Betty Ford
With the death of President Ford it seems appropriate that we recognize Betty Ford as our Recovery Hero. Betty was an alcoholic and hooked on prescription drugs when her family staged an intervention. She was in denial and is quoted as saying “My makeup wasn’t smeared, I wasn’t disheveled, I behaved politely, and I never finished off a bottle, so how could I be alcoholic?” Once she became honest with herself she became known for her open and honest manner in dealing with her substance abuse and recovery. This led to an improvement in how Americans talked about addictions and alcoholism. Betty dedicated her life to helping others and opened the Betty Ford Center which models its programs on the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. As a result she has helped thousands recover. In 1983 Betty wrote “A Glad Awakening” telling her story. In 2003 Betty published “Healing and Hope… Journeys of Addiction and Recovery”. This first lady walks the walk.