TINSELTOWN HELPS ITS OWN STEEL THEMSELVES AGAINST ADDICTION

Los Angeles - Tom Arnold vividly remembers the days when he would arrive on
a new TV or movie set and in no time identify the substance abusers and
befriend them. Now he makes buddies with those on the set who, like him,
are in some type of recovery program.

''It makes things a lot easier. We set up meetings in my trailer,'' says
Arnold, who recently celebrated his 11th year of sobriety after years of
heavy cocaine and alcohol abuse. ''You get immediately involved with those
people, much in the way that, when I was using drugs, I found out the eight
or 10 people who had drugs and then I got involved with them. It's a choice.''

Hollywood is famous for being a party town, and for every celebrity
substance abuser, there are plenty of fellow abusers and hangers-on happy
to keep the party going. But what is less well-known is the network of
support available -- beyond legendary rehab clinics such as the Betty Ford
Center -- for acvtors, producers and directors who want to stay clean and
sober.

Usually it's not until someone like Robert Downey Jr. has a relapse, or
Melanie Griffith confesses that she is in recovery, or Jason Priestley is
ordered into alcohol counseling, that celebrities and sobriety make news.

Yet behind the scenes, many people in the entertainment industry maintain
their sobriety quietly and with support from others like them. It's not
talked about much, in keeping with the theme of anonymity that propels
12-step programs everywhere. But former substance abusers in Hollywood who
want to seek out a sober community don't have to look far.

''It's as common as weeds to be sober in L.A.,'' says Traffic screenwriter
Stephen Gaghan, who recently won a Golden Globe for his powerful drug
movie. ''Everybody knows somebody, just as everybody knows someone who is
throwing his life down a rat hole,'' says Gaghan, who estimates the public
is aware of only about 5% of the people in entertainment who have been to
rehab.

The network is both informal -- friends in recovery talking to troubled
friends -- and structured. Producer/writer David E. Kelley, for instance,
provides space for 12-step meetings on the lot where Ally McBeal, The
Practice and Boston Public are filmed. (It's not known whether Downey, who
was arrested in November for felony drug possession amid a lengthy guest
stint on Ally, took advantage of the program.)

Alcoholic Anonymous meetings are held on various Hollywood lots at 7 a.m.
Some people in recovery wear a ''sobriety coin'' around their neck that
indicates how long they have been sober, making it easier for others to
spot them at studios.

In 1984, after the drug-related death of John Belushi, Columbia, Warner
Bros., Paramount and various business agents formed the Entertainment
Industry Referral and Assistance Center (EIRAC), which directs those who
want help to rehab facilities such as Betty Ford. Similar to an employee
assistance program, EIRAC welcomes actors, but it is primarily used by
entertainment employees who aren't so high-profile, such as cameramen,
makeup artists and wardrobe designers. In the long run, celebrities still
benefit.

''If somebody knows an actor is struggling with substance abuse, people
will reach out to them,'' says Dae Medman, EIRAC's executive director.

John Schwarzlose, president and CEO of the Betty Ford Center, praises
EIRAC's program. ''It's not like they're saying, 'Go get well!' You can
feel they care,'' he says.

Although more than 99% of the Betty Ford Center's patients aren't famous,
it's best known as a haven for drug- and alcohol-addicted stars. Elizabeth
Taylor made it celeb-friendly when she walked through the doors in 1983 for
alcohol and pill abuse, after a family intervention. Others who followed
include Johnny Cash, Mary Tyler Moore, Kelsey Grammer, Don Johnson and
Bobby Brown.

Schwarzlose says one of the keys to recovery for an addict is not to
isolate himself.

''People in Hollywood who are willing to do that and get with other people
who are in recovery do fantastic,'' he says. ''People in Hollywood who
still have the attitude (that) 'I'm going to beat this thing myself' aren't
going to make it. There's not even a question they're not going to make it.''

Gaghan, who began researching Traffic 3 years ago, was amazed to learn
there were 2,500 AA meetings in L.A. alone every week. With numbers like
that, it's not unusual to spot a recognizable face. Edward Furlong told Us
Weekly he saw Ringo Starr at an AA meeting.

''There are all sorts of amazing people in the Hollywood community who are
quietly every day reaching a hand out to people who are really suffering,''
Gaghan says. ''There's humility and they don't trumpet it.''

Such ''selfless behavior,'' as Gaghan calls it, sometimes wears a public
face. The Phoenix House, a New York-based non-profit provider of substance
abuse treatment services, will honor The West Wing cast members Martin
Sheen and John Spencer and writer Aaron Sorkin on Monday for their personal
commitment to fighting substance abuse and the positive impact of their
work. Spencer portrays a recovering alcoholic on the show and is also one
in real life. Sheen, whose son Charlie has been sober since 1998, has been
very public in his stance against drugs.

Charlie Sheen, who stars in ABC's Spin City, is a good example of
Hollywood's willingness to give substance abusers second chances. As is
Downey, who has been offered an opportunity to return to Ally McBeal,
despite his ongoing drug case. And the actor received a standing ovation at
the recent Golden Globes, where he won an award for his role on Ally.

The industry is forgiving, Gaghan says, because Hollywood is filled with
creative people, and creative communities have always been rife with drug
use. ''You've got people who have had these problems themselves running
large corporations that employ people who have these problems, and there's
a lot of compassion and forgiveness.''

A strong support network is necessary in a town with as many temptations as
Hollywood. There are constant parties, fundraisers and premieres, with
ample opportunities to indulge.

''You're not going to get recovery in the bar,'' says Susanne Poland, a
clinical psychologist at Promises Malibu, a $1,000-a-day treatment center
where Charlie Sheen, Christian Slater, Tim Allen, Andy Dick and Furlong
have gone to dry out. ''You're not going to get recovery by going to the
clubs where you used to go to.''

Downey, for instance, had been out of prison only three months when he was
arrested again, and he was partying at a club before police were called to
his Palm Springs, Calif., hotel room.

''Probably when Robert Downey Jr. went to prison there were a lot of people
he used to party with who subconsciously were anxious for him to get out to
prove that he was still just as screwed up as they were,'' Arnold says.
''That's why you have to disassociate yourself from people like that,
especially being new in sobriety, because it's such a slippery spot. Strip
clubs with drug users is not a good place to be if you want to stay sober.''

Or, as Gaghan puts it: ''It's very difficult because celebrity brings 'yes'
men, and what you really need when you're trying to get your (stuff)
together are 'no' men.''

When it comes to staying sober in Tinseltown, nothing beats the support of
one's peers.

''There's a great sober community in Hollywood,'' says Arnold, who has a
cameo in Exit Wounds, a Warner Bros. film due in March. ''There is always a
lot of support for people who get in trouble, and that helped me
particularly at first. They opened their arms to me. I wasn't big. I could
do nothing for them.''