Brighton Hospital is one of the oldest alcoholism and addiction treatment centers in North America.

Brighton's predecessor institution, the Bloomfield Hills Sanitarium, was established in 1943, with the current hospital campus acquired in 1950.

Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, assisted the hospital's founding President, Harry Henderson, in establishing Brighton Hospital as Michigan's first treatment center for alcoholism and addiction.

Marty Mann, of the National Council of Alcoholism, was also involved in the early development of the hospital.

Since its founding, Brighton uses 30-day inpatient treatment programs, including Detoxification (detox), Rehabilitation (drug rehab) and Domiciliary Partial Hospitalization.