the sitcom One Day at a Time. More recently she appeared in season 3 of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.

Phillips is full of life, tells it like it is, relatable and a very real person who is passionate about recovery. On Wednesday she was vulnerable about her insecurities and insanities, sharing that what she conquers everyday is getting rid of the thoughts that tell her she is not good enough and does not deserve a better life.

“I don’t struggle with wanting to drink or use any of those things. I think that in my case, and I think this is true for a lot of people, once you take the substance away you have to learn how to live with an alcoholic mind and it’s not that you’re not left with the drinking problem, you’re going to end up with a thinking problem,” Phillips said.

In her book High On Arrival, she shares the story of her life up until 2009 when the book was published. At the event she shared a few of her rough experiences, including being exposed to her parent’s cocaine at the age of 11. She said she was ‘raised by adult children’ who were cocaine addicts and alcohol abusers.

“I can trace my disease back generations and generations,” Phillips said.

Mackenzie has been through recovery twice and knows how valuable her experience was the first time and with Dr. Drew who told her she was a Garden Variety Drunk that was his project he was going to work on and reshape.

“I am so passionate about recovery and I just think it’s really important to try and get rid of the shame and fear attached to not only being an active addict, but to be an addict in recovery, or an alcoholic for that matter,” Phillips said.

Her inspirational words held the audience captive and raised many questions about how they can make progress like her.

“It’s really important for celebrity like McKenzie Phillips to come to the treatment center because it gives the rest of the facility hope that can identify with her. They’ve seen her in the public, she’s an icon, her sitcom was very well-known so it really gives them a real strong message of hope to hear it from her,” Pasadena Recovery Center President Michael Bloom said.

An especially helpful treatment that helped Phillips with the trauma is something called EMDR that reprocesses memory. It’s a way of accessing traumatic memory and incorporating those memories into the narrative of your life.

“I do recovery in order to have a life, to wake up and feed my dogs and cats and to enjoy life outside of recovery with a community,” Phillips said.

To Phillips’s delight Dr. Drew made a surprise visit, sneaking in toward the end and congratulating her for all her progress.

Anyone with addiction or who knows someone with an addiction should check out Phillip’s book or have a chat with her to gain new perspective.

“Treatment only works if you do what you’ve learned,” Phillips said who is a firm believer in the indicating action principles she learned at PRC.

Pasadena Recovery Center treats chemical dependency and mental illness in a structured setting where residents can get away from their environment and focus. They help residents get a sponsor, join the 12 Step Community of AA, repair broken relationships, and teach them how to have fun without having to get high so they can leave and create a good structured life without drugs, according to Bloom.

For more information about the Pasadena Recovery Center or to learn when the next expert in the speaker series will talk call (626) 345-9992 or visit www.pasadenarecoverycenter.com.

 

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