"A moving account of six former alcoholics and Betty Ford graduates-among them a teacher, a housewife and a gang member-with commentary from Ford herself."-Self

"There was a lot of drinking and codependence in my extended family. Sitting in my jail cell, I thought about how many funerals I had attended over the years of family members whose lives had ended in violence or suicide. I never once heard of them getting help. There was never any mention of AA. The only way out of their terrible lives was just to die...It was one hell of a legacy."-Laurette

Laurette's story is remarkable, but she's not alone. She is one of six women in Healing and Hope who experienced the pain and devastation of addiction-and managed to break free. Originally brought together by the Betty Ford Center's twentieth-anniversary reunion, these women share their poignant stories in this book. Their combined voices create a groundbreaking and ultimately triumphant memoir that lays bare the destructive power of addiction.

During her time as First Lady, Betty Ford was renowned for her honesty and openness. Mrs. Ford's candor didn't stop once she left the White House. In 1978, she revealed to the world her courageous struggle to recover from an addiction to alcohol and prescription pills. Resolving to help others deal with the disease of addiction, Mrs. Ford, along with Ambassador Leonard Firestone, co-founded the nonprofit Betty Ford Center in 1982, in Rancho Mirage, California. She died in 2011.