Oral history interview with John Bell, 2015

Biographical Note

John Bell is a long-time employee of Phoenix House, working in the payroll department and in client relations

Scope and Contents

Bell begins with a discussion of his initial turn to drug use as a coping mechanism for dealing with academic stresses. After multiple arrests and stints in jail, Bell eventually winds up at Phoenix House, having resolved himself to getting and staying clean. Bell takes great comfort in the therapeutic community, likening it to the community he grew up in. He discusses his growing attachment to Phoenix House and to the people there during his time in-program. Eventually, Bell narrates how he got a job at the payroll department in Phoenix House and the insights he has gained during his time in the organization

Subjects

• Bell, John--(Phoenix House employee)--Interviews.
• Cocaine abuse--United States--History--20th century.
• Drug addicts--Rehabilitation--United States.
• Heroin abuse--United States--History--20th century.
• Imprisonment--United States.
• Interviews.
• Oral histories (literary works)
• Phoenix House (Organization)
• Substance abuse--Treatment.
• Therapeutic communities.
• Vanderscoff, Cameron, interviewer.

Access Conditions

Copyright by the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, 2015