September is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. On July 8th, 2011, former U.S. First Lady, Betty Ford, passed away and in honor of her life, I thought it would be appropriate to celebrate the Betty Ford Center and its great accomplishments.
The Betty Ford Center is located in Rancho Mirage, California, and was co-founded in 1982 by Mrs. Ford and Leonard Firestone (of Firestone Tires).
Mrs. Ford had a long running battle with alcoholism during the 1970’s. In 1978, about one year after she had left the White House, her drinking had increased and the effects of her pain medication were having a huge impact on her life. Her daughter, Susan, arranged a formal intervention with her husband, the former President. This is a process by which those refusing to recognize their addictions are forced to face them by their loved ones.
Mrs. Ford was initially upset by this encounter, but decided to remain home and undergo a monitored detoxification of her system. In 1978, she registered herself at the Long Beach Naval Hospital’s drug and alcohol rehabilitation program. While in the program, she found herself having to share a room with other women, perform tasks like cleaning restrooms and participate in revelatory therapy sessions. To her credit, rather than try and hide the true reasons for her hospitalization, she decided to fully disclose the full details of her addictions and treatment.
At that time, there were no recovery facilities specifically established to help women deal with their unique drug and alcohol problems. Mrs. Ford discussed this with her friend, Leonard Firestone. In 1982, The Betty Ford Center was opened in association with the Eisenhower Medical Center.
Many famous people have gone there for treatment, but their primary focus hasn’t changed – 50% of all beds are always reserved for women.
