The Fix: Russell Brand "FreeHab" Gets Federal Funding

Russell Brand's rehab program, Freehab, has recieved $500,000 in federal funds from the Los Angeles City Council. The nonprofit, no-cost drug treatment program plans to use the money to expand and renovate an 88-bed facility previously run by People in Progress, a nonprofit organization that went bankrupt last year. 

“When I spent some time in downtown Los Angeles, I was astonished by the degree and severity of homelessness in our community,” says Brand, “it’s astonishing that we’ve learned to acclimate to this extreme condition of people who are the same as us being cast aside.” 

Freehab already has two satellite locations in Hollywood and Skid Row, and they plan to accommodate about 200 people when they open the new center this fall. Councilman Richard Alarcon praised Brand’s efforts, especially after the loss of People in Progress. “[The closure] came as a shock and it created a gap in resources,” he says. So when Brand approached the councilman about running his own treatment program, Alarcon suggested using some money which was originally allocated to a different project. 

The council voted 12-0 to approve the funding yesterday. Brand, now ten years clean, has been extremely vocal about his own battles with addiction. He has become a powerful advocate for the addiction and recovery community, and continues to express his belief that addicts, like himself, who were once a “terrible detriment to society” are capable of change.

Source:  www.thefix.com

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Why People See Rehab as a Joke

Every time we hear a celebrity say they are going to go to rehab we know, chances that this is not going to work are great.  This is a disturbing societal perception, but with all the people who have gone back out, can anyone be blamed for this perception?   Rehab for some, is like a way-station to stop family and loved ones from worrying about a drug or alcohol problem.  It’s used by some as a tool to shut people up for a while, which is a sure way to lose the respect from the few friends we still have left by the time we enter rehab.

What rehab should mean however, is to make a decision to be ready to ask for help and make real life changes.  This is a very sacred process.  We know we have to make these changes and letting go of our old life, means being ready to take direction and especially knowing when to ask for help.

When we end up in rehab, we are confused from drug abuse and we have developed a cycle of poor decisions that we take along with us into recovery.  The poor decision making process is something we are not fully conscious of, as our thoughts stay clouded for quite some time while we try to get sober.  It is in that time we are most vulnerable and it is this time that counts the most in terms of severing our ties with party friends who can make us not take our recovery seriously.  This does get better though and eventually our senses return and we are in charge of our life again.

But this can only happen if we are willing to make the commitment it takes to get sober.  And that means, before we go in to rehab, we must be committed to change once and for all.  We must also make clear to those closest to us, who look out for our wellbeing, that we are serious about our recovery and that we are not just going in to clean up so we can go back out.  Real recovery is a commitment, a life-long bond you make with yourself.  You must be accountable.  You must manage your life and if you don’t know how to live sober, you must be willing to ask for help, learn and do whatever it takes to stay sober.