Dr. Bob Cleans Up Hollywood
by Sandra Schulman
July 15, 2010 
"He (Bob Forrrest) is now one of the most talented counselors I have ever worked with."- Dr Drew Pinsky
"Bob Forrrest was like the least likely person to become the Phoenix." - Anthony Kiedis
When we last interviewed Yucca Mesa resident Dr. Bob Forrest, he was still filming Celebrity Rehab and Sober House for VH1 and planning to play the Warped Tour over the summer.
A year later Bob is still out tearing it up with his band Thelonious Monster as well as playing some great acoustic gigs with guitarist Zander Schloss. We’re still humming ‘Sammy Hagar Weekend” after the recent Pappy & Harriet’s show.
The VH1 shows were a gritty hoot, mixing the pathos of addiction with the egos of celebrity. Sad and hysterical, scary and definitely sobering, Bob was a great contrast to Dr. Drew’s stern lectures with his off-kilter humor and really “been there done that drug” knowledge. He was also seen courtside at the Lakers game playoffs (nice seats!) and at various hi-desert shows.
But his big career move has just been announced. Bob is leaving the Las Encinas center he has been director of for many years to open his own center in downtown Hollywood, party central for those who need these services most.
“Over the past decade I began to conceive the idea for developing an innovative and unique center for the treatment of addiction,” he says on his website (www.hollywoodrecoveryservices.com ). “The success that I have experienced working with addicts and their loved ones can be attributed to my knack for communicating with people from a genuine place of compassion and understanding. As an addict myself, having gone to 24 treatment centers across A
merica, I realized that what helped me achieve sobriety the most in March of ’96 were the countless people I met in treatment centers, detoxification units and 12 step meetings. “
“Although I agree that the safety, containment, repetition and structure of an in patient treatment center were helpful, I inevitably always returned to my home environment and in a matter of days, weeks, or months… returning to my old ways of life as well: drinking, using drugs and destroying myself and the lives of the people around me. After, I had intellectualized Terry Gorski's Living Sober and Dr. Drew Pinsky’s lecture on the biological aspects of addiction, my desire to get high would always override my intellect.”
“The combination of maintaining my own personal sobriety for over 13 years and the vast experience that I have accumulated working in the addiction treatment field has provided me with the opportunity to practice what I truly believe to be the defining features of real and affective addiction treatment: genuineness, authenticity, compassion and understanding. These are the core beliefs that serve as the foundation of Hollywood Recovery Services and define our unique approach to the treatment of addiction.”
The philosophy of the center, whose white on white color scheme is soothing and clean, is that he and co-founder Shelly Sprague believe trust and attachment are the essentials to beginning a journey in recovery. Dedicated to provide an honest, authentic, and genuine treatment environment, their hope is that it will give patients a unique opportunity for treatment provided by people who truly understand addition.
Bob chose Hollywood rather than suburban location. The town is going through a resurgence of popularity, cleaning up its seedy image of sex shops and run down theaters.
“I wanted to be smack in the middle of it,” Bob says. “That’s the real test for anyone. The mission of HRS is to provide unique, quality, out patient chemical dependency services. Me and Shelly have decades of experience working with patients from Crisis Intervention Management to aftercare.”
The center will offer services ranging from intervention to assessment and referral; to case management, group, family and individual counseling.
He is also the subject of a in-production documentary about his bands and battles with drug addiction called Bob and the Monster.
A man with a tune and a mission, Bob’s phone rings constantly, “I have a lot of people I help” he says. He even checks the phone during his music sets in case it’s an emergency.
That Sammy Hagar weekend may just have to wait.
