Why do celebrities travel to Arizona to seek treatment?
Oct 25, 2017, 5:00 AM
FILE - In this March 7, 2012 file photo, U.S film producer and movie studio chairman Harvey Weinstein during an interview with the Associated Press in Paris, the same day as Weinstein received, Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. French President Emmanuel Macron says Sunday Oct. 15, 2017 that he wants to revoke Harvey Weinstein's Legion of Honor award after the wave of accusations of sexual harassment and abuse against the Hollywood titan. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere, File)
(AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere, File)
PHOENIX — After Harvey Weinstein was ousted from his company earlier this month following an expose that detailed decades of sexual harassment allegations made against him, he traveled to Arizona to seek treatment.
Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh traveled to the Valley to seek rehabilitation for an addiction to prescription drugs in 2003.
In 2010, professional golfer Tiger Woods checked himself into an Arizona facility after reports of his infidelities surfaced.
And even pop star Selena Gomez chose Arizona to seek treatment after undergoing chemotherapy to treat lupus in 2014.
It’s no secret that celebrities often choose to come to Arizona when they need help — but why?
“Arizona has a very strong recovery community,” said David Larimer with Scottsdale Recovery Center. “If you want full continuum of care, you have everything from medical detox to residential, to partial hospitalization.”
But Larimer said the treatment does not stop after the acute-care phase.
“You have a plethora of life coaches, sober livings and the recovery community — in terms of 12-step and rational recovery,” Larimer said.
Arizona is also home to a handful of organizations, including Parents of Addicted Loved Ones and Families Anonymous.
“Arizona has the full continuum of treatment,” Larimer said. “And the weather’s great.”
