The Pasadena Recovery Center is pleased to announce that PRC alum, Jennie Ketcham, will be speaking about her new memoir, “I Am Jennie,” in the Community Room at 6pm on Wednesday, August 8th. The event is open to current residents, alumni and staff.
The book details how Jennie transformed herself from an addict and porn star into a modern day blogger and author. 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. And this month she released her first book.
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.
The Pasadena Recovery Center(PRC) takes great pride in providing three excellent meals a day for our residents. The kitchen has been run by professional chef, Eric Swab, for the past two years. Eric trained at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Pasadena and has worked as the private chef for Brake Media, the sous chef at 300 Pasadena, and held many positions in various Italian restaurants. While Eric has created a seven day meal plan with different daily offerings for lunch and dinner, he prides himself in continuously mixing it up by adding new dishes to his repertoire. He also makes sure that there are always vegan and vegetarian options.
Breakfast
Breakfast is generally the same every morning and consists of bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes, pancakes, oatmeal, cereal, and fresh fruit. But Chef Eric will also throw French Toast, quiche and waffles into the mix.
Lunch
All lunches have fresh fruit, salad and mixed vegetable options. Some of the main course offerings include lasagna, grilled fish, cheeseburgers, spaghetti in marinara sauce and fish tacos.
Dinner
Chef Eric usually devotes one night to Mexican cuisine. Another night features Striped Pangasius – a close relative of catfish – which Eric will grill, fry, bake, blacken or create a roulade. Other typical offerings include Chinese food, yankee pot roast, meat loaf and pasta.
“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.
Jerry Moe, National Director of Children’s Programs for the Betty Ford Center, lectured at the Pasadena Recovery Center (PRC) on Friday, June 15, 2012. Moe, who has written 19 books helping families deal with addiction, emphasized education:
“If we educated kids at a young age, if we give them opportunities to talk openly about what is going on, to learn problem solving skills, self-care skills, who to go to for help — and we give them these mechanisms that when they face challenges in their lives – hey, we all face challenges — but they may have some other strategies to turn to instead of turning to alcohol or drugs.”
Mike Bloom, CEO of the Pasadena Recovery Center which has treated over 6,000 patients in 12 years, who invited Moe to speak at PRC, also stressed education:
“You have to be educated on the illness and our job here is to provide a field where there is an opportunity to get better.” Bloom added, “it’s not a quick fix, but having the facility here does give people a chance to be away from their family for a month, sort some things out, and hopefully make some better choices.”
If you or someone you love is suffering from drug abuse or alcohol dependency, call the Pasadena Recovery Center 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.
Best selling author, Dr. Gabor Mate, was the latest addiction expert to speak to residents, alumni and staff at the Pasadena Recovery Center on May 16, 2012. Mate, whose books have been published in 20 languages worldwide, is a an expert in addiction , attention deficit disorder, adolescent mental health, and parenting.
A renowned thinker and public speaker, he addresses audiences all over North America, including professional and academic groups like nurses’ organizations, psychiatry departments and seminars for local community groups.
As a writer and speaker, he is widely known for the power, insight, candor, and compassion of his presentations.
Rather than offering facile, quick-fix solutions to complex issues, such as addiction or ADD, Dr. Maté weaves together scientific research, case histories and his own insights and experience to present a broad perspective that enlightens and empowers people to promote their own healing and that of those around them. His approach is holistic – linking everything from neurophysiology, immunology and developmental psychology to economic and social policy – and even touches on the spiritual dimensions of disease and healing.
Video of his entire speech at the Pasadena Recovery Center is below:
Kerlikowske – traveled from Washington, D.C. to California, at the invitation of the Pasadena Recovery Center, to speak about the marijuana legalization measure (Prop. 19) on the state ballot. While conceding that the war on drugs had failed, the nation’s top drug official stated that legalizing marijuana was not the answer.
“Kerlikowske also released an analysis showing that 47% of Californians receiving treatment for marijuana abuse are younger than 18, compared with 28% in the rest of the nation, and that 65% began using marijuana at 14 or younger, compared with 55% for the rest of the nation. It’s the second time in a week that his office has highlighted data from previously released reports about drug use among young people, a critical issue for mothers, who are thought to be the swing vote.”
Find out more about marijuana addiction and recovery programs at the Pasadena Recovery Center.
