Addiction, Treatment and Recovery

On December 19, 2003, Betty Ford and I appeared on Larry King Live on CNN. (The show was repeated twice during the holidays.) This is the fourth time over the past six years that we have been guests.

We agree to appear on Larry King Live because it is our hope that by doing so we can deliver a vital message to men and women and families whose lives are impacted by the devastating disease of alcoholism and/or addiction to other drugs. We hope that by discussing the disease in a public forum, we can provide the incentive for a family member or loved one – or even the alcoholic/addict himself or herself – to pick up the phone and ask for help.

Mrs. Ford is a powerful presence when she appears on television (she’s also scheduled to be on NBC’s Today Show in February). She may be 85 years old, but she is forceful in delivering a straightforward message: alcoholism and addiction to other drugs is a disease, but it’s a disease that can be treated, if the victim will just reach out for help.

The recent publication of Mrs. Ford’s new book, “Healing and Hope: Six Women from the Betty Ford Center Share Their Powerful Journeys of Addiction and Recovery” is another example of her reaching out with a message of hope.

No wonder Mrs. Ford ranks in polls at or near the top of the list of most-admired First Ladies in U.S. history.

Here are some excerpts from the Larry King Live show.

Larry King: Why did you choose to go public with your treatment for alcoholism and addiction to painkillers?

Mrs. Ford: I was afraid that when I was hospitalized, people would think it was a recurrence of my breast cancer. I made up my mind that I needed to speak out – that it was important to do this. I’ve always been up-front with things, and maybe a little outspoken.

LK: Is a woman alcoholic/addict different from a male alcoholic/addict?

Mrs. Ford: Certainly. Addiction is addiction is addiction, but as far as the physical and mental effects on women, and the progression of the disease in women, there are quite a few differences between the sexes.

LK: Is treatment different?

Mrs. Ford: Oh, yes. Treatment needs to recognize those differences – to focus on the special needs of women in treatment and, of course, the special needs of men. That’s one of the things I’m most proud of about the Betty Ford Center. We realized early on that treatment had to be gender-specific, and that’s at the core of our philosophy.

LK: What does a family do, when the person who’s sick doesn’t know or doesn’t admit they have a problem with their drinking or drug-taking?

Mrs. Ford: My family sought help. They went to an expert who knows about the disease, and they got help. I’d tell other families to consider doing the same thing.

LK: What are the tell-tale signs that a family should look out for, that it’s time to get help?

Mrs. Ford: Significant change in behavior, withdrawal from activities and other people, increasing forgetfulness, and an all-consuming preoccupation with their drug of choice.

LK: Is it hard to say, ‘I am an addict. I am an alcoholic?’

Mrs. Ford: I think it’s very hard, because that’s the last way anybody wants to describe themselves. But to get well we have to admit and accept who we really are. That’s the key to making treatment and recovery work. And it’s really the only requirement to join the fellowship of recovery.

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