Electroconvulsive Therapy Machine, a mid-twentieth-century approach to the treatment of addiction withdrawal symptoms.  1000.24.3, FFR Library, Archives, & Museum Collection.

The Foundation for Recovery Library, Archives, & Museum collection documents 150 years of addiction and its prevention- and recovery movements in the United States.  These 200 cubic feet of books, artifacts, audiovisual and archival materials cover, among other recovery topics, the temperance movement, prohibition, historical treatment methods, and 12-Step recovery fellowships, with a primary focus on Narcotics Anonymous.  At this time, the collection is in its initial processing stages and is unavailable for research.  However, we are able to share a small portion of our material with the public through a free exhibit at the Foundation for Recovery store.  

Click here to view the Addiction & Recovery Timeline

When Bayer first marketed heroin in 1898, they advertised it as a cough suppressant, because it was observed to depress the breathing rate of patients.  Doctors did not yet know what an addiction problem heroin would soon become.  1000.12.3, FFR Library, Archives, & Museum Collection.