Austin Academy Featured in Groundbreaking 14-part series on “Addiction”
Phoenix House is proud to be part of one of the most ambitious efforts ever undertaken to educate the American public about drug addiction.
The 14-part documentary series “Addiction” project is a multi-media campaign launched by HBO that is aimed at helping Americans understand addiction as a treatable brain disease, as well as spotlighting advancements in treatment. Made up of a 90-minute centerpiece documentary, “Addiction” – featuring the work of many of today’s leading documentary producers – and more than a dozen documentary short films, as well as a companion book, website and DVD to which Phoenix House pioneer Dr. Mitchell Rosenthal is a featured contributor.
Addiction aired on HBO in March, April and May of 2007. You can still watch the “Adolescent Addict” online or purchase the entire series on DVD.
Addiction was developed by HBO in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).
Phoenix Academy of Austin Featured
Phoenix House opened the doors of its Phoenix Academy in Austin, Texas to give the filmmakers unprecedented access to daily activities in the residential high school.
During their three days at the Phoenix Academy, the crew filmed students in class and in group discussions and interviewed parents for a better grasp of the frustration experienced while trying to get help for their teenagers.
The result is a moving, realistic and hopeful account of treatment that focuses on Phoenix Academy student Ted and his mom. Their story is featured in the centerpiece documentary and is a major component of the 25-minute film “The Adolescent Addict.”
HBO and Phoenix House Host Screenings
Texas public policy officials, foundation representatives, and treatment professionals were among the attendees at a preview screening of “The Adolescent Addict,” part of HBO’s groundbreaking multi-platform 14-part series on addiction, in Austin on March 7. Following the screening, Ted, the Phoenix Academy of Austin student featured in the “The Adolescent Addict,” shared the struggles and triumphs of his life in recovery. Phoenix House supporters turned out the previous evening in Dallas for a sneak preview at a local art gallery. Pictures
In New York, HBO hosted a reception and screening of “The Adolescent Addict” for board members, alumni and other special guests on March 20. Following the screening, Dr. David Deitch facilitated a discussion that focused on advances in treatment for addiction.