From 1967 to 2019, the Phoenix House Foundation was a nonprofit that offered alcohol rehabilitation throughout the United States. It adopted several methods from Synanon, a very controversial group that became something of a cult. The documentary Born in Synanon goes into detailed interviews with its members, including children born and raised according to the program’s leaders. The Phoenix House itself was not affiliated with the cult aspects of Synanon; Dr. Mitchell Rosenthal had observed early Synanon group practices and brought them with him when founding Phoenix House.
In 2005, the United States Department of Justice labeled it a “model program.”
In 2019, the Foundation dissolved into stand-alone regional organizations.