“My life today is really the result of PRC,” claims Ketcham. “It has opened the door for me to a new kind of living. My hope in returning there and speaking and sharing my story is that some people will identify with the feelings and thoughts I had when I was there and find hope.”
Jennie continues:
“I’d like to go back to PRC and express how great life is after rehab. I really want to open the door to a new life to the people who come to hear me.”
The Daily Beast has an excellent interview with Pasadena Recovery Center alum, Jennie Ketcham. Here’s the first question and answer:
Was there a specific moment during shooting Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew that it clicked for you that it was real and you embraced being a sex addict? How idd you know that you had to quit porn as a result?
I don’t know that I’ll ever “embrace” being a sex addict. I think that’s probably one of the most difficult things about addiction; I must reaffirm that I am an addict all the time. No matter how much I know it’s true, there will come a day where I think, well… maybe not. The day I knew I had to quit porn was when we started talking about checking out of the Pasadena Recovery Center. I’d been ensconced in the wonderfully safe rehab bubble — no phone, no Internet, no rent, no closet filled with vibrators or talk of real life. Once we started discussing what we would need to do “on the outside” to stay sober, it was a little bit of a white light moment. I remember thinking, I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I know I can’t do porn anymore.
Bio: Lamonica was one of the Pasadena Recovery Center’s first employees. As Director of Operations he is primarily responsible for creating a safe environment that is conducive to recovery. He also manages the Program Assistants (PA’s or techs) and handles client movement in and out of the facility. With over a decade of experience, Lamonica has witnessed thousands of motivated individuals achieve sobriety.
Prior to PRC, Lamonica spent twelve years as a mental health professional at the California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) in San Francisco. He also served in the US Military as a Spec-5 Medic before being honorably discharged.
Quote to live by: “You can’t control how other people treat you or respond to you but it’s important that you treat everyone the way you would like to be treated:”
Friday was an exciting day for us at the Pasadena Recovery Center as Will Smith, whom many will recognize as the Rehab Resident Tech from Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, stopped by with his wife La Shonda and their newborn son, Lance. The future USC Trojan is off the charts adorable (see photo). Welcome to the PRC family little guy!
The Toledo Free Press has an excellent article on Pasadena Recovery Center alum Jennie Ketcham — who previously worked as a porn star under the name Penny Flame. After appearing on “Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew” and “Sober House,” Ketcham quit the adult film business, pursued a healthier lifestyle, and started a personal blog – Becoming Jennie – where she wrote about her redemption and recovery. She released her memoir, I Am Jennie, this month. From The Free Press:
In an effort to explain, chronicle and aid her transition, she began to write about her life in a blog named “Becoming Jennie.” It was there — among the thousands of words, thoughts, reflections and emotions she shared with her loyal readers — that Ketcham’s unique and fascinating voice as a writer began to come to the forefront.
“I had always kept a blog but never kept an honest one about my feelings,” Ketcham said in an interview with Toledo Free Press Star. “I was also so out of touch with those feelings, and the voice with which to describe them and experience them, I felt safe behind the gossamer veil that is Internet blogging. But once word got out into the porn world that I’d left, the blog’s popularity boomed and the rest is history.”
During the past few years, her site has become an exhaustive and emotional look at the many changes in Ketcham’s life. The world of adult films is, indeed, in her past. She now works as a hostess at a Pan-Asian restaurant. She’s attending college. And — most importantly — she’s becoming happy with who she is.
As Ketcham has grown, so too have her writing skills. Now, all facets of her personal evolution come to the forefront with the release of “I Am Jennie,” a new memoir released July 10.
Ketcham’s book is available at Amazon and other book stores.
VH1′s blog announced that a new season titled, “Rehab With Dr. Drew”, will begin airing in September 2012. Instead of celebrities, however, the new group checking into the Pasadena Recovery Center are “regular folks who have sought out Dr. Drew’s help after seeing just how dedicated and successful his treatment with celebs has been.” In addition to the Pasadena Recovery Center, fans will recognize Bob Forrest, Dr. John Sharpe, Shelly Sprague and Jennifer Gimenez from Dr. Drew Pinsky’s previous celebrity oriented shows.
“With A-list celebrities’ revolving-door rehab habits, it’s becoming difficult to keep track of the top recovery facilities — and of course what sort of luxurious amenities they offer. Here’s a look at the country’s coziest and most expensive clinics for the rich and famous to dry out.”
However, of the six rehab facilities on the list, the Pasadena Recovery Center is singled out for being affordable:
“Famous for being featured on VH1′s reality-based series “Celebrity Rehab,” Pasadena Recovery Center offers “compassionate, comprehensive, and affordable treatment.” Taking a holistic approach, the center looks to treat clients with mental, physical and spiritual recovery.”
This Crown City News video gives a great overview of the Pasadena Recovery Center (PRC). While the Center is famous for the many seasons of “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” and will be featured again this September on “Rehab with Dr. Drew” which will concentrate on young adults rather than celebrities, the vast majority of the nearly 6,000 patients treated at PRC are regular folk that come from all walks of life. As Alison Triessl, daughter of the late PRC founder Dr. Lee Bloom, states:
“We will treat anybody from Yale to jail, Park Place to park bench. It’s a 98 bed facility, co-ed, men and women, from age 18 to 80, and we believe that treatment should be affordable.”
PRC is also a family run center. Dr. Bloom’s son and Alison’s brother, Michael Bloom, acts as CEO. In the video he explains some of the many activities that residents can participate in:
“We have yoga, we have acupuncture, art therapy, we have a gym. we play softball nearby, we go to the Rose Bowl. And then we have the traditional 12-step meetings that are on site, and we have group therapy with counseling, one-on-one therapy, and a family group. And we do have DirecTV for the residents.”
Finally the video stresses that while the majority of patients come from Los Angeles, the Center’s visibility through the Dr. Drew shows has brought many people seeking treatment from abroad — including from London, Macau, and Guam.
If you have any questions about the Pasadena Recovery Center or are seeking treatment please call us at (866) 663-3030.
Dr. Drew Pinsky comments on the passing of Rodney King who he first treated in 2008 on the second season of “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” at the Pasadena Recovery Center. The videotaped beating of a helpless King by Los Angeles Police officers sparked the 1992 LA riots which resulted in 53 deaths and nearly $1 billion in damages.
The L.A. Times reports that autopsy was conducted Monday.
Our thoughts and prayers are with King’s friends and family.
Pasadena Now has a great article about Pasadena Recovery Center alum, Jennie Ketcham, who will be speaking about her life and recently released memoir, I am Jennie, at PRC on Wednesday. From the article:
Jennifer Gimenez Comments on Whitney Houston’s Death
Jennifer Gimenez comments on Whitney Houston’s death:
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