When Baltimore Housing Commissioner Paul T. Graziano was ordered into treatment for a drinking problem that surfaced in an ugly incident at a Fells Point bar last December, he didn't have to go far for help: a world-famous alcohol and drug-treatment center hidden at the end of a mile-long country drive in Harford County.
When he returned to his city post sobered and contrite last month, Graziano became one of 15,000 graduates of Father Martin's Ashley, a posh rehabilitation facility on 43 manicured acres once owned by U.S. Sen. Millard E. Tydings and overlooking the upper Chesapeake Bay in Havre de Grace.
Other Ashley alumni include actress Lynda Carter of "Wonder Woman" fame; Michael Kennedy, of the Kennedy political family, who later died in a ski accident; British comedian Michael Barrymore; and Michael K. Deaver, deputy chief of staff for former President Reagan.
Co-founded by the Rev. Joseph C. Martin, a recovering alcoholic who has spread his philosophy of sobriety around the world, the 80-bed center opened its doors to five patients in 1983.
On a scenic parcel called Oakington, the campus' stately granite buildings, with elegant furnishings, plush rugs, marble fireplaces and breathtaking views of the bay, are meant to offer comfort and aid recovery. Patients are treated to gourmet meals and have their laundry done during their stay.
"The designed effect is to have a non-institutional look," said Leonard A. Dahl, Ashley's chief executive officer. "We want you to focus as much as possible on the reason you are here."
The cost of a 28-day stay at Ashley, which has a 10-day to two-week waiting list, is $15,000, similar to what other institutions charge, says Dr. Ronald Hunsicker, president of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers, a Pennsylvania-based trade group representing about 190 U.S. treatment centers.
"What is clear is that Ashley has been committed to quality since it opened," says Hunsicker. "It has put together a quality program."
Ashley often has been rated one of the top treatment centers in the country by magazines such as Forbes and American Health. The Independent, a London newspaper, recently listed Ashley as one of 10 top celebrity rehab clinics, along with the Betty Ford Clinic in Palm Springs, Calif., and Crossroads Rehabilitation Center in Antigua.
