As controversy heats up over the increasing number of rehabilitation facilities in Malibu, Passages, a $37,000-per-month, six-patient residential drug and alcohol treatment center, is scheduled to open in Malibu on Sept. 1.
Passages, also known as Grasshopper House, is a $6 million, 14,000 square foot house on Meadows Court that founders Chris Prentiss and his son, Pax, are leasing, with an option to buy. Concerned about having a drug rehab facility nearby, a few of their neighbors and a homeowners association filed a temporary restraining order against the opening of Passages, stating that it’s a commercial enterprise. But last month, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge denied their request. By California law, facilities such as Passages, that treat only six patients at one time, are exempt from city zoning laws.
With the passage of Proposition 36 in November, which redirects certain drug offenders to rehab facilities instead of prison, officials predict that 20,000 people a year in Los Angeles County alone will undergo drug and alcohol treatment. Malibu already has several rehab facilities; three up in the Big Rock area (Promises), two in Trancas Canyon (Creative Care), with a third facility recently acquired, and one on Kanan Dume Road (Wavelinks International, which was recently licensed).
“The law as it was passed several years ago was designed to meet the needs of the local community,” Councilmember Ken Kearsley said. “And that’s what the law states. My concern is Malibu attracting and not Malibu serving. Do your drug rehab with an ocean view.”
Chris Prentiss disagreed. “That’s like saying if someone had a serious eye problem and wanted to go to Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA, they would have to be from Westwood.”
As for neighborhood safety, Pax said, “Our neighbors were concerned that our patients would climb the fences and attack their children, and that they wouldn’t let their children ride scooters down the street anymore. But our patients are here voluntarily. This is not a lockdown facility.” Passages will have 24-hour security, not to keep people in, he said, but to keep the press out.
“We were planning to keep this the best kept secret in Malibu,” Chris said with a smile at the irony. “But the neighbors blew that for us wide open.”
One thing is certain; substance abuse is a major health problem. In 1999, an estimated 14.8 million Americans were current illicit drug users and about 45 million indulged in binge drinking, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. An estimated 66.8 million American teenagers age 12 or older used a tobacco product, and alcohol use among all teenagers remains at unacceptably high levels.
Discovering the cause of a person’s addiction through extensive one-on-one therapy, and treating the whole person–physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually–is essential to recovery, according to the Prentiss’.
Addicted to heroin and cocaine for six years, Pax Prentiss, 27, went through three rehab programs and relapsed each time, until he finally found the key to his sobriety.
“The whole basis of our program lies in finding out why the person originally went to the drug,” he said. “I got clean about a year ago by finding out the reason why I was going to the drugs. After I got clean, I had the idea to open up a treatment facility with my dad. My dad writes books on metaphysics [Zen, I Ching and other self-help topics], he has a very strong spiritual background. One of the main things we like to give somebody who is recovering from drugs or alcohol is a strong spiritual grounding.”
The Passages recovery program will be run by the Prentiss’ under the direction of executive administrator Debra Bubar, who has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, and medical director Dr. Bob Waldman of Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital. Treatment includes a strong 12-step program and psychotherapy, as well as nontraditional healing methods such as acupuncture, acupressure, hypnotherapy, reflexology, meditation, yoga, and classes in nutrition, gardening, aerobics, and arts and crafts.
As for the astronomical cost, Chris said, “We use about 20 different therapists, which is why we charge $37,500 per month. And with six clients, we’re just about at a break-even point.”
But at the center of the program is one-on-one therapy. “The relapse rate is in the high 90s,” Chris said. “In the other programs, 90 percent of what happens is that you sit in a room and they talk at you” about your addiction. But what remains is “an unresolved issue” that drives someone to use. “So we go back into their history,” he said.
Spiritual recovery is just as important as getting off the substance. Addicts have “lost their spiritual connection,” Chris said. “Once they realize their reason for being here, that they’re an important part of the universe, it gives them a sense of connection and belonging. Then the next step is to rebuild their self-image. Right now they think of themselves as what society has labeled them– ‘addicts,’ ‘sick,’ ‘irresponsible,’ ‘liars.’ All of that goes with addiction.
“We’re hoping that we’ll make a substantial contribution to addiction treatment,” he continued. “Cause it’s obvious that whatever is going on now isn’t working.”