Mackenzie Phillips talks addiction, father

It's been a long road to recovery for actress Mackenzie Phillips.

Best known for playing the rebellious teenager Julie on the 1970s sitcom "One Day at a Time," and as the oldest daughter of the late Palm Springs-resident John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas, her life spiraled out of control at an early age. She's battled drug addiction throughout most of it.

But today, Phillips says she is sober and focused. The 55-year-old is pursuing certification as a drug and alcohol counselor, interning at the Pasadena Recovery Center, the facility seen in the VH1 reality series, "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew."

"I'm doing a lot of grunt work," she laughed. "I'm filing papers. I'm scanning charts. You got to pay your dues before you sit in the big chair."

On Sunday, Phillips will be a guest speaker at the Palm Springs Library to help dedicate a new addiction and recovery resource center. Funding was raised through a collaboration between Michael's House, a Coachella Valley treatment center founded in 1989, and Heroes in Recovery, a nationwide program that recognizes those seeking help for addiction and mental health issues. Last month, the two organizations hosted a golf tournament with part of the proceeds benefiting the library.

The new resources include books and DVDs covering various aspects of addiction.

"Think of all the sections that there are in a library," Phillips said. "Why shouldn't there be one for families to go to who are wondering 'What is addiction?' 'How does it occur?' 'How does it manifest?' 'What should I look for?' 'How can I help?' 'Is it a brain disorder?' This is where people can go for answers."

According to Philips, there's an addiction epidemic, from the surge in heroin use to the increasing number of prescription-drug overdoses. In addition to providing information, the new materials also deal with the stigma of addiction. People, she said, think addiction is a choice.

"What they don't understand is that initially picking up a drink or a drug is a choice, but there is a brain chemistry behind it," Phillips said.

The brain gets hijacked, she says, and the next drink or the next hit becomes the only priority.

"Drugs give a false sense of reality and well-being," wrote Phillips in her memoir, "High on Arrival." "Then, without warning, they turn on you and take control of your reality instead of enhancing it. You're on the fast track to endless demoralization. But you're the last to know you're completely out of control."

Phillips won't divulge how long she's been sober, that answer is "too personal," she said. The recovery process has been long for her, including 11 stays at rehab facilities.

"Time doesn't necessarily treat or heal addiction and alcoholism," said Phillips, who was arrested in 2008 by the Los Angeles Airport Police for cocaine and heroin possession. "It's what are you doing the day that you're in that takes you away from the drink and the drug instead of toward them."

Admittedly, she's never been very good at setting boundaries, saying no or standing up for herself. But her new focus has given her confidence and instilled self-respect.

"That's the power that recovery gives a person; the ability to set and maintain boundaries," said Phillips. "Never thought I'd be able to do it."

In 2009, Phillips made headlines with the publication of "High on Arrival," which not only chronicled her lifelong struggle with addiction but accused her father of introducing her to drugs and engaging in an incestuous relationship with her for a decade.

In her book, Phillips describes going to her father for drugs, blacking out, but having moments of awareness where she realized she was being raped by her father. The relationship carried on in that fashion for 10 years, she wrote.

Phillips' relationship with her father remained complicated up until his death in 2001. Returning to the city stirs up both happy and sad emotions.

She still visits his remains at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Cathedral City and his star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars. The walls of her home are adorned with Mamas and the Papas memorabilia.

"I'm able to separate the man from the music," she said. "I know he did not say, 'Wow. Look at this beautiful newborn daughter. I am going to destroy her self-esteem. I am going to sexually abuse her.' That's not the man that he was.

"It's the testament to the power of addiction and alcoholism that what happened in my life actually happened. It's a testament in the power of recovery that you can continue and have a beautiful, powerful, present life in the face of having had a past like that."

If you go

What: Recovery Materials Dedication with special guest Mackenzie Phillips

When: 2 p.m. Sunday

Where: Palm Springs Public Library, 300 S. Sunrise Way, Palm Springs

Tickets: Free

Information:www.palmspringslibrary.org, (760) 322-READ