This is really crazy for me reading all of your posts. I am Joe's son Jason Ricci.I grew up with this man and saw him in every imaginable state of being amazing, Bad and ugly.
I have myself also been through confrontational therapy in a long term residential treatment program in Fl called the renaissaince institute as well as a less expensive residence I did in a West Palm Beach Jail. I make no attempt to qualify with you old school Elan alumni's as I know it is completly futile and pointless as times have changed at Elan and in other treatment centers everywhere.
After spending a few hours here and reading all your posts I felt the need to add one of my own.
My Father was not as you might imagine a convential Dad. I have come to terms with all that my Brother Noah and I had to endure in growing up with him,Joe as a Dad, the media, and his employees and friends. I feel no need to brag, complain or ask for sypathy regarding these facts and I do not need to disclose them to you all in detail in an effort to win your bad life/childhood award. There was plenty of very strange,lousy,scary,and wonderful,enlighting and brilliant moments I shared with my Dad.
I love my father very much and I cherish his intellect and passion and my overall memory of him as a man was one of greatness.This was not always the case for me and I have grown to this place over years.as many of you already know, My Father came from a very hard upbringing in New York himself and went through some experimental new programs himself there where he conceived the idea/ideas of Elan. I am not here to defend him nor implicate him in any misguided treatments to any of you, only to say I know for certain my Father wanted to do his best in life and fought for what he believed was right both at Elan, and in his other endevours.
I have gotten over a little in my time as well. At 17 years old I was homeless and a runaway, at 18 I was finding Drugs and booze for the first time, by 24 I was still homeless and a crack addict and in and out of jail and other institutions constantly. That year at 24 years old I went to the program I listed above. I will not go into leangth about the program but let me say in short I indentify and sympathize with what many of you have descibed about your time at Elan. I lasted 90 days there ran away/left A.M.A. (was a adult)and ended up doing a year in jail as a direct result from the influence the institution had on the judge, me, my family and the system in FL as well. I did my time...got sober, have been clean off EVERYTHING for 7 years now. I live a happy life as a successful musician in Nashville TN with my BOYFRIEND (Yes I'm gay for all the homophobes and gaybashers that run rampant on this site)a lot of that was the result of me making the most out of a set of shitty circumstances,unfair and yes Barbaric treatment, and more inspite of a long list of exuses I could start my own message board with.
I really believe there should be more people on this list helping people who feel they were abused at Elan stop abusing themselves and others now, and move on with their lives!
Stop all the homophobic,racial and other hateful slurs! This only makes you look less intelligent,seperates you from your point, and helps you to more closely resemble your antagonists you despise so much.
Thank you all for listening. I will be back here and will be happy to answer any questions any of you might like to know about me or Joe Ricci my Father. Oh and yes he was cremated
sincerely
Jason Ricci
http://www.jasonricci.com