Howard Josepher narrates his experience as a drug addict sent to Odyssey House on a court mandate. During his time at Odyssey House, the organization split, and Josepher and a group of other addicts ended up at Phoenix House as some of the first residents. Josepher recounts his time at Phoenix House in light of his past experiences of different detox programs. He describes his troubles with the leg al system while hiding from American authorities in Britain. After graduating from the Phoenix House program, Josepher becomes regional director at Phoenix House. He then talks about graduating from Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work, and the formation of his private practice, which he still operates today. Josepher also discusses his quest for a greater purpose and his attempts to find it through a discipleship in India. Josepher moves on to his work during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and how his experiences at Phoenix House influenced that work. Finally, Josepher discusses the methodology of abstinence-based rehabilitation programs and touches upon current debates surrounding drug treatment
Teenagers--Drug use--United States; Therapeutic communities; Substance abuse--Treatment; Drug abuse--Treatment--United States; Drug courts--United States; AIDS (Disease)--History.--United States; Spiritual formation; Josepher, Howard; Phoenix House (Organization); Hunter College. School of Social Work
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2014
Physical Description
58 pages
Note (Biographical)
Howard Josepher is founder (1988), president and Chief Executive Officer of Exponents, Inc., an organization for people with and recovering from addiction, many formerly incarcerated or living with HIV. He is also a former resident and regional direct or of Phoenix House
Note
Interviewed by Kristin L. Murphy on July 24, 2014
Note (Provenance)
Howard Josepher, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2016