Phoenix House Addiction Recovery

In the late 1960’s, six heroin addicts united at a detoxification program in a New York hospital; they bonded over the trials and tribulations of staying clean and sober. Together, they moved into a house in new York City and lived as a population, encouraging one another to stay clean, thus creating Phoenix House.

Today, the organization is a not for profit alcohol and drug rehabilitation center that operates at over fifty locations in nine different states including California, Maine, Florida, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Texas. Some of the programs offered by Phoenix House include Phoenix Acadamies for high school students, adult residential recovery centers, after-school programs, programs for mothers with small children, outpatient programs, programs for the mentally ill and inmate programs.

Along with Mitchell S. Rosenthal, president of Phoenix House, addiction counselors for the New York area set up a treatment regime for the group that proved successful in breaking the rituals of drug addiction. The success came from reinforcement of one another’s efforts through long-term residential treatment, direct contact with community members daily and weekly group encounters.

Phoenix House has another establishment in the UK as an entirely separate institute, though it‘s origins come from the United States based Phoenix House. The United Kingdom based center operates several rehabilitation units, day programs and has the largest number of non profit prison based programs in the UK. The establishment was later named Phoenix Futures.

An affiliate organization of Phoenix House, The Center on Addiction and the Family does work to operate the Facts on Tap campaign for students and prevents alcohol and drug abuse.

Author: D. Travis, Alcohol & Addiction Recovery Service Writer