Friend describes Phoenix House's Coney Island facility, where he initially entered treatment. He narrates how he became a resident director. He gives particular attention to the adolescent programs he opened for Phoenix House in California, beginning in 1982. He discusses some of the issues regarding work with adolescents. He speaks on Phoenix House's relationship with the Orange County government, and compares California populations to their New York counterparts. Finally, he deals with the effects of the increasing medicalization of substance abuse treatment
Executives; Drug addicts--Rehabilitation--United States; Therapeutic communities; Teenagers--Drug use--United States; Substance abuse--Treatment; Orange County (Calif.); Friend, Howard (Phoenix House employee); Phoenix House (Organization)
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2014
Physical Description
48 pages
Note (Biographical)
Howard Friend was born and raised in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. A difficult childhood led to drug use and homelessness, and the search for a warm bed brought him to Phoenix House in 1969. After undergoing treatment at Coney Island for two years , he became a therapeutic community house director, serving Phoenix House in Prospect Place, Phelan Place and locations in Manhattan. In 1982, he was asked to Orange County, California to serve as director in the new facility working with adolescents. He remained in charge of adolescent programming in Orange Co. until his retirement in 2012
Note
Interviewed by Lance Thurner on November 5, 2014
Note (Provenance)
Howard Friend, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2016