1 00:00:14,470 --> 00:00:16,550 Jady Dederich Montgomery: You thought that it was 2 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:18,300 your duty to be a martyr! 3 00:00:18,390 --> 00:00:22,430 That is a lie, because you are such an affected fool 4 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:24,390 that you didn't want anyone in Synanon 5 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:26,980 to think for a moment that you were a human being 6 00:00:27,060 --> 00:00:29,610 and could actually get into a Game 7 00:00:29,650 --> 00:00:31,030 like the rest of us broads 8 00:00:31,110 --> 00:00:34,110 because you are such a phony bitch! 9 00:00:34,150 --> 00:00:37,370 You are a minimum daily motherfucker! 10 00:00:37,450 --> 00:00:39,870 - That is bullshit! - That is where it is at! 11 00:00:39,950 --> 00:00:42,660 - That is not... Plain not true! - I know when you leave the job, you should know... 12 00:00:42,700 --> 00:00:46,120 - You're gonna grow up! You are going... - I can't do it! 13 00:00:46,170 --> 00:00:50,050 No, you are going to grow up, you old asshole! 14 00:00:50,130 --> 00:00:51,880 I wanna talk to you about something else, 15 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:54,670 you cheap fucking pompous cocksucker! 16 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:58,430 You fucking cheap motherfucker! This fucking guy! 17 00:00:58,510 --> 00:01:01,350 Stop it! Life goes on, life gets better, 18 00:01:01,430 --> 00:01:03,770 you learn more, you add on, 19 00:01:03,850 --> 00:01:05,270 and that's what it's all about. 20 00:01:05,350 --> 00:01:08,150 I have made so many mistakes in Synanon, 21 00:01:08,190 --> 00:01:11,320 and maybe it's just a Pollyanna bunch of bullshit, 22 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:15,070 but I say there is something worthwhile in this experience. 23 00:01:15,150 --> 00:01:17,700 What was it? And it has to be there. 24 00:01:18,660 --> 00:01:20,870 I'd like you to get honest. 25 00:01:20,950 --> 00:01:22,370 I want you to get honest, 26 00:01:22,450 --> 00:01:25,660 and I'm gonna demand that you get honest. 27 00:01:25,710 --> 00:01:27,920 You wanna live around here? 28 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:30,540 You wanna live in Synanon? 29 00:01:34,210 --> 00:01:37,470 Start to play the Game! 30 00:01:37,510 --> 00:01:38,550 (static crackles) 31 00:01:40,220 --> 00:01:44,350 ("California Dreamin'" by Bud Shank playing) 32 00:01:44,390 --> 00:01:47,560 ♪♪ 33 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:08,750 (all yelling) 34 00:02:08,790 --> 00:02:13,170 (clippers buzzing) 35 00:02:13,250 --> 00:02:15,260 - ♪ Ooh... ♪ - (shutters snapping) 36 00:02:15,300 --> 00:02:17,630 - Fire! - (gun shots) 37 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:19,760 ♪ Ooh... ♪ 38 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:20,840 (shutter snaps) 39 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:25,770 - (music fades) - (projector whirring) 40 00:02:25,810 --> 00:02:29,310 (dramatic sting) 41 00:02:32,060 --> 00:02:35,030 (projector slows down) 42 00:02:35,110 --> 00:02:36,860 (projector stops) 43 00:02:36,940 --> 00:02:40,360 (helicopter whirring) 44 00:02:41,700 --> 00:02:43,450 Reporter 1: Charles Dederich, who turned 45 00:02:43,490 --> 00:02:46,450 the alcohol and drug rehabilitation program Synanon 46 00:02:46,540 --> 00:02:50,460 into a wealthy cult, remains in custody in Arizona today. 47 00:02:50,540 --> 00:02:53,040 Reporter 2: Synanon founder Charles "Chuck" Dederich 48 00:02:53,130 --> 00:02:56,630 was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder. 49 00:02:57,880 --> 00:02:59,170 Jady: My dad, 50 00:02:59,260 --> 00:03:01,890 he was intoxicated when he got arrested. 51 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:05,180 He was intoxicated when he got arrested in Lake Havasu. 52 00:03:05,260 --> 00:03:07,390 He was out. 53 00:03:07,470 --> 00:03:10,060 And then, they took him to the jail hospital 54 00:03:10,140 --> 00:03:11,940 in Kingman, Arizona. 55 00:03:11,980 --> 00:03:15,110 Connie Chung: A local justice of the peace went to the hospital 56 00:03:15,150 --> 00:03:17,400 to read Dederich the murder charges against him. 57 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:18,610 Everett Milam: His eyes was closed. 58 00:03:18,650 --> 00:03:20,490 He was laying flat on his back. 59 00:03:20,570 --> 00:03:23,240 I do not know if he knew what was going on or not. 60 00:03:23,570 --> 00:03:25,240 He does have a mental problem, 61 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:28,500 and I understood that, uh, alcohol is also a problem. 62 00:03:28,540 --> 00:03:30,410 Excuse us, please. Thank you. Make way, please. 63 00:03:30,500 --> 00:03:33,330 Jady: My dad, Chuck's story, 64 00:03:33,420 --> 00:03:35,500 and Synanon's story, 65 00:03:35,590 --> 00:03:38,800 it's a big, beautiful, tragic story. 66 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:42,630 Reporter: The judge praised his early Synanon work. 67 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:44,300 He then concluded that he was sorry 68 00:03:44,340 --> 00:03:47,010 the program had degenerated. 69 00:03:48,310 --> 00:03:49,930 Jady: What happened... 70 00:03:51,270 --> 00:03:53,730 it was terrible, yeah. 71 00:03:53,810 --> 00:03:56,150 It was terrible. 72 00:03:56,190 --> 00:03:58,690 People suffered. People were hurt. 73 00:03:58,780 --> 00:04:00,400 (indistinct chanting) 74 00:04:00,490 --> 00:04:04,700 And he did bring Synanon down around him. 75 00:04:07,370 --> 00:04:11,000 But, all of this in Synanon, 76 00:04:11,370 --> 00:04:14,710 he-he couldn't have done it without us 77 00:04:14,790 --> 00:04:16,540 enabling him. 78 00:04:16,630 --> 00:04:19,800 - (overlapping chatter) - (shutters snapping) 79 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:22,630 ♪♪ 80 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:24,510 Jady: A lot of really smart, 81 00:04:24,550 --> 00:04:27,300 talented, educated people... 82 00:04:27,390 --> 00:04:29,430 Please can we get by? Excuse us! 83 00:04:29,510 --> 00:04:32,680 Jady: ...all did things we would never do now, 84 00:04:32,730 --> 00:04:34,560 you know? 85 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:38,270 I mean, how does that happen? 86 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:41,900 Because that's not how it started. 87 00:04:41,940 --> 00:04:44,990 (quiet street noise) 88 00:04:48,870 --> 00:04:51,410 Mike Gimbel: The addict loves their needle. 89 00:04:51,490 --> 00:04:54,750 - (soft music playing) - (tapping) 90 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:00,630 When times are rough, 91 00:05:00,710 --> 00:05:04,590 I would take my needle and scrape it inside, 92 00:05:04,630 --> 00:05:07,510 thinking there was a little dope in there. 93 00:05:10,060 --> 00:05:12,310 When you're high on heroin, 94 00:05:12,390 --> 00:05:16,600 it's a mixture of being conscious and unconscious. 95 00:05:18,060 --> 00:05:19,650 It's somewhere in the middle, 96 00:05:19,730 --> 00:05:23,360 which is a very mellow, warm feeling 97 00:05:24,070 --> 00:05:26,110 that you try to reach. 98 00:05:30,620 --> 00:05:33,410 Lena Lindsey: To wake up sick, and not have any money, 99 00:05:33,450 --> 00:05:36,580 and having to go out and turn a trick 100 00:05:36,620 --> 00:05:39,130 so you could get some money, 101 00:05:40,460 --> 00:05:43,130 that wasn't any fun. 102 00:05:43,170 --> 00:05:45,050 But you did it. 103 00:05:45,510 --> 00:05:49,640 'Cause you were looking forward to that fix. 104 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:51,760 (belt rattling) 105 00:05:53,310 --> 00:05:55,480 Heroin. 106 00:05:55,560 --> 00:05:57,560 I was using heroin. 107 00:05:58,650 --> 00:06:01,110 I had dropped out of college. 108 00:06:01,150 --> 00:06:03,530 I was living in New York, 109 00:06:03,610 --> 00:06:06,150 working at an avant-garde theater. 110 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:07,740 (canopy flapping) 111 00:06:07,820 --> 00:06:11,830 I had drugs on me when I was arrested. 112 00:06:11,910 --> 00:06:13,660 I went to jail. 113 00:06:14,790 --> 00:06:18,500 - (door slams) - Mike: I was born into a very wonderful family 114 00:06:18,580 --> 00:06:20,250 in Baltimore, Maryland. 115 00:06:20,330 --> 00:06:21,750 (film projector whirring) 116 00:06:21,840 --> 00:06:26,260 In the summer of my junior year at high school, 117 00:06:26,340 --> 00:06:28,260 I got introduced to heroin 118 00:06:28,930 --> 00:06:31,760 and probably immediately was hooked. 119 00:06:31,850 --> 00:06:33,300 ♪♪ 120 00:06:33,350 --> 00:06:36,390 Went to my senior prom, on heroin. 121 00:06:36,470 --> 00:06:40,190 Eventually, my life was 24/7 heroin. 122 00:06:40,270 --> 00:06:43,520 - (projector whirring) - My parents took me to a psychiatrist. 123 00:06:43,610 --> 00:06:45,610 He didn't know what to do. Took me to a rabbi. 124 00:06:45,690 --> 00:06:48,240 He didn't know what to do. 125 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:50,200 I remember being locked in a mental hospital 126 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:51,950 for four weeks. 127 00:06:52,030 --> 00:06:55,040 You know, no therapy, just locked in a room. 128 00:06:56,370 --> 00:06:58,750 I wanted out of drug use. 129 00:06:59,500 --> 00:07:02,790 But I didn't know how to get clean. 130 00:07:03,670 --> 00:07:05,670 Lena Lindsey: Nothing worked. 131 00:07:05,710 --> 00:07:08,760 And I knew if I didn't clean up, 132 00:07:08,840 --> 00:07:11,760 my kids wouldn't have a chance, right? 133 00:07:12,890 --> 00:07:16,890 I would raise a prostitute and a dope fiend 134 00:07:16,970 --> 00:07:19,020 just like I was. 135 00:07:21,850 --> 00:07:25,270 Bill Goodson: My mother was a dope fiend. We may have known, 136 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:27,570 you know, something like, 137 00:07:28,150 --> 00:07:30,950 "Mom is ill. Mom is not well." 138 00:07:31,450 --> 00:07:32,990 At the time, 139 00:07:33,070 --> 00:07:35,530 it was a pretty desperate situation for dope fiends 140 00:07:35,580 --> 00:07:38,700 because society didn't know what to do with them. 141 00:07:38,750 --> 00:07:42,040 Newscaster: We face a growing menace called drug addiction. 142 00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:45,630 Every citizen must be made to realize that drug addiction 143 00:07:45,710 --> 00:07:47,630 is a very real threat. 144 00:07:48,590 --> 00:07:51,090 Lena: "Once a drug addict, always a drug addict." 145 00:07:51,170 --> 00:07:54,840 And they said it so many times that drug addicts, 146 00:07:54,930 --> 00:07:58,770 we, uh, believed that ourselves. 147 00:07:58,850 --> 00:08:02,640 And we would never be anything else. 148 00:08:02,730 --> 00:08:04,560 - (gavel pounding) - Bill: In the late '50s, 149 00:08:04,600 --> 00:08:08,110 a judge gave my mom an ultimatum of sorts. 150 00:08:08,150 --> 00:08:11,110 You know, "If I see you in my court one more time, 151 00:08:11,190 --> 00:08:12,450 I'm sending you to prison." 152 00:08:12,740 --> 00:08:15,910 And then, she heard about the old man. 153 00:08:15,950 --> 00:08:18,160 That's what we called Chuck Dederich. 154 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:19,540 "The old man." 155 00:08:19,620 --> 00:08:22,790 (upbeat energetic music playing) 156 00:08:22,830 --> 00:08:25,790 ♪♪ 157 00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:27,710 Narrator: It's Jack Linkletter, "On The Go!" 158 00:08:27,790 --> 00:08:30,050 Come out along, we're going places, doing things, 159 00:08:30,130 --> 00:08:33,260 and meeting people everywhere in their search for happiness. 160 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:36,340 Good morning. Today, we're in a dilapidated building 161 00:08:36,430 --> 00:08:38,800 along the beachfront here in, uh, California, 162 00:08:38,890 --> 00:08:40,560 along one of the beach cities. 163 00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:43,480 Actually, this is an organization called Synanon. 164 00:08:43,560 --> 00:08:45,900 This is a home for drug addicts... 165 00:08:45,980 --> 00:08:49,020 Lena: One night, sitting at home, loaded, 166 00:08:49,110 --> 00:08:50,650 some news guy 167 00:08:50,730 --> 00:08:53,490 was talking about a new place 168 00:08:53,570 --> 00:08:55,820 for drug addicts to clean up. 169 00:08:55,910 --> 00:08:57,530 Well, I've been off the habit, 170 00:08:57,620 --> 00:09:00,290 uh, actually since February the 2nd, 1958. 171 00:09:00,330 --> 00:09:02,330 I've been to Lexington, Forth Worth, 172 00:09:02,370 --> 00:09:04,370 numerous other hospitals. 173 00:09:04,460 --> 00:09:06,210 It's never worked to this extent. 174 00:09:06,290 --> 00:09:08,000 When my habit was at its peak, 175 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:10,920 I robbed and stole, and I prostituted. 176 00:09:11,670 --> 00:09:13,420 - It's a horrible thing, isn't it. - It certainly is. 177 00:09:13,510 --> 00:09:16,340 - Well, thank you for talking to me, alright? Thank you. - You're very welcome. 178 00:09:16,380 --> 00:09:18,180 Lena: It was so surprising. 179 00:09:18,220 --> 00:09:21,310 I didn't know any drug addict that had cleaned up. 180 00:09:21,350 --> 00:09:23,890 Jack Linkletter: I think you're chairman of the board of directors here. 181 00:09:23,980 --> 00:09:25,890 - That's right, Jack. - Your name? 182 00:09:25,980 --> 00:09:29,900 - Chuck Dederich. - Now, Chuck, uh, were you an ex dope addict? 183 00:09:29,980 --> 00:09:31,980 No, I was an alcoholic, Jack. 184 00:09:32,030 --> 00:09:34,190 How long have some of your people been off dope here? 185 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:36,780 Chuck: Uh, we have people that have been off dope 186 00:09:36,860 --> 00:09:39,700 ever since the place started, around 11 months ago, 187 00:09:39,780 --> 00:09:43,330 and then all the way down to... probably our latest newcomer 188 00:09:43,370 --> 00:09:44,790 was about two or three weeks ago. 189 00:09:44,870 --> 00:09:46,870 Now, is this unusual, to be off dope that long? 190 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:49,880 Uh, it's considered almost miraculous. 191 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:51,250 (seagull cawing) 192 00:09:51,340 --> 00:09:54,960 Mike: Before Synanon, there was no residential program 193 00:09:55,050 --> 00:09:58,720 that dealt with drug addiction anywhere in the country. 194 00:09:59,050 --> 00:10:00,720 Probably anywhere in the whole world, 195 00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:01,890 to tell you the truth. 196 00:10:01,970 --> 00:10:03,350 ♪♪ 197 00:10:03,390 --> 00:10:06,770 Jack Hurst: I asked to become a resident, and I was accepted. 198 00:10:06,850 --> 00:10:08,480 I found the guy who had managed 199 00:10:08,560 --> 00:10:10,900 to stay clean six months was a hero. 200 00:10:10,940 --> 00:10:13,780 I had never seen this happen before. 201 00:10:15,650 --> 00:10:17,900 Terry Hurst: Jack and I'd met May 31st, 202 00:10:17,950 --> 00:10:20,200 and we got married June 19th. 203 00:10:20,820 --> 00:10:23,540 We were madly in love right from the beginning. 204 00:10:23,580 --> 00:10:27,160 We were very happy. For a time. 205 00:10:27,830 --> 00:10:30,750 And then, Jack started what he called "chipping." 206 00:10:30,830 --> 00:10:33,460 You know, he would go out and get high, 207 00:10:33,550 --> 00:10:36,170 and it just progressed and progressed 208 00:10:36,210 --> 00:10:37,380 until he finally got hooked. 209 00:10:37,420 --> 00:10:40,840 So, there was nothing that could help Jack, certainly, 210 00:10:40,930 --> 00:10:43,760 and-and I also knew that he was trying very hard 211 00:10:43,850 --> 00:10:46,310 to stop using drugs. He tried everything. 212 00:10:46,390 --> 00:10:49,060 Meanwhile, we heard about Synanon. 213 00:10:49,100 --> 00:10:52,270 So, we went down on a Friday night 214 00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:54,360 and met with Chuck Dederich. 215 00:10:54,440 --> 00:10:56,480 (soft chatter) 216 00:10:56,570 --> 00:10:59,150 Terry: Synanon was in a storefront. 217 00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:02,320 And when an addict came in, they were put on the couch. 218 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:06,370 And they were not left alone until they kicked. 219 00:11:06,450 --> 00:11:07,620 (car horn honks) 220 00:11:07,700 --> 00:11:10,420 The rules were don't get high, 221 00:11:10,460 --> 00:11:12,250 you know, don't use anything, 222 00:11:12,290 --> 00:11:14,670 and no physical violence. 223 00:11:14,750 --> 00:11:18,090 No violence and no drugs. 224 00:11:18,590 --> 00:11:21,260 They were the golden rules of Synanon. 225 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:23,640 Chuck Dederich: Synanon is a coined word. 226 00:11:23,720 --> 00:11:26,180 It doesn't mean anything actually. 227 00:11:26,260 --> 00:11:28,140 It's one of the guys who, uh, mixed up 228 00:11:28,180 --> 00:11:31,810 seminar and symposium and anonymous, and... 229 00:11:31,850 --> 00:11:34,480 - Jack Linkletter: He threw 'em all together... - Chuck: Threw 'em all together 230 00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:36,860 - and came up with a new word. - Jack Linkletter: Do you have any help 231 00:11:36,940 --> 00:11:38,230 from doctors and psychiatrists? 232 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:39,860 The only help we have 233 00:11:39,940 --> 00:11:42,860 is just an occasional donation from the general public. 234 00:11:42,950 --> 00:11:45,490 - You treat yourselves then? - That's right. 235 00:11:45,530 --> 00:11:47,450 - Completely alone? - Completely alone. 236 00:11:47,490 --> 00:11:50,290 (quiet street noise outside) 237 00:11:59,260 --> 00:12:02,840 Mike: Synanon was unlike any other kind of treatment. 238 00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:04,050 Nobody gave us methadone. 239 00:12:04,140 --> 00:12:07,100 Nobody gave us any other medicines. 240 00:12:07,180 --> 00:12:10,390 The program was addicts helping addicts. 241 00:12:11,180 --> 00:12:14,730 That concept was new and revolutionary. 242 00:12:15,230 --> 00:12:17,860 Jack Hurst: We're not therapists, and we're not psychiatrists, 243 00:12:17,940 --> 00:12:20,030 but we all know what it's like to be a drug addict. 244 00:12:20,110 --> 00:12:22,360 We all know what it's to be a liar. 245 00:12:23,070 --> 00:12:26,530 So, three times a week, everyone attends 246 00:12:26,620 --> 00:12:28,950 what we call our Synanon sessions. 247 00:12:29,790 --> 00:12:32,580 Terry: At that time, we were having sessions. 248 00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:35,540 A group of people would get together in the evening, 249 00:12:35,630 --> 00:12:38,710 and discuss their problems. 250 00:12:39,250 --> 00:12:42,010 Chuck was a drunk, and in the beginning, 251 00:12:42,050 --> 00:12:45,550 Chuck thought he was starting a small AA. 252 00:12:45,590 --> 00:12:47,600 'Cause he had cleaned up on AA. 253 00:12:47,680 --> 00:12:49,890 ♪♪ 254 00:12:49,930 --> 00:12:53,770 Chuck: I was a real good serious problem drinker. 255 00:12:55,350 --> 00:12:58,730 I ran around with a very speedy crowd, 256 00:12:58,770 --> 00:13:02,900 and, uh, the party was never over for me. 257 00:13:04,320 --> 00:13:07,320 I was a salesman, a public relations person, 258 00:13:07,410 --> 00:13:10,700 and, uh, I-I couldn't do that anymore. 259 00:13:10,740 --> 00:13:12,410 I had lost all my friends. 260 00:13:12,500 --> 00:13:16,620 I had lost two wives and two children, you know. 261 00:13:16,710 --> 00:13:18,590 That was gone. 262 00:13:19,170 --> 00:13:21,760 I stopped drinking in Alcoholics Anonymous 263 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:26,010 May 14th, 1956. 264 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:28,970 And I was two years sober 265 00:13:29,050 --> 00:13:32,100 and very active, doing a lot of attendance at meetings, 266 00:13:32,140 --> 00:13:34,810 doing a lot of, um, helping of other drunks, 267 00:13:34,890 --> 00:13:36,770 and all that kind of thing. 268 00:13:36,810 --> 00:13:39,440 But it just, it wasn't deep enough. 269 00:13:40,270 --> 00:13:43,190 It's around this time that I put together 270 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:46,030 an experimental type of meeting. 271 00:13:46,070 --> 00:13:49,240 ♪♪ 272 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:51,160 My dad wasn't the kind of guy that was gonna, like, 273 00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:53,790 go through all the steps and then, 274 00:13:53,870 --> 00:13:56,790 you know, do that for the rest of his life. 275 00:13:57,370 --> 00:14:00,790 There was a truth that he wanted, 276 00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:04,800 a kind of confrontation that he wanted. 277 00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:06,130 And he said, you know, 278 00:14:06,170 --> 00:14:09,800 "I have this lifetime of bottled-up rage." 279 00:14:10,180 --> 00:14:12,850 And he just started talking to everybody in the room 280 00:14:12,930 --> 00:14:15,140 like they were horrible. 281 00:14:15,180 --> 00:14:17,350 You know, telling 'em, you know, whatever kind of asshole 282 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:20,020 he thought they were, you know. And they loved it. 283 00:14:20,110 --> 00:14:21,560 (indistinct chatter) 284 00:14:21,650 --> 00:14:24,030 Chuck: We met three or four times a week. 285 00:14:24,110 --> 00:14:26,150 We were yelling and cursing 286 00:14:26,190 --> 00:14:29,320 and, you know, really getting our feelings out. 287 00:14:29,360 --> 00:14:32,950 I think, um, you know, some people got some valuable insights, 288 00:14:32,990 --> 00:14:35,000 and it was a great experience. 289 00:14:35,080 --> 00:14:36,830 (chatter continues) 290 00:14:36,910 --> 00:14:38,960 Lena: Shortly after they started, 291 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:42,460 a couple of dope fiends came in, 292 00:14:42,500 --> 00:14:44,380 and they stayed clean. 293 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:47,760 And Chuck took notice of that. 294 00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:49,970 ♪♪ 295 00:14:50,010 --> 00:14:53,260 At that time, nobody wanted to be around drug addicts. 296 00:14:54,010 --> 00:14:55,520 Terrible stigma. 297 00:14:56,270 --> 00:14:59,230 And why he was not turned off by people 298 00:14:59,310 --> 00:15:01,860 that were very different from him in every way, 299 00:15:01,940 --> 00:15:03,570 I don't know. 300 00:15:04,860 --> 00:15:06,900 Maybe it was his face, 301 00:15:06,990 --> 00:15:09,610 his disfigurement from meningitis. 302 00:15:10,740 --> 00:15:13,120 He was the outcast. 303 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:15,620 The person who had been a failure his whole life. 304 00:15:16,910 --> 00:15:21,120 A person who was broken and lost 305 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:23,210 and found his way 306 00:15:23,290 --> 00:15:25,920 in connection with other people. 307 00:15:27,420 --> 00:15:31,050 Chuck: These meetings were the group process 308 00:15:31,130 --> 00:15:35,350 which later became known as the Synanon Game. 309 00:15:39,140 --> 00:15:42,230 That was Synanon. (laughs) 310 00:15:42,270 --> 00:15:44,770 The Game was Synanon, really. 311 00:15:44,860 --> 00:15:46,860 (overlapping yelling) 312 00:15:46,940 --> 00:15:49,440 You're not a man! Your mouth don't make you a man! 313 00:15:49,530 --> 00:15:52,280 Could you take an order? You couldn't even do it! 314 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:54,910 - You're not even a (indistinct)! - (indistinct yelling) 315 00:15:54,990 --> 00:15:58,240 Jady: The Game was a verbal street fight. 316 00:15:58,290 --> 00:16:01,670 It was a way to have a free, 317 00:16:01,750 --> 00:16:04,170 unencumbered, uninhibited, 318 00:16:04,250 --> 00:16:07,590 no-holds-barred encounter with another person. 319 00:16:07,670 --> 00:16:10,090 - Oh, you don't believe that anymore? - I said yeah! 320 00:16:10,130 --> 00:16:12,970 - Nobody agrees with you! Fine! - (tense music playing) 321 00:16:13,050 --> 00:16:14,260 (indistinct yelling) 322 00:16:14,300 --> 00:16:16,810 Lena: The Synanon Game taught us 323 00:16:16,890 --> 00:16:18,390 to look at our own truth. 324 00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:21,140 - All your tiles are coming up! - This your way of giving me help? Hello! 325 00:16:21,230 --> 00:16:25,360 Lena: A lot of things that were thrown at us 326 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:28,780 from the other participants in the Game 327 00:16:28,860 --> 00:16:31,860 were to get us to express a feeling 328 00:16:31,950 --> 00:16:34,780 because most of us had... uh! 329 00:16:34,820 --> 00:16:37,870 Pushed our feelings down. 330 00:16:37,950 --> 00:16:39,790 (indistinct) 331 00:16:40,540 --> 00:16:43,580 Some of the things that we were said, 332 00:16:43,620 --> 00:16:45,460 they hurt a lot, you know. 333 00:16:46,580 --> 00:16:49,170 But, it helped me to question myself. 334 00:16:49,250 --> 00:16:51,460 (overlapping yelling) 335 00:16:51,510 --> 00:16:54,010 Jack Hurst: We give vent to our pent-up emotions 336 00:16:54,090 --> 00:16:56,340 of hostilities and fears and resentments. 337 00:16:56,430 --> 00:16:58,720 We're able to let go emotionally, 338 00:16:58,810 --> 00:17:00,850 and see what it looks like, see what it sounds like, 339 00:17:00,930 --> 00:17:03,480 see how your peer group takes it. 340 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:06,350 In the Game, you could say what you want. 341 00:17:06,440 --> 00:17:09,270 Don't tell me now! I put my blood in that thing! 342 00:17:09,980 --> 00:17:12,780 Mike: You save all that anger up, and you do it in the Game. 343 00:17:12,820 --> 00:17:14,820 (indistinct yelling) 344 00:17:14,860 --> 00:17:19,450 And you can say anything you want to anybody in that group, 345 00:17:19,490 --> 00:17:22,700 but you can't hit 'em and you can't threaten to hurt 'em. 346 00:17:22,790 --> 00:17:24,160 No violence. 347 00:17:24,210 --> 00:17:26,000 He's a liar! He don't do nothing! 348 00:17:26,040 --> 00:17:28,040 Why don't you help him out, dammit?! 349 00:17:28,130 --> 00:17:30,380 - Why don't you help him?! - I do wanna help him out! 350 00:17:30,460 --> 00:17:33,630 Lena: The games, they were scary. 351 00:17:33,670 --> 00:17:35,010 (indistinct) 352 00:17:35,050 --> 00:17:37,680 But some of us loved it, right? 353 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:39,260 To get at each other. 354 00:17:39,350 --> 00:17:41,180 What have you learned? Nothing! 355 00:17:41,260 --> 00:17:44,480 You can't even, even relax with yourself. 356 00:17:44,520 --> 00:17:47,400 The Game was this pressure valve. 357 00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:51,400 - (overlapping yelling) - (curious music playing) 358 00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:53,780 But when you go to bed at night, you'll think about it 359 00:17:53,860 --> 00:17:56,400 over and over and over again. 360 00:17:56,490 --> 00:18:00,280 This led to change and accountability. 361 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:05,540 The meetings provide an emotional catharsis, 362 00:18:05,620 --> 00:18:08,210 an emotional release which can result in 363 00:18:08,250 --> 00:18:09,710 insights into the problem 364 00:18:09,750 --> 00:18:11,960 because the answer to the person's problem 365 00:18:12,050 --> 00:18:13,630 is within himself. 366 00:18:13,710 --> 00:18:15,550 (muffled chatter) 367 00:18:15,590 --> 00:18:17,930 Lena: You never get over having 368 00:18:18,010 --> 00:18:20,550 that addictive personality. 369 00:18:20,600 --> 00:18:24,470 - Do you see what I mean? Do you understand? - I know it. Yeah. 370 00:18:24,560 --> 00:18:27,020 Lena: In the Game, you learn 371 00:18:27,060 --> 00:18:30,730 how to deal with that feeling differently. 372 00:18:30,770 --> 00:18:32,820 Constructively, 373 00:18:32,900 --> 00:18:35,530 instead of destructively. 374 00:18:36,650 --> 00:18:39,780 (overlapping chatter) 375 00:18:40,910 --> 00:18:44,870 Mike: After trying to kick the heroin habit several times, 376 00:18:46,370 --> 00:18:48,250 I don't know what happened. 377 00:18:48,290 --> 00:18:51,130 Something happened to me at that point... 378 00:18:51,210 --> 00:18:54,050 (gentle music playing) 379 00:18:54,090 --> 00:18:56,760 ...and it just, somehow, it just felt right. 380 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:07,600 I wouldn't be sitting here! 381 00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:08,980 (laughs) 382 00:19:09,060 --> 00:19:11,650 I would not be sitting here 383 00:19:11,730 --> 00:19:14,610 if there had not been a Synanon Game. 384 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:17,530 Terry: Synanon does work. 385 00:19:17,610 --> 00:19:20,450 It's worked for us. It's brought my family together, 386 00:19:20,490 --> 00:19:24,080 and I see all kinds of people building new lives again 387 00:19:24,120 --> 00:19:25,910 with the help of the people here at Synanon. 388 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:31,330 ("Beach Baby" by The First Class playing) 389 00:19:31,420 --> 00:19:35,170 ♪ Ah-ah, ah-ah ♪ 390 00:19:35,250 --> 00:19:38,380 ♪ Ah-ah, ah... ♪ 391 00:19:38,470 --> 00:19:41,970 ♪ Do you remember back in old LA, oh oh oh ♪ 392 00:19:42,050 --> 00:19:45,600 ♪ When everybody drove a Chevrolet, oh oh oh ♪ 393 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:48,180 ♪ Whatever happened to the boy next door? ♪ 394 00:19:48,810 --> 00:19:52,730 ♪ Suntanned, crew cut, all-American male ♪ 395 00:19:52,810 --> 00:19:53,900 ♪ Remember... ♪ 396 00:19:53,940 --> 00:19:55,400 Mike: Chuck first opened Synanon 397 00:19:55,480 --> 00:19:57,780 in this little building in town, 398 00:19:57,820 --> 00:20:00,320 and it grew, and it grew. 399 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:02,950 And it wasn't big enough for all these people. 400 00:20:02,990 --> 00:20:06,620 And he thought, "Hey, I need to get a bigger place." 401 00:20:06,660 --> 00:20:08,330 ♪♪ 402 00:20:08,370 --> 00:20:11,540 ♪ Beach baby, beach baby, there on the sand ♪ 403 00:20:11,620 --> 00:20:14,630 ♪ From July to the end of September ♪ 404 00:20:14,670 --> 00:20:17,840 ♪ Surfing is fun, we'd be out in the sun ♪ 405 00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:21,300 ♪ Every day ♪ 406 00:20:23,130 --> 00:20:27,350 We moved to the "smart" part of town 407 00:20:27,970 --> 00:20:29,020 to the Armory. 408 00:20:29,100 --> 00:20:31,180 - (seagulls cawing) - (song fades out) 409 00:20:31,230 --> 00:20:33,770 Our front door was the beach. 410 00:20:34,190 --> 00:20:38,320 We had this big picture window that looked out at the ocean, 411 00:20:38,360 --> 00:20:40,400 and everybody was sitting around 412 00:20:40,490 --> 00:20:43,070 talking and hanging out together. 413 00:20:43,150 --> 00:20:46,370 (soft saxophone playing) 414 00:20:47,580 --> 00:20:51,250 Jady: The Armory's rent was $500 a month. 415 00:20:51,330 --> 00:20:53,620 $500 a month, 416 00:20:53,710 --> 00:20:55,710 and nobody knew where the money was gonna come from. 417 00:20:55,750 --> 00:20:57,500 (indistinct chatter) 418 00:20:57,540 --> 00:20:59,550 But nobody went hungry. 419 00:20:59,590 --> 00:21:02,130 They never went without food. 420 00:21:02,220 --> 00:21:03,880 Like oxtail stew, 421 00:21:03,970 --> 00:21:05,890 day-old bread, 422 00:21:05,930 --> 00:21:08,560 lots of big salads with lots of Thousand Island dressing 423 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:10,890 because the lettuce was a little wilty. 424 00:21:10,930 --> 00:21:12,390 (chatter continues) 425 00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:14,850 Terry: Chuck founded a miracle. 426 00:21:14,890 --> 00:21:18,570 But he knew that he had a money problem. 427 00:21:18,650 --> 00:21:22,320 So, he started to develop ideas. 428 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:24,740 His first idea was we're a business. 429 00:21:24,780 --> 00:21:27,370 We're in the business of curing drug addicts. 430 00:21:28,070 --> 00:21:29,410 And then, he became the executive 431 00:21:29,450 --> 00:21:31,490 running the corporation. 432 00:21:31,580 --> 00:21:33,710 Ron Cook: Chuck always said, 433 00:21:33,750 --> 00:21:37,210 "I run Synanon like a business like Gulf Oil 434 00:21:37,250 --> 00:21:40,420 'cause that's where I got my training." 435 00:21:40,460 --> 00:21:43,970 Chuck used to refer to me as the goddamn bookkeeper. 436 00:21:44,050 --> 00:21:46,800 (laughs) 437 00:21:48,090 --> 00:21:50,010 I wasn't a drug addict. 438 00:21:50,100 --> 00:21:53,980 I was a CPA, and I was Chief Financial Officer 439 00:21:54,060 --> 00:21:56,140 - for Synanon. - (phone ringing) 440 00:21:56,230 --> 00:21:57,900 - (typewriters clicking) - (office chatter) 441 00:21:57,940 --> 00:22:00,360 Chuck established Synanon 442 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:03,440 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. 443 00:22:03,490 --> 00:22:05,490 It had all the tax benefits 444 00:22:05,570 --> 00:22:07,950 that any nonprofit organization had. 445 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:11,620 (office chatter) 446 00:22:11,660 --> 00:22:14,620 There was a board of directors. 447 00:22:14,660 --> 00:22:17,420 Mostly, it was drug addicts who were instrumental 448 00:22:17,460 --> 00:22:19,710 in the start of Synanon. 449 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:22,090 And they got the love, 450 00:22:22,130 --> 00:22:24,800 the attention, the respect 451 00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:26,970 that maybe in a lot of organizations, 452 00:22:27,050 --> 00:22:28,220 they wouldn't get. 453 00:22:28,300 --> 00:22:30,300 - (quiet chatter) - Terry: At that point, 454 00:22:30,390 --> 00:22:34,270 there were about 60 people living in Synanon. 455 00:22:34,310 --> 00:22:36,140 There was a community there, 456 00:22:36,180 --> 00:22:39,440 and you were part of that, 457 00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:41,730 and you were part of the growth of that. 458 00:22:42,360 --> 00:22:44,400 Synanon was free. 459 00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:46,360 Synanon was free. 460 00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:47,740 (quiet chatter) 461 00:22:47,820 --> 00:22:50,160 But they had to feed everybody 462 00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:52,370 and take care of everybody. 463 00:22:52,450 --> 00:22:54,950 So, Chuck created the hustling business. 464 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:58,080 ("Tighten Up Pt.1" by Archie Bell and The Drells playing) 465 00:22:58,160 --> 00:23:00,750 (plastic crinkling) 466 00:23:00,830 --> 00:23:03,920 They hustled all the goods and services. 467 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:06,260 And these were people who literally just went out 468 00:23:06,340 --> 00:23:07,970 and asked for things. 469 00:23:08,010 --> 00:23:09,630 ♪♪ 470 00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:14,470 Nobody is a bigger con artist than an addict! (laughs) 471 00:23:14,510 --> 00:23:15,560 I mean, you go into a company. 472 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:18,350 "Hey, look, you know... 473 00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:22,020 I'm a recovering addict. Synanon saved my life." 474 00:23:22,060 --> 00:23:24,020 Who's gonna say no to that? 475 00:23:24,690 --> 00:23:28,530 Donations came pouring in like you would not believe. 476 00:23:28,610 --> 00:23:30,360 - Yo, Al! - Al: Yeah? 477 00:23:30,410 --> 00:23:32,700 Mike: And people gave us everything! 478 00:23:34,700 --> 00:23:37,040 We hustled Christmas trees, 479 00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:38,370 sheepskin, 480 00:23:38,410 --> 00:23:40,920 soap, cowboy boots, 481 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:44,340 a Cadillac convertible, live fish, 482 00:23:44,380 --> 00:23:48,340 3 million hot cups, 15,000 trees. 483 00:23:48,380 --> 00:23:51,720 People would donate cotton! 484 00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:54,680 People would donate cattle! 485 00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:56,720 We had a whole department that just did nothing 486 00:23:56,810 --> 00:23:59,980 but cut up all the beef, you know? I mean, 487 00:24:00,060 --> 00:24:02,690 it was crazy! 488 00:24:03,650 --> 00:24:07,360 - Eventually, Synanon had gas stations. - (bell ringing) 489 00:24:07,400 --> 00:24:09,400 They owned all these apartments, 490 00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:12,110 and we were painting every day and working. 491 00:24:14,120 --> 00:24:18,540 And this was part of Chuck's dream of how to do it. 492 00:24:21,120 --> 00:24:22,750 No one got paid for the work. 493 00:24:23,290 --> 00:24:26,090 You got to stay in Synanon. 494 00:24:26,170 --> 00:24:28,420 - You were happy. - (laughter) 495 00:24:28,510 --> 00:24:30,380 (indistinct chatter) 496 00:24:30,420 --> 00:24:33,430 - (song fades out) - (seagulls cawing) 497 00:24:33,510 --> 00:24:35,390 Lena: Betty Coleman. 498 00:24:35,430 --> 00:24:38,100 She was like my sister in Synanon. 499 00:24:38,810 --> 00:24:42,350 We were dope fiends, and we knew each other on the street. 500 00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:45,730 Very smart woman. Very smart. 501 00:24:45,770 --> 00:24:49,730 She and Chuck became girlfriend-boyfriend. 502 00:25:10,210 --> 00:25:13,170 (gentle music playing) 503 00:25:13,260 --> 00:25:14,630 Chuck and Betty got married. 504 00:25:14,720 --> 00:25:16,300 - (seagulls cawing) - (waves splashing) 505 00:25:16,390 --> 00:25:18,640 Everybody came to the wedding. 506 00:25:20,020 --> 00:25:22,600 Officiant: Charles, will you have Betty to be your wife? 507 00:25:23,480 --> 00:25:26,270 - Chuck: I will. - Betty Coleman: I, Betty, take thee, Charles. 508 00:25:26,310 --> 00:25:27,690 Officiant: To be my wedded husband. 509 00:25:27,770 --> 00:25:29,320 Betty: To be my wedded husband. 510 00:25:33,030 --> 00:25:33,950 (shutter snaps) 511 00:25:42,250 --> 00:25:45,290 Chuck had two kids. 512 00:25:45,330 --> 00:25:48,080 His son, Chuck Jr., 513 00:25:48,170 --> 00:25:49,840 we called him Dede. 514 00:25:50,340 --> 00:25:54,670 And Jady was Chuck's daughter from his second marriage. 515 00:25:56,340 --> 00:25:59,350 Jady: This is Betty and me. 516 00:25:59,390 --> 00:26:01,680 So this was right after I moved in. 517 00:26:01,720 --> 00:26:03,520 We here at Synanon House... 518 00:26:03,560 --> 00:26:04,980 Jady: Betty was gentle, 519 00:26:05,020 --> 00:26:08,440 and she could connect and touch people. 520 00:26:09,190 --> 00:26:13,190 But always with a kind of grace and dignity. 521 00:26:14,650 --> 00:26:17,490 You know, she was ballast for Dad. 522 00:26:17,530 --> 00:26:20,030 She was like a mediator, I think. 523 00:26:22,200 --> 00:26:23,870 You know, it took me 524 00:26:23,910 --> 00:26:27,170 a while to fully accept her. 525 00:26:28,500 --> 00:26:29,880 You know, partly because I felt like 526 00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:31,710 I was betraying my own mother, 527 00:26:32,460 --> 00:26:34,710 who had just died. 528 00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:37,760 And then, it was, you know, 529 00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:39,550 learning how to be out in the world 530 00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:42,010 with an integrated family. 531 00:26:43,640 --> 00:26:47,850 At that time, an interracial couple was rare. 532 00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:51,610 Frowned upon. 533 00:26:52,570 --> 00:26:55,030 In some places, probably illegal. 534 00:26:55,900 --> 00:26:59,410 But, in Synanon, there was a bigger calling. 535 00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:04,080 Chuck and Betty decided to take on this mission together. 536 00:27:05,330 --> 00:27:08,750 That did not go without thought. The guy wasn't, 537 00:27:08,830 --> 00:27:10,960 "I'm so in love, I'm gonna marry." No. 538 00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:13,250 There's a lot of thought put into that. 539 00:27:13,340 --> 00:27:16,090 Because the implications of it 540 00:27:16,130 --> 00:27:17,760 were really... 541 00:27:18,550 --> 00:27:20,090 pretty strong. 542 00:27:21,010 --> 00:27:23,560 Synanon was born in Santa Monica. 543 00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:25,100 (waves splashing) 544 00:27:25,140 --> 00:27:29,350 Santa Monica is super-duper white. 545 00:27:29,730 --> 00:27:32,770 I mean, sterile white. 546 00:27:32,810 --> 00:27:35,030 If you were anything other than white, 547 00:27:35,110 --> 00:27:38,950 there was a place marked off for you at the beach. 548 00:27:40,740 --> 00:27:42,910 Along comes this guy 549 00:27:42,950 --> 00:27:46,160 who integrates living facilities 550 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:48,660 in Santa Monica. 551 00:27:48,750 --> 00:27:50,580 Unheard of! 552 00:27:50,620 --> 00:27:55,460 But even worse, on the beach! (laughs) 553 00:27:55,550 --> 00:27:59,420 Right? On the beach of Santa Monica! 554 00:27:59,470 --> 00:28:01,430 That's a definite no-no. 555 00:28:01,470 --> 00:28:04,390 (upbeat music playing) 556 00:28:04,470 --> 00:28:07,310 (indistinct chatter, cheering) 557 00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:09,890 Jack Linkletter: I must say that now that you're in a new building, 558 00:28:09,980 --> 00:28:12,230 this is 1,000% improvement, if not more. 559 00:28:12,310 --> 00:28:15,320 - Are your problems over? - Chuck: No, indeed. 560 00:28:15,360 --> 00:28:18,360 One of our biggest problems today is public acceptance. 561 00:28:18,440 --> 00:28:21,030 We feel that we don't have any addicts in this building 562 00:28:21,110 --> 00:28:23,280 because no narcotics are used here. 563 00:28:24,740 --> 00:28:27,330 Every place where we move in, 564 00:28:27,370 --> 00:28:30,210 the neighbors all storm the city council and say, 565 00:28:30,290 --> 00:28:34,290 "Here come the dope fiends! They're gonna sack the city!" 566 00:28:34,330 --> 00:28:36,880 There is a member of, or a segment of our society, 567 00:28:36,960 --> 00:28:38,960 the lunatic fringe, the bigots, 568 00:28:39,010 --> 00:28:41,380 that have been devoting their time and energies 569 00:28:41,470 --> 00:28:43,220 to running us out of town. 570 00:28:43,300 --> 00:28:45,510 And now, they're up to this kind of stuff. 571 00:28:45,600 --> 00:28:48,970 Hanging, uh, Synanon residents in effigy. 572 00:28:59,570 --> 00:29:00,820 (quiet chatter) 573 00:29:00,860 --> 00:29:03,240 Bill: Whether it be drug addicts, 574 00:29:03,320 --> 00:29:07,330 whether it be interracial communal living, 575 00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:12,370 there was so much to not like, you know, at that time. 576 00:29:14,210 --> 00:29:16,880 Lena: The people in Santa Monica 577 00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:19,800 wanted to get rid of us. 578 00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:21,170 They hated us. 579 00:29:21,210 --> 00:29:24,470 - (microfiche clicks) - (somber music playing) 580 00:29:29,930 --> 00:29:31,930 Chuck "Dede" Dederich Jr.: I used to go with my dad. 581 00:29:32,730 --> 00:29:34,350 They had these big town hall meetings. 582 00:29:34,390 --> 00:29:36,690 All these neighbors would get in and scream 583 00:29:36,730 --> 00:29:38,060 and holler at the microphone 584 00:29:38,150 --> 00:29:40,280 and say that we were in the wrong place, 585 00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:42,990 and that you can't have drug addicts in the neighborhood, 586 00:29:43,070 --> 00:29:45,570 and who are we, blah blah... I mean on and on. 587 00:29:45,660 --> 00:29:47,910 And then, the newspapers, of course, would pick it up. 588 00:29:50,830 --> 00:29:52,910 And they would exaggerate more, 589 00:29:52,950 --> 00:29:55,710 so that was a real experience to me to see 590 00:29:55,750 --> 00:29:59,000 what prejudice is. 591 00:30:01,380 --> 00:30:03,590 Jady: We always said that race was a big part of it. 592 00:30:03,630 --> 00:30:05,800 - Dede: Right. - Jady: You know, we were still living 593 00:30:05,880 --> 00:30:09,930 - in that apartheid kind of climate on the beach. - Dede: Yeah. 594 00:30:14,230 --> 00:30:16,600 Phil Bourdette: When I was in the Public Defender's Office, 595 00:30:16,690 --> 00:30:20,230 I started referring clients to Synanon, 596 00:30:20,270 --> 00:30:23,780 and I felt like I was doing something to help somebody, 597 00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:27,110 which is what I wanted to do when I went to law school. 598 00:30:27,740 --> 00:30:31,620 The City of Santa Monica didn't want Synanon in their city. 599 00:30:32,950 --> 00:30:34,950 Santa Monica residents put enough pressure 600 00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:36,710 on the Santa Monica government 601 00:30:36,790 --> 00:30:39,790 to bring charges of operating a hospital 602 00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:43,840 without a license, which it was not a hospital. 603 00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:45,050 We didn't have doctors there. 604 00:30:45,130 --> 00:30:47,050 It was not a medical thing at all, 605 00:30:47,130 --> 00:30:50,550 but the judge told Chuck he would put him on probation 606 00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:52,010 but while he was on probation, 607 00:30:52,100 --> 00:30:54,470 he had to stay away from Synanon. 608 00:30:54,560 --> 00:30:55,930 And Chuck said, "No. 609 00:30:55,980 --> 00:30:58,730 "What I'm doing here is the right thing to do, 610 00:30:58,810 --> 00:31:00,270 "dealing with drug addiction 611 00:31:00,310 --> 00:31:03,980 "in a way that wasn't done before Synanon, 612 00:31:04,070 --> 00:31:07,610 and I'll go to jail for it if that's what I have to do." 613 00:31:07,650 --> 00:31:10,530 And the judge says, "Alright, you're going to jail." 614 00:31:10,620 --> 00:31:12,200 So Chuck went to jail. 615 00:31:12,910 --> 00:31:14,950 There aren't many people that go to jail 616 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:17,660 for zoning violations. 617 00:31:19,500 --> 00:31:21,710 Jady: Synanon was in a fight for its life. 618 00:31:22,170 --> 00:31:26,170 And Betty, she stepped up to hold the community together, 619 00:31:26,260 --> 00:31:28,510 and kept the place going. 620 00:31:36,810 --> 00:31:39,600 (drumming) 621 00:31:39,690 --> 00:31:42,940 (indistinct chatter) 622 00:31:47,690 --> 00:31:50,950 (chatter continues) 623 00:31:56,200 --> 00:31:59,870 Terry: What we talked about inside of Synanon was 624 00:31:59,910 --> 00:32:01,500 we were the victims. 625 00:32:02,880 --> 00:32:04,130 There was a common enemy, 626 00:32:04,210 --> 00:32:07,550 and it enforced our strength inside of Synanon. 627 00:32:09,090 --> 00:32:11,510 It was us or them. 628 00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:16,720 (distant chatter) 629 00:32:20,770 --> 00:32:23,730 - (music fades out) - (car drives by) 630 00:32:23,770 --> 00:32:26,020 Narrator: A visitor is arriving. 631 00:32:26,070 --> 00:32:29,320 A former member of Synanon. He is high on heroin, 632 00:32:30,070 --> 00:32:31,990 and desperate. 633 00:32:33,110 --> 00:32:37,040 There he is. Look at him. He's damn near dead. 634 00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:39,580 He's now strung out on narcotics, 635 00:32:39,620 --> 00:32:42,210 smashed. 636 00:32:42,250 --> 00:32:43,880 Miriam Bourdette: I didn't know 637 00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:45,880 whether I would be one of those people 638 00:32:45,920 --> 00:32:48,590 who would revert to drug use 639 00:32:48,630 --> 00:32:52,470 if I left Synanon 'cause so many did. 640 00:32:53,260 --> 00:32:55,100 And I was a little afraid 641 00:32:55,180 --> 00:32:57,310 that that might happen. 642 00:32:57,390 --> 00:33:00,100 There has not been one single person 643 00:33:00,140 --> 00:33:02,940 who split from Synanon. Not one. 644 00:33:03,770 --> 00:33:07,860 There hasn't been one stayed clean, baby. Not one! 645 00:33:08,610 --> 00:33:12,030 I believe because I have faith in myself, you know? 646 00:33:12,110 --> 00:33:15,570 (overlapping yelling) 647 00:33:15,620 --> 00:33:16,740 (yelling fades) 648 00:33:16,780 --> 00:33:18,540 Lena: When I went into Synanon, 649 00:33:18,620 --> 00:33:20,700 it was a year program. 650 00:33:20,790 --> 00:33:24,290 My next commitment was three years. 651 00:33:24,330 --> 00:33:26,880 Then Chuck started saying 652 00:33:26,960 --> 00:33:28,750 a dope fiend had to stay in Synanon 653 00:33:28,800 --> 00:33:31,970 because if they left, they would never make it. 654 00:33:32,050 --> 00:33:34,180 ♪♪ 655 00:33:34,260 --> 00:33:36,180 Mike: Chuck's position was, 656 00:33:36,260 --> 00:33:37,970 "This is where you need to be, 657 00:33:38,010 --> 00:33:40,430 and if you leave, you're gonna die." 658 00:33:40,470 --> 00:33:43,140 That was what went in our heads constantly. 659 00:33:43,180 --> 00:33:46,100 If you leave, you're gonna die. 660 00:33:46,150 --> 00:33:49,230 (indistinct chatter) 661 00:33:49,320 --> 00:33:50,900 Lena: He told us 662 00:33:50,980 --> 00:33:53,780 Synanon was a lifetime thing. 663 00:33:53,820 --> 00:33:56,110 We would be there forever. 664 00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:03,500 My mother was taking care of the kids for me. 665 00:34:04,160 --> 00:34:06,500 But she would get on the phone. (laughs) 666 00:34:06,580 --> 00:34:08,420 "Aren't you ready to come home yet?" 667 00:34:08,500 --> 00:34:10,590 Tears would be coming outta my eyes 668 00:34:10,670 --> 00:34:13,710 'cause I knew that I needed to be in Synanon. 669 00:34:15,800 --> 00:34:19,180 Bill: I think that Chuck didn't want my mom 670 00:34:19,260 --> 00:34:21,180 just having that kind of stress 671 00:34:21,260 --> 00:34:24,180 of not knowing what to do with her kids 672 00:34:24,230 --> 00:34:27,190 that finally one day, he just said, "Go get them." 673 00:34:28,520 --> 00:34:30,190 ♪♪ 674 00:34:30,230 --> 00:34:33,980 I was 3. My sister was 7. 675 00:34:34,030 --> 00:34:36,030 That's when my memory started, 676 00:34:36,450 --> 00:34:38,700 when I arrived in Synanon. 677 00:34:40,200 --> 00:34:42,580 There were other kids that had moved in. 678 00:34:42,660 --> 00:34:44,870 We bonded immediately 679 00:34:44,950 --> 00:34:47,830 and became like brothers and sisters. 680 00:34:48,420 --> 00:34:52,130 - (waves splashing) - The Armory was absolute heaven 681 00:34:52,210 --> 00:34:55,050 because the beach was ours. 682 00:34:55,090 --> 00:34:57,260 (indistinct chatter) 683 00:34:57,340 --> 00:35:00,300 The day was spent running around, 684 00:35:00,390 --> 00:35:03,350 getting into any kind of mischief and mayhem 685 00:35:03,390 --> 00:35:05,020 - that we could. - (kids giggling) 686 00:35:05,060 --> 00:35:08,690 (wheels squeaking) 687 00:35:09,190 --> 00:35:13,690 And being exposed to people kicking on couches, 688 00:35:13,730 --> 00:35:15,530 to everything. 689 00:35:15,570 --> 00:35:18,320 I remember emptying puke buckets 690 00:35:18,410 --> 00:35:20,240 and getting cold rags. 691 00:35:20,620 --> 00:35:23,910 It was completely normal, completely natural. 692 00:35:23,990 --> 00:35:25,870 It was our living room. 693 00:35:27,830 --> 00:35:30,540 It was communal parenting. 694 00:35:30,580 --> 00:35:31,880 (baby babbling) 695 00:35:31,920 --> 00:35:36,090 There was a group of mothers that ruled the nest, 696 00:35:36,130 --> 00:35:37,840 so if my mom wasn't there, 697 00:35:37,920 --> 00:35:42,140 Terry Hurst was there, or somebody's mom was there. 698 00:35:44,060 --> 00:35:47,100 Synanon was an experiment, 699 00:35:47,140 --> 00:35:48,770 and I don't think Chuck Dederich 700 00:35:48,850 --> 00:35:52,310 or anybody else really knew what they were doing. 701 00:35:52,400 --> 00:35:56,570 The thought of children was the last thing on their mind. 702 00:35:56,610 --> 00:35:58,110 (hallway chatter) 703 00:35:58,190 --> 00:36:01,360 They were just trying to keep saving lives. 704 00:36:01,410 --> 00:36:04,330 ♪♪ 705 00:36:04,410 --> 00:36:06,620 Mike: Synanon started open houses, 706 00:36:06,700 --> 00:36:09,040 Saturday night parties for the community 707 00:36:09,120 --> 00:36:12,000 to come in, learn about Synanon. 708 00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:13,960 Bill: There were a lot of celebrities 709 00:36:14,040 --> 00:36:15,920 that used to hang out at Synanon. 710 00:36:15,960 --> 00:36:18,760 Esther Phillips, the jazz singer. 711 00:36:18,800 --> 00:36:20,220 Lucille Ball. 712 00:36:20,300 --> 00:36:23,090 - Mike: Jane Fonda. - Terry: Ricardo Montalbán. 713 00:36:23,140 --> 00:36:26,510 All kinds of people came to visit us 714 00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:29,350 and see what we were all about. 715 00:36:29,430 --> 00:36:30,640 Isn't it arrogant of Synanon 716 00:36:30,730 --> 00:36:34,770 to think it can succeed where orthodox organizations 717 00:36:34,810 --> 00:36:37,030 haven't really been able to make much difference? 718 00:36:37,110 --> 00:36:38,440 I feel every right to be arrogant. 719 00:36:38,490 --> 00:36:40,820 If that's the word, it's a good one. 720 00:36:42,450 --> 00:36:45,240 Oh, I was a publicist. Jesus. 721 00:36:45,530 --> 00:36:47,330 I made more goddamn noise 722 00:36:47,370 --> 00:36:49,830 with my little raggedy-ass band of people. 723 00:36:49,870 --> 00:36:53,290 - (interviewer laughs) - National television, everything. 724 00:36:53,330 --> 00:36:56,250 It's been some time since I recommended a book. 725 00:36:56,340 --> 00:36:58,510 I recommend this one, unreservedly. 726 00:36:58,590 --> 00:37:00,550 To quote Senator Thomas Dodd of Connecticut, 727 00:37:00,630 --> 00:37:02,760 "The Synanon method is the first hopeful method 728 00:37:02,840 --> 00:37:05,930 of curing drug addicts that has ever been devised." 729 00:37:06,010 --> 00:37:09,310 Newscaster: "The President wishes Synanon continued success." 730 00:37:09,350 --> 00:37:12,480 Lawrence O'Brien for President John F. Kennedy. 731 00:37:12,520 --> 00:37:15,650 "Of one thing I feel quite sure, and that is that 732 00:37:15,690 --> 00:37:19,190 Synanon house is working." Richard M. Nixon. 733 00:37:19,280 --> 00:37:20,820 "Synanon may be doing more good 734 00:37:20,860 --> 00:37:23,700 than all the rehabilitation centers in the world." 735 00:37:23,780 --> 00:37:26,950 Edmond G. Brown, governor, state of California. 736 00:37:27,950 --> 00:37:29,620 The population grew. 737 00:37:29,700 --> 00:37:33,250 And we opened facilities all over the country. 738 00:37:35,540 --> 00:37:37,590 Reporter: These are the residents of the new Synanon house 739 00:37:37,670 --> 00:37:39,840 in Connecticut. They have a motto. 740 00:37:39,880 --> 00:37:41,380 "Hang tough." 741 00:37:41,420 --> 00:37:43,430 And then, they made a movie about us. 742 00:37:44,380 --> 00:37:46,590 That movie was a big deal. 743 00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:50,810 And it was like a real movie, you know, about Chuck, 744 00:37:51,350 --> 00:37:54,890 with Edmond O'Brien and, uh, Eartha Kitt. 745 00:37:55,350 --> 00:37:58,230 You need him like you need a fix. 746 00:37:58,310 --> 00:38:00,610 Mike: That really got the word out. 747 00:38:00,690 --> 00:38:03,190 Singer: ♪ Hey man, lemme tell you what's happenin' ♪ 748 00:38:03,240 --> 00:38:05,570 - ♪ Down at Synanon ♪ - ♪ Tell me about it, baby ♪ 749 00:38:05,660 --> 00:38:08,910 ♪ Well, everybody's doing it, blow your mind! ♪ 750 00:38:08,990 --> 00:38:12,000 (upbeat music continues) 751 00:38:16,370 --> 00:38:19,250 (muffled crowd chatter) 752 00:38:19,340 --> 00:38:21,420 There were a lot of musicians 753 00:38:21,500 --> 00:38:23,260 that came into Synanon for help. 754 00:38:23,340 --> 00:38:25,590 ♪♪ 755 00:38:28,220 --> 00:38:29,890 Joe Pass, 756 00:38:29,930 --> 00:38:33,100 probably the best jazz guitar player in the world. 757 00:38:33,140 --> 00:38:35,890 Art Pepper was there. 758 00:38:36,810 --> 00:38:40,770 They would play, and everybody would get up and dance. 759 00:38:40,820 --> 00:38:44,070 We had our own Synanon dance called the Hoop La. 760 00:38:46,030 --> 00:38:47,570 Singer: ♪ The Hoop La ♪ 761 00:38:47,610 --> 00:38:49,870 ♪ It's a dance where you're not confined ♪ 762 00:38:49,950 --> 00:38:53,410 ♪ You can be 8 to 80, bow-legged, crippled, or blind ♪ 763 00:38:53,450 --> 00:38:54,580 (crowd cheering) 764 00:38:54,620 --> 00:38:56,790 ♪ Ah yeah, woo! ♪ 765 00:38:56,870 --> 00:39:00,290 I mean, the comradery was unbelievable. 766 00:39:00,340 --> 00:39:02,800 (song continues) 767 00:39:02,840 --> 00:39:06,880 And in Synanon, you really loved everybody. 768 00:39:06,970 --> 00:39:08,800 I didn't like everybody, 769 00:39:08,840 --> 00:39:11,810 but I really had a feeling of love for everybody. 770 00:39:13,520 --> 00:39:16,480 - (song fades out) - (birds chirping) 771 00:39:16,560 --> 00:39:19,480 Chuck: I personally am in closer touch 772 00:39:19,560 --> 00:39:22,150 with the people around me. 773 00:39:22,190 --> 00:39:23,480 In Synanon, 774 00:39:23,530 --> 00:39:26,490 I think that there is a-a deeper level 775 00:39:26,530 --> 00:39:29,160 or a higher level 776 00:39:29,200 --> 00:39:32,120 of communication between people. 777 00:39:32,160 --> 00:39:34,490 Mike: All across the country, 778 00:39:34,580 --> 00:39:37,660 people were starting to deal with their mental health. 779 00:39:37,710 --> 00:39:40,580 A lot more than they did probably before. 780 00:39:40,670 --> 00:39:43,420 Now, as Synanon was growing, 781 00:39:43,500 --> 00:39:45,550 the Synanon Game became 782 00:39:45,630 --> 00:39:48,010 the right therapy at the right time. (laughs) 783 00:39:49,010 --> 00:39:52,680 Ron: There were some very brilliant people in their fields 784 00:39:52,720 --> 00:39:56,020 who would come through and study the Synanon Game. 785 00:39:56,060 --> 00:39:57,520 We were successful, 786 00:39:57,560 --> 00:40:00,480 and the Synanon Game is what enabled it. 787 00:40:01,690 --> 00:40:03,480 Mike: Professors, psychologists, 788 00:40:03,520 --> 00:40:05,780 they knew something was going on here. 789 00:40:06,940 --> 00:40:09,530 Chuck Dederich took in a bunch of junkies, 790 00:40:09,570 --> 00:40:11,450 and he was keeping 'em clean. 791 00:40:12,160 --> 00:40:16,040 Speaker: In effect, Synanon is performing mass analysis, 792 00:40:16,080 --> 00:40:18,870 the changing of an entire group of people. 793 00:40:18,960 --> 00:40:21,370 This has been called the greatest breakthrough 794 00:40:21,460 --> 00:40:24,250 in psychiatry since Freud. 795 00:40:24,340 --> 00:40:26,710 ♪♪ 796 00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:29,590 Mike: Chuck started Synanon Game Clubs. 797 00:40:30,260 --> 00:40:32,510 They were in all the facilities. 798 00:40:32,550 --> 00:40:35,560 In New York, in Detroit, 799 00:40:35,640 --> 00:40:37,060 in San Francisco. 800 00:40:37,680 --> 00:40:39,770 And the Game clubs would be for the people 801 00:40:39,850 --> 00:40:42,980 out in the community who weren't addicts, 802 00:40:43,060 --> 00:40:46,980 but they understood the power of what was going on. 803 00:40:48,320 --> 00:40:50,610 4,000 people belong to our Synanon club, 804 00:40:50,700 --> 00:40:53,280 so they don't live here. People from all walks of life. 805 00:40:53,370 --> 00:40:56,120 Newsmen, housewives, bricklayers, 806 00:40:56,200 --> 00:40:59,330 doctors, lawyers, and all peoples get together 807 00:40:59,370 --> 00:41:02,460 within the Synanon environment and talk. 808 00:41:02,920 --> 00:41:05,000 Your wife is one of your hang-ups. 809 00:41:05,090 --> 00:41:06,590 Hell, your wife is one of the best things 810 00:41:06,670 --> 00:41:08,340 you got going for ya. 811 00:41:08,420 --> 00:41:09,920 Why don't you talk about you? 812 00:41:09,960 --> 00:41:12,260 - What do you wanna know about me? - I... Look! 813 00:41:12,340 --> 00:41:14,970 I'm not gonna pull your covers! You wanna play the Game, play the Game. 814 00:41:15,050 --> 00:41:16,760 That's not true. I... 815 00:41:16,850 --> 00:41:19,270 Terry: People that weren't addicts, 816 00:41:19,350 --> 00:41:22,440 people that just heard about Synanon. 817 00:41:22,520 --> 00:41:24,060 You know, they came down and played the Game, 818 00:41:24,100 --> 00:41:27,900 and they started to just enjoy the community. 819 00:41:27,940 --> 00:41:29,780 (laughter) 820 00:41:30,740 --> 00:41:34,320 Buddy Jones: My wife and I went to a Synanon Game club. 821 00:41:34,410 --> 00:41:36,370 It was like an awakening. 822 00:41:36,450 --> 00:41:38,870 It was totally integrated. 823 00:41:38,950 --> 00:41:40,620 ♪♪ 824 00:41:40,660 --> 00:41:43,620 John Madden had recruited me to play football 825 00:41:43,670 --> 00:41:45,210 at San Diego State. 826 00:41:46,210 --> 00:41:49,000 Some friends said, "Listen, when you get down to San Diego 827 00:41:49,090 --> 00:41:52,130 and you feel the pressure, go to Synanon." 828 00:41:52,800 --> 00:41:56,140 We walked into the building, and boom! 829 00:41:57,600 --> 00:42:00,180 I never used drugs, I was not a dope fiend. 830 00:42:00,470 --> 00:42:02,980 But I began to play the Game. 831 00:42:03,020 --> 00:42:05,650 It was a lifesaver for me in a certain way 832 00:42:05,690 --> 00:42:08,730 'cause every time I had a good catharsis in the Game, 833 00:42:08,820 --> 00:42:10,980 I felt a little lighter. 834 00:42:11,070 --> 00:42:12,990 (overlapping chatter) 835 00:42:13,070 --> 00:42:17,780 Lynn Ritter: The Synanon Game was great. It was right up my alley. 836 00:42:17,820 --> 00:42:20,490 It was, it was just... I felt like I'd come home. 837 00:42:20,540 --> 00:42:22,330 You could say what you wanted to say. 838 00:42:22,410 --> 00:42:25,670 I wanted to jump right into it. 839 00:42:25,750 --> 00:42:28,340 You don't know how to verbalize yourself in here, and with me. 840 00:42:28,380 --> 00:42:30,500 This is what goes on! 841 00:42:30,550 --> 00:42:32,840 - I met Phil there. - (weak laugh) 842 00:42:32,880 --> 00:42:35,510 And he was kind of a cool glass of water. 843 00:42:35,590 --> 00:42:39,050 - Good-looking guy. - (both laugh) 844 00:42:39,760 --> 00:42:43,220 I kind of, uh, was a little full of myself. 845 00:42:44,180 --> 00:42:46,190 I got ganged up on 846 00:42:46,230 --> 00:42:48,900 by a couple of very experienced Game players 847 00:42:48,980 --> 00:42:51,190 and got my feelings terribly hurt. 848 00:42:51,230 --> 00:42:54,240 - (laughs) - Lynn: I just wish I'd been there! 849 00:42:54,320 --> 00:42:56,740 - You should've been in that game with me! (laughs) - Oh, man! 850 00:42:56,820 --> 00:43:00,950 - Excuse me. Go... Go ahead. - It would've saved you a lot of trouble down the road! 851 00:43:01,030 --> 00:43:03,040 (both laugh) 852 00:43:04,160 --> 00:43:07,670 Norm Johnson: When the Game Club opened up to nonresidents, 853 00:43:07,710 --> 00:43:10,540 Squares, as we were called. 854 00:43:11,090 --> 00:43:14,380 I was probably one of the early participants. 855 00:43:15,050 --> 00:43:17,220 I played the Game in Los Angeles 856 00:43:17,300 --> 00:43:19,550 and up in San Francisco. 857 00:43:19,590 --> 00:43:22,720 I went through a divorce, and I did have 858 00:43:22,760 --> 00:43:25,520 a reoccurring struggle with depression. 859 00:43:25,560 --> 00:43:28,940 Playing the Synanon Game helped me. 860 00:43:29,020 --> 00:43:31,230 The intimacy of the Game, I think, 861 00:43:31,270 --> 00:43:35,400 moved me to a place where I felt I had nothing to hide 862 00:43:35,440 --> 00:43:37,740 and it just seemed to-to create 863 00:43:37,820 --> 00:43:40,410 a level of communication that was delicious. 864 00:43:40,450 --> 00:43:42,080 (game chatter) 865 00:43:42,160 --> 00:43:45,370 Lena: The Squares would volunteer 866 00:43:45,410 --> 00:43:47,660 and donate their time and money. 867 00:43:47,750 --> 00:43:49,210 (indistinct) 868 00:43:49,250 --> 00:43:51,500 We had something good going on, 869 00:43:51,580 --> 00:43:55,210 and they wanted to be a part of it, right? 870 00:43:56,380 --> 00:44:00,840 (kids chattering) 871 00:44:04,930 --> 00:44:08,890 Terry: This couple came in, Nina and Al Bauman, 872 00:44:08,940 --> 00:44:11,350 and they more or less started the school. 873 00:44:12,020 --> 00:44:15,690 It was in a house they rented down the beach from the club. 874 00:44:33,500 --> 00:44:35,880 Aha. I love this picture. 875 00:44:35,960 --> 00:44:37,800 This is in front of the school. 876 00:44:37,880 --> 00:44:40,010 That's myself, 877 00:44:40,090 --> 00:44:44,850 um, then we've got Charlene, who was my first girlfriend. 878 00:44:46,510 --> 00:44:48,730 We actually moved into the school. 879 00:44:49,600 --> 00:44:53,360 And now suddenly, we were thrown into this new situation. 880 00:44:53,810 --> 00:44:56,020 I was probably around 12. 881 00:44:56,820 --> 00:44:59,240 That's when we all first started playing the Game. 882 00:44:59,320 --> 00:45:01,820 Patty: We're out there. You had to write a note and tell me 883 00:45:01,860 --> 00:45:03,950 it's time for school, you little asshole! 884 00:45:03,990 --> 00:45:05,660 What do you think you are?! 885 00:45:05,700 --> 00:45:08,950 (kids yelling) 886 00:45:14,040 --> 00:45:15,380 (sighs) 887 00:45:15,460 --> 00:45:17,960 That Game, it hurts my heart. 888 00:45:18,000 --> 00:45:21,090 - (kids yelling) - Charlene is being gamed. 889 00:45:22,220 --> 00:45:23,800 The Game for kids was no different 890 00:45:23,840 --> 00:45:25,550 than the Game for adults. 891 00:45:25,640 --> 00:45:27,260 Patty: You little buttface! 892 00:45:27,350 --> 00:45:28,850 I know you are, Patty! 893 00:45:28,890 --> 00:45:31,020 Patty: And you sneak in the back and you smoke! 894 00:45:31,060 --> 00:45:35,020 - Oh yeah?! (indistinct) - (all yelling) 895 00:45:35,060 --> 00:45:37,610 Patty: Don't lie, Charlene! (indistinct) 896 00:45:37,690 --> 00:45:39,530 You were doing it also! 897 00:45:39,570 --> 00:45:41,400 Bill: You can see so much pain 898 00:45:41,490 --> 00:45:45,530 in her young heart, which she carried through her life. 899 00:45:45,570 --> 00:45:49,490 (yelling continues) 900 00:45:49,580 --> 00:45:51,830 Bill: I learned how to play the Game 901 00:45:51,870 --> 00:45:56,330 and did everything I could to not have it turn on me. 902 00:45:56,380 --> 00:45:58,800 I think the painful part for me 903 00:45:58,880 --> 00:46:00,010 was some of my best friends, 904 00:46:00,050 --> 00:46:01,970 they didn't know how to play the Game. 905 00:46:02,050 --> 00:46:04,970 They were afraid of it. 906 00:46:05,050 --> 00:46:06,720 You know, I wanted to protect them. 907 00:46:06,760 --> 00:46:08,180 (indistinct) 908 00:46:08,220 --> 00:46:12,060 But, it's kind of hard because as soon as you open that door, 909 00:46:12,100 --> 00:46:15,400 then suddenly, you know, it's like, vroom. 910 00:46:15,440 --> 00:46:17,610 The focus becomes on you, 911 00:46:17,690 --> 00:46:19,360 and why are you trying to protect, 912 00:46:19,400 --> 00:46:23,490 you know, uh, your classmate or your brother or your sister. 913 00:46:23,570 --> 00:46:26,780 (yelling continues) 914 00:46:38,590 --> 00:46:40,750 A lot of my young friends 915 00:46:40,800 --> 00:46:44,220 couldn't figure out how to play by the rules 916 00:46:44,260 --> 00:46:46,090 of a place that didn't have any rules 917 00:46:46,130 --> 00:46:49,140 or rules that changed all the time. 918 00:46:49,220 --> 00:46:51,310 (kids yelling) 919 00:46:51,390 --> 00:46:52,770 Imagine a situation 920 00:46:52,810 --> 00:46:55,560 where the vultures can pick you apart 921 00:46:55,600 --> 00:46:57,150 unless you fight back. 922 00:46:57,230 --> 00:46:59,440 Some kids couldn't fight back. 923 00:47:00,570 --> 00:47:01,610 You know, there was, 924 00:47:02,070 --> 00:47:05,400 for sure, some collateral damage. 925 00:47:05,450 --> 00:47:07,740 (curious music playing) 926 00:47:07,780 --> 00:47:09,530 As kids, 927 00:47:09,620 --> 00:47:13,540 we didn't understand all of the ins and outs of it. 928 00:47:14,000 --> 00:47:16,960 But we knew that there was this whole movement. 929 00:47:17,000 --> 00:47:19,170 - (indistinct) - (kids screaming) 930 00:47:19,250 --> 00:47:22,210 And to some degree, I think that it was 931 00:47:22,300 --> 00:47:24,510 - a sign of the times. - (laughter) 932 00:47:24,590 --> 00:47:27,340 ("Alone Again Or" by Love playing) 933 00:47:27,430 --> 00:47:31,140 Buddy: You have to think in terms of not just Synanon. 934 00:47:31,600 --> 00:47:35,310 You have to think about what was happening in the '60s. 935 00:47:35,350 --> 00:47:39,350 Synanon was just like a part of all the other social movements. 936 00:47:41,310 --> 00:47:44,230 I mean, the whole culture was exploding. 937 00:47:44,320 --> 00:47:46,030 ♪ Yes ♪ 938 00:47:46,110 --> 00:47:47,450 ♪ Said it's alright ♪ 939 00:47:48,910 --> 00:47:50,280 ♪ I won't forget ♪ 940 00:47:50,320 --> 00:47:52,200 - Jesse Jackson (chants): I am! - Crowd (chants): I am! 941 00:47:52,280 --> 00:47:54,290 - Jesse: Somebody! - Crowd: Somebody! 942 00:47:54,330 --> 00:47:55,830 - Jesse: I am! - Crowd: I am! 943 00:47:55,910 --> 00:47:57,370 - Black! - Crowd: Black! 944 00:47:57,460 --> 00:47:59,330 - Jesse: Beautiful! - Crowd: Beautiful! 945 00:47:59,420 --> 00:48:00,830 - Proud! - Crowd: Proud! 946 00:48:00,880 --> 00:48:02,210 I must be respected! 947 00:48:02,290 --> 00:48:04,170 Crowd: I must be respected! 948 00:48:04,250 --> 00:48:09,090 ♪ And I will be alone again tonight, my dear ♪ 949 00:48:09,180 --> 00:48:12,390 - (gentle splashing) - Buddy: In 1968, 950 00:48:12,470 --> 00:48:15,850 Synanon moved to the Del Mar Club. 951 00:48:15,930 --> 00:48:19,350 (seagulls cawing) 952 00:48:20,020 --> 00:48:21,860 By that time, there were a lot of people 953 00:48:21,940 --> 00:48:25,150 who were beginning to look at the difference 954 00:48:25,190 --> 00:48:28,990 between their own lifestyle and the Synanon lifestyle. 955 00:48:29,030 --> 00:48:31,280 - (song fades out) - (quiet chatter) 956 00:48:31,360 --> 00:48:34,700 Terry: I think that there were a lot of people that felt alone. 957 00:48:35,450 --> 00:48:38,870 In Synanon, you just connected in a special way. 958 00:48:38,960 --> 00:48:40,250 (quiet chatter) 959 00:48:40,330 --> 00:48:43,000 You ate all your meals together. 960 00:48:43,380 --> 00:48:45,420 You had a job that wasn't too difficult. 961 00:48:45,500 --> 00:48:49,170 Your evenings were all taken up with games 962 00:48:49,220 --> 00:48:51,380 and Saturday night parties. 963 00:48:52,510 --> 00:48:54,260 You never were lonely, 964 00:48:54,350 --> 00:48:57,060 you were totally taken care of, 965 00:48:57,100 --> 00:49:00,390 and a lot of people wanted to become a part of it. 966 00:49:00,480 --> 00:49:03,730 - (leaves rustling) - (soft music playing) 967 00:49:05,150 --> 00:49:07,070 Elena Broslovsky: I dropped out of college 968 00:49:07,150 --> 00:49:09,240 and I ended up in San Francisco 969 00:49:09,280 --> 00:49:11,490 during the Summer of Love. 970 00:49:12,740 --> 00:49:16,330 I was hitchhiking down Oak Street. 971 00:49:16,410 --> 00:49:18,290 Guy picked me up on his motorcycle 972 00:49:18,370 --> 00:49:21,580 and said he was going to the Synanon Street Fair. 973 00:49:21,620 --> 00:49:24,420 And I went, "Oh, my God! That rehab." 974 00:49:24,460 --> 00:49:26,420 (quiet street noise) 975 00:49:26,460 --> 00:49:29,380 They're wearing love beads, they have rock bands. 976 00:49:29,420 --> 00:49:30,760 Um, this is great. 977 00:49:30,840 --> 00:49:33,930 I wasn't a drug addict, 978 00:49:34,010 --> 00:49:36,430 but I wanted to join. 979 00:49:36,510 --> 00:49:39,180 ♪♪ 980 00:49:40,680 --> 00:49:43,270 (inaudible) 981 00:49:44,480 --> 00:49:47,110 Rod Mullen: I think, for a lot of people, 982 00:49:47,150 --> 00:49:50,820 Synanon was an opportunity to live in a way 983 00:49:50,900 --> 00:49:54,160 that was consistent with your principles. 984 00:49:54,240 --> 00:49:56,200 I really saw the organization 985 00:49:56,280 --> 00:50:00,620 as a vital approach to civil rights. 986 00:50:03,710 --> 00:50:06,790 (gentle music playing) 987 00:50:10,130 --> 00:50:12,420 (crowd chatter) 988 00:50:12,470 --> 00:50:14,050 (cars honking) 989 00:50:14,930 --> 00:50:17,180 Elena: One of the things that made me wanna move in 990 00:50:17,260 --> 00:50:20,890 were the three assassinations that happened. 991 00:50:20,970 --> 00:50:24,640 ♪♪ 992 00:50:24,730 --> 00:50:27,400 That put a lot of people 993 00:50:27,480 --> 00:50:30,530 in absolute despair about our country. 994 00:50:30,610 --> 00:50:32,150 (crowd cheering) 995 00:50:32,190 --> 00:50:35,950 When the news about Martin's assassination came, 996 00:50:35,990 --> 00:50:38,830 I saw Chuck on the stage. 997 00:50:59,180 --> 00:51:04,640 And he talked about a community and forming a community. 998 00:51:04,680 --> 00:51:08,190 We had a view. Synanon is a social movement. 999 00:51:08,270 --> 00:51:10,230 Any kind of a divide 1000 00:51:10,320 --> 00:51:12,980 that people had between each other, 1001 00:51:13,030 --> 00:51:15,200 we believed could be talked out, 1002 00:51:15,240 --> 00:51:17,570 could be healed, could be confronted. 1003 00:51:19,320 --> 00:51:21,910 Rod: Chuck really believed that community itself 1004 00:51:21,990 --> 00:51:23,750 was healing. 1005 00:51:23,830 --> 00:51:26,080 (crowd singing) 1006 00:51:26,160 --> 00:51:30,090 And that community was not only good for addicts. 1007 00:51:30,630 --> 00:51:34,090 Anyone in society could benefit from living communally 1008 00:51:34,170 --> 00:51:36,840 and working together and participating 1009 00:51:36,880 --> 00:51:39,010 in the Synanon Game. 1010 00:51:39,050 --> 00:51:40,720 (clapping) 1011 00:51:40,800 --> 00:51:44,930 And I think Chuck thought this is bigger than... 1012 00:51:45,020 --> 00:51:48,350 just cleaning up drug addicts. 1013 00:51:59,070 --> 00:52:02,280 ("Les Fleurs" by Minnie Riperton playing) 1014 00:52:36,780 --> 00:52:40,490 ♪ Ring all the bells, sing, and tell the people everywhere ♪ 1015 00:52:40,570 --> 00:52:42,530 ♪ That the flower has come ♪ 1016 00:52:42,620 --> 00:52:45,660 ♪ Light up the sky with your prayers of gladness ♪ 1017 00:52:45,740 --> 00:52:48,790 ♪ And rejoice for the darkness is gone ♪ 1018 00:52:48,830 --> 00:52:52,500 ♪ Throw off your fears, let your heart beat freely ♪ 1019 00:52:52,580 --> 00:52:56,210 ♪ At the sign that a new time is born ♪ 1020 00:53:00,130 --> 00:53:02,800 Elena: So, we started moving in. 1021 00:53:02,890 --> 00:53:04,800 We weren't drug addicts. 1022 00:53:05,760 --> 00:53:08,390 - We were called Lifestylers. - (song fades out) 1023 00:53:08,730 --> 00:53:12,650 We came to change the world. We thought we could. 1024 00:53:13,560 --> 00:53:17,030 Rod: A doorway opened, and it was quite a change. 1025 00:53:17,820 --> 00:53:20,990 And some of the change was in terms of 1026 00:53:21,070 --> 00:53:23,620 the economics of Synanon. 1027 00:53:23,660 --> 00:53:25,030 (quiet chatter) 1028 00:53:25,120 --> 00:53:28,240 Not only did Lifestylers provide 1029 00:53:28,330 --> 00:53:32,210 a lot of well-educated professionals, 1030 00:53:32,500 --> 00:53:36,460 many of the Lifestylers worked outside of Synanon 1031 00:53:36,500 --> 00:53:38,920 and contributed their salaries. 1032 00:53:40,470 --> 00:53:43,430 When my dad died, I had inherited some money. 1033 00:53:43,510 --> 00:53:46,510 So I donated that money to Synanon. 1034 00:53:46,930 --> 00:53:49,640 It was about $55,000. 1035 00:53:50,020 --> 00:53:53,350 And I had a house full of furniture and stuff, 1036 00:53:53,440 --> 00:53:56,560 and I donated that to Synanon as well. 1037 00:53:57,820 --> 00:53:59,780 Jady: I was one of the directors, 1038 00:53:59,860 --> 00:54:03,530 and we would collect the money from the Lifestylers. 1039 00:54:03,570 --> 00:54:06,450 It was like a whole ritual that I would do once a week. 1040 00:54:06,530 --> 00:54:09,790 I was 23 years old. I'd get dressed nicely, you know. 1041 00:54:09,870 --> 00:54:13,540 It was like an acknowledgment of it. It was a ceremony. 1042 00:54:14,330 --> 00:54:16,290 You know, donating most of your money. 1043 00:54:16,380 --> 00:54:18,210 - (phone ringing) - (typing) 1044 00:54:18,670 --> 00:54:23,010 Mike: A gentleman gave an entire real estate business! 1045 00:54:23,720 --> 00:54:26,260 A woman whose family were the founders 1046 00:54:26,340 --> 00:54:29,310 of Chico-San rice cakes, (laughs) 1047 00:54:29,390 --> 00:54:31,350 she gave all her wealth! 1048 00:54:31,390 --> 00:54:33,640 We had doctors in Beverly Hills. 1049 00:54:33,730 --> 00:54:37,190 You're talking millions and millions of dollars. 1050 00:54:37,230 --> 00:54:40,280 (curious music playing) 1051 00:54:41,150 --> 00:54:45,240 Elena: AdGap stood for advertising, gifts, and premiums. 1052 00:54:45,740 --> 00:54:49,410 It was a company that grew out of a donation 1053 00:54:49,490 --> 00:54:52,290 - by a Lifestyler. - (phone ringing) 1054 00:54:52,370 --> 00:54:54,830 Rod: AdGap turned out to be 1055 00:54:54,910 --> 00:54:57,250 very, very lucrative. 1056 00:54:57,290 --> 00:54:59,460 Selling, you know, a pencil or a pen 1057 00:54:59,540 --> 00:55:02,090 with a company's imprint on it, 1058 00:55:02,170 --> 00:55:05,630 or hats, uh, jackets. 1059 00:55:05,720 --> 00:55:09,260 Ron: The advertising gifts business brought in a lot of money. 1060 00:55:09,800 --> 00:55:12,930 And we were still getting a tremendous amount of donations. 1061 00:55:12,970 --> 00:55:14,600 (forklift rumbling) 1062 00:55:14,640 --> 00:55:16,850 All our food was donated. 1063 00:55:18,980 --> 00:55:22,440 We had doctors and dentists who donated their time. 1064 00:55:23,740 --> 00:55:27,950 We got a building donated to us in San Francisco. 1065 00:55:28,030 --> 00:55:30,830 It was one city block. 1066 00:55:30,910 --> 00:55:31,990 (office chatter) 1067 00:55:32,080 --> 00:55:35,290 Mike: We were growing very, very, very quickly 1068 00:55:35,330 --> 00:55:37,790 because we were making so much money. 1069 00:55:38,830 --> 00:55:42,000 Old-timers were not real happy about it. 1070 00:55:42,090 --> 00:55:45,300 ♪♪ 1071 00:55:45,380 --> 00:55:48,760 Lena: Chuck turned all of his attention 1072 00:55:48,840 --> 00:55:50,890 to the Lifestylers. 1073 00:55:52,310 --> 00:55:53,890 Not that we didn't like them, 1074 00:55:53,930 --> 00:55:56,600 but we could see him, um... 1075 00:55:57,640 --> 00:56:02,190 slowly drifting away from the dope fiends. 1076 00:56:02,270 --> 00:56:04,230 (indistinct chatter) 1077 00:56:04,320 --> 00:56:06,400 We were resentful 1078 00:56:06,490 --> 00:56:09,280 because they were taking up our spaces... 1079 00:56:09,320 --> 00:56:11,120 (chatter continues) 1080 00:56:11,160 --> 00:56:14,660 ...and because of the things that we had gone through 1081 00:56:14,740 --> 00:56:18,420 to help Chuck get to that point. 1082 00:56:20,540 --> 00:56:23,210 Addicts started feeling demoted. 1083 00:56:23,290 --> 00:56:26,630 Like that they weren't important anymore. 1084 00:56:27,170 --> 00:56:30,680 They just became non-entities. 1085 00:56:30,720 --> 00:56:32,680 - (seagulls cawing) - Bill: In the late '60s, 1086 00:56:32,720 --> 00:56:34,680 there was a Game in Santa Monica. 1087 00:56:34,760 --> 00:56:36,680 - (gentle splashing) - (leaves rustling) 1088 00:56:36,730 --> 00:56:38,850 It was called the Dirty Double Dozen. 1089 00:56:38,890 --> 00:56:43,520 In it were all of the old-timers. 1090 00:56:43,570 --> 00:56:47,190 But, this-this time, 1091 00:56:47,240 --> 00:56:48,780 there was something different. 1092 00:56:50,740 --> 00:56:55,330 There was something mean-spirited about it. 1093 00:56:55,410 --> 00:56:58,000 - (foreboding music playing) - (gentle splashing) 1094 00:57:16,810 --> 00:57:19,680 ♪♪ 1095 00:57:20,980 --> 00:57:22,690 It hurt, right? 1096 00:57:22,730 --> 00:57:24,900 'Cause we had worked hard 1097 00:57:24,980 --> 00:57:27,900 not just to get our lives together, 1098 00:57:28,400 --> 00:57:31,070 but just to build this foundation. 1099 00:57:33,660 --> 00:57:36,910 I was the first one of the old-timers 1100 00:57:38,240 --> 00:57:41,750 that left, right? 1101 00:57:41,790 --> 00:57:45,090 - (gentle splashing outside) - (somber music playing) 1102 00:57:48,920 --> 00:57:52,220 Rod: These elders had an important role to play in Synanon. 1103 00:57:52,260 --> 00:57:54,090 (seagulls cawing) 1104 00:57:54,140 --> 00:57:56,760 They knew a lot. 1105 00:57:57,600 --> 00:58:01,480 The addicts knew Chuck when he was just Chuck. 1106 00:58:01,560 --> 00:58:05,900 A guy they admired, but did not think that he walked on water. 1107 00:58:06,400 --> 00:58:08,570 (indistinct) 1108 00:58:08,610 --> 00:58:11,610 And in some ways, it was killing the witnesses. 1109 00:58:11,700 --> 00:58:13,530 (tense music playing) 1110 00:58:13,610 --> 00:58:15,320 Because the Lifestylers 1111 00:58:15,410 --> 00:58:17,910 started to see Chuck as a god. 1112 00:58:17,950 --> 00:58:20,620 (dramatic crescendo) 1113 00:58:23,540 --> 00:58:26,790 (solemn music playing) 1114 00:58:41,560 --> 00:58:47,770 ♪♪ 1115 00:59:15,180 --> 00:59:17,010 (music fades out)