Healing & Hope: Six Women from the Betty Ford Center Share Their Powerful Journeys of Addiction and Recovery

by Betty Ford

Book Overview

Laurette was only a high school freshman when she started drinking and doing drugs. Her father absent, her mother emotionally abusive, Laurette joined a gang for survival. By nineteen she was in jail. After being released, Laurette discovered she had a gift for cooking, and over the next decade worked her way up to become a renowned sous chef. But drugs and alcohol still controlled her, and slowly tore apart everything she had worked so hard for...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399151389
• ISBN13: 9780399151385
• Release Date: November 2003
• Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons
• Length: 275 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 9.5"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Moving and Emotional

This book comprises the stories of six women who were patients at the Betty Ford Center along with commentary by Mrs. Ford. The book is divided into three sections based on "Dante's Inferno," which includes each woman's descent into the hell of their addictions, their climb into the purgatory of treatment, and the ultimate paradise of going into, and remaining in recovery. The first part of the book was, at times, hard to read as the stories of the six were heart rending. Although I am a male and a family member of mine who is in recovery is a male, I was nonetheless affected by their stories. Even as they began to recover, relapse was a danger and several, in fact, did relapse. However, with more rehabilitation, they went back into recovery and I hope that all six, since this book was written, have remained sober. My family member in recovery did not go to the Betty Ford Center but to another, equally world class facility. I know how important it is for the alcoholic/addict to work through the 12 steps and this is what is done at the Betty Ford Center and at other reputable rehab centers. The stories of the six are emotional. They come from different backgrounds but, their disease is very democratic. It affects rich and poor alike. I found myself rooting for each of the six as I read their accounts and I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about how frightening and difficult recovering from addiction and alcoholism can be, But, recovery also offers hope and ultimate healing.

Healing and Hope

Betty Ford narrates the stories of six women who have battled alcohol and/or drug addiciton. Each person shares her pain and rebirth into sobriety. This book is a 'must read' for any woman who has or is suffered from addiction. It is very benifical to those who know and love these women. These women, including Mrs. Ford herself, are very open about the pain that addiction has brought to them and all members of their family. They share with us that healing takes place in all members of the family - not just the addicted member.

Truly inspiring

This book made me appreciate for the first time how very difficult it is for an alcoholic/addict to get clean and stay that way. I have a friend who is a recovering alcoholic and this book made me understand at least some of what she went through--and still goes through. All of the women in the book are so impressive--An inspiring read!

Promising collection of inspiring stories of recovery

The name Betty Ford is synonymous with addiction-recovery. The six stories in "Healing and Hope" do not disappoint. Millions of readers will connect with the hope, promise and power that spills from these pages. Each story gives a thorough look into the lives of six shattered women who came to Betty Ford's doorstep, looking for recovery from the various addictions that plagued them. In an unusual look into the unique psyche of female addictions, "Healing and Hope" is a must-read for any woman who has struggled with addiction. This is a truly powerful compilation of inspiring and encouraging stories of recovery unlike any I've encountered before.

touching and mesmerizing..

I was so moved by this book..every woman's story was more gripping than the next, and I felt I was getting a rare inside look at addiction from a female point of view. Betty Ford has made a difference to thousands of people, and it's about time that the world learns more about this powerful woman and the lives she's touched. I'd recommend this to anyone--not just those who have struggled with addiction.