10 Things You Didn't Know About Hollywood
5. Hollywood Helped Turn Rehab Into A Growth Industry
Referred to by Dennis Hopper as “the king of drugs”, cocaine was everywhere in 80s Hollywood, sold by dealers such as “Al The Limo Man”, who used a limousine service as a front company for his deals.
In true 80s fashion, the end of the decade brought a wake-up call, and executives all around town began checking themselves into rehab. At Columbia Pictures, the executives actually took turns, their visits scheduled like a summer vacation.
The clinics operated at full capacity, and their services didn’t come cheap. Popular choices included The Betty Ford Center ($11,400 for a 28 day stay), The Menninger Clinic ($1300 a day) and The Hazelden Center ($13,000 for 28 days). Within 15 years of its October 1982 opening, the Ford Center had treated more than 30,000 patients and was receiving 8,000 calls for help each month.