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“Willingness”
May 20th, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
Somewhere around my sixth year of sobriety, I was in New York City on a business trip. I was also taking my 10-year old daughter from L.A., where she had been living with me, to her new home with her mom so she could start school in September. I was moving to New York in December. It was August, and the city was a steam bath. I’d spent the day calling on customers for the company I worked for, and I’d targeted an AA meeting at the end of the day. I was haunted by self doubt about my recovery. I kept asking myself, “Was I willing to go to any lengths?” It had been a...
May 20th, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
Somewhere around my sixth year of sobriety, I was in New York City on a business trip. I was also taking my 10-year old daughter from L.A., where she had been living with me, to her new home with her mom so she could start school in September. I was moving to New York in December. It was August, and the city was a steam bath. I’d spent the day calling on customers for the company I worked for, and I’d targeted an AA meeting at the end of the day. I was haunted by self doubt about my recovery. I kept asking myself, “Was I willing to go to any lengths?” It had been a...
‘Too Much, Too Soon’ can be a Challenge in Early Recovery
May 16th, 2011 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
As they begin to feel better physically and emotionally, men and women in addiction treatment often start making plans for all sorts of impressive activities: “I’m going to contact my congressman and get involved in local government as soon as I get out of treatment” or “I am going to write an editorial on addiction for the local paper as soon as I get home.” Addictive disease treatment – as intensive as it is – is still only a ‘baby step’ in early recovery. At the very least, the first six months after returning home from treatment are a time to focus on sober...
May 16th, 2011 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
As they begin to feel better physically and emotionally, men and women in addiction treatment often start making plans for all sorts of impressive activities: “I’m going to contact my congressman and get involved in local government as soon as I get out of treatment” or “I am going to write an editorial on addiction for the local paper as soon as I get home.” Addictive disease treatment – as intensive as it is – is still only a ‘baby step’ in early recovery. At the very least, the first six months after returning home from treatment are a time to focus on sober...
“What Goes Around Comes Around”
May 13th, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
Newly sober, it was awkward living with my spouse after we had agreed that we would separate. She grew up in an alcoholic home and didn’t think much of her mother’s program, or the 12-Step program in general. But my awakening to my spiritual needs, and my growing autonomy, contributed to her beginning a search for something for herself. She took up yoga. My soon-to-be ex and I teased one another about our respective spiritual efforts—I joked about her Southern California woo-woo, she joked about my 12 Step clichés—with relatively good humor. Her yoga group was...
May 13th, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
Newly sober, it was awkward living with my spouse after we had agreed that we would separate. She grew up in an alcoholic home and didn’t think much of her mother’s program, or the 12-Step program in general. But my awakening to my spiritual needs, and my growing autonomy, contributed to her beginning a search for something for herself. She took up yoga. My soon-to-be ex and I teased one another about our respective spiritual efforts—I joked about her Southern California woo-woo, she joked about my 12 Step clichés—with relatively good humor. Her yoga group was...
“Rude Awakening”
May 6th, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
Herberto (I’ll call him here) continued to maintain that his cravings had lifted and that relapse was not an option after nine months of treatment in the methadone to abstinence therapeutic community where I was his counselor. No amount of coaxing him to consider that he might have a different experience outside a protected environment succeeded in getting him to take relapse prevention planning to heart. Instead, he reassured me in his heavily Spanish accented English that I needn’t worry, he was okay. One day, he came into my office and sat down. He was quite...
May 6th, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
Herberto (I’ll call him here) continued to maintain that his cravings had lifted and that relapse was not an option after nine months of treatment in the methadone to abstinence therapeutic community where I was his counselor. No amount of coaxing him to consider that he might have a different experience outside a protected environment succeeded in getting him to take relapse prevention planning to heart. Instead, he reassured me in his heavily Spanish accented English that I needn’t worry, he was okay. One day, he came into my office and sat down. He was quite...
“Right Sized”
April 29th, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
The first meeting I went to should have been ideal, considering my grandiosity—it was a candlelight meeting, musicians and actors, a beautiful Quaker meeting house, French doors opening onto a garden, lots of leather pants and native American jewelry, the epitome of hip, slick and cool—but I remember my despair that even here, this place I didn’t want to be, I didn’t feel like enough. A couple of days later, desperately white-knuckling it, I took myself to another meeting. This one was in a park rec room – speaker meeting, overhead fluorescents, linoleum floors, metal...
April 29th, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
The first meeting I went to should have been ideal, considering my grandiosity—it was a candlelight meeting, musicians and actors, a beautiful Quaker meeting house, French doors opening onto a garden, lots of leather pants and native American jewelry, the epitome of hip, slick and cool—but I remember my despair that even here, this place I didn’t want to be, I didn’t feel like enough. A couple of days later, desperately white-knuckling it, I took myself to another meeting. This one was in a park rec room – speaker meeting, overhead fluorescents, linoleum floors, metal...
“Rice”
April 22nd, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
Out to dinner one night with my wife and some friends, a man approached our table. “I’m sorry to interrupt” he said “but you were my counselor last year, and I wanted you to know that I went to outpatient treatment as you recommended and something happened. Do you remember that you told me that I had the habit of emptying out my rice bowl after someone had been kind enough to fill it for me? Well, I get it—I don’t empty my rice bowl anymore. I’ve started up my practice again, and most incredible, my son actually wants to spend time with me! I just wanted to say how...
April 22nd, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
Out to dinner one night with my wife and some friends, a man approached our table. “I’m sorry to interrupt” he said “but you were my counselor last year, and I wanted you to know that I went to outpatient treatment as you recommended and something happened. Do you remember that you told me that I had the habit of emptying out my rice bowl after someone had been kind enough to fill it for me? Well, I get it—I don’t empty my rice bowl anymore. I’ve started up my practice again, and most incredible, my son actually wants to spend time with me! I just wanted to say how...
“New Paradigm”
April 15th, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
I wasn’t looking for a sponsor—I could barely get past my shame enough to identify as a newcomer—when I was approached by a guy at a meeting. “You’re new, aren’t you?” he said. “Do you have a sponsor?” he said. “I’ll be your temporary sponsor.” he said. I heard temporary and thought, “Temporary, great. I can blow this guy off the minute he makes demands on me.” So I said okay. It turned out that he didn’t have a car, so he had me give him rides to and from the meeting, which meant I had to show up. He got me the book...
April 15th, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
I wasn’t looking for a sponsor—I could barely get past my shame enough to identify as a newcomer—when I was approached by a guy at a meeting. “You’re new, aren’t you?” he said. “Do you have a sponsor?” he said. “I’ll be your temporary sponsor.” he said. I heard temporary and thought, “Temporary, great. I can blow this guy off the minute he makes demands on me.” So I said okay. It turned out that he didn’t have a car, so he had me give him rides to and from the meeting, which meant I had to show up. He got me the book...
“Moment of Clarity”
April 8th, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
I went alone to my second AA meeting. I felt hopeless based on my first meeting, but I was out of options. Early in the meeting, a man at the podium identified as an addict. Another man in the audience stood up and said,” This is an AA meeting. I hope you can find it in your heart to identify as an alcoholic. If you can’t, it is the rule of our fellowship that you not share.” The room went berserk. People were on their feet, arguing pro and con. A man who I’d never met before leaned over and confided to me, “There are two kinds of people in AA—those that...
April 8th, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
I went alone to my second AA meeting. I felt hopeless based on my first meeting, but I was out of options. Early in the meeting, a man at the podium identified as an addict. Another man in the audience stood up and said,” This is an AA meeting. I hope you can find it in your heart to identify as an alcoholic. If you can’t, it is the rule of our fellowship that you not share.” The room went berserk. People were on their feet, arguing pro and con. A man who I’d never met before leaned over and confided to me, “There are two kinds of people in AA—those that...
“Listening Through”
April 1st, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
My first job in chemical dependency treatment was as an overnight tech for Hazelden’s residential facility on 17 th Street on the east side of Manhattan. One night at 11:30 as I came on for my shift, an 18-year old female resident was crying in the office. After a lengthy conversation with the tech that I was relieving, she had admitted that she had smoked pot earlier that day. Since the facility had a zero tolerance policy, she was told that she would have to spend the night downstairs, sleeping in the parlor, until her mother could come in the next morning and picked her up....
April 1st, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
My first job in chemical dependency treatment was as an overnight tech for Hazelden’s residential facility on 17 th Street on the east side of Manhattan. One night at 11:30 as I came on for my shift, an 18-year old female resident was crying in the office. After a lengthy conversation with the tech that I was relieving, she had admitted that she had smoked pot earlier that day. Since the facility had a zero tolerance policy, she was told that she would have to spend the night downstairs, sleeping in the parlor, until her mother could come in the next morning and picked her up....
“God Shot”
March 18th, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
Not quite two years sober, sitting at my desk at my job in West Hollywood in July, I had a moment of clarity; I was never going anywhere if I didn’t make a plan. I picked up the phone and made a reservation for my five-year old daughter and me in Yosemite for the following December. Insecure as a parent, with our relationship still in the healing process, I began to take weekend camping trips with her and buddies from AA. When December rolled around though, no one was available to come along with us. It was the largest snowfall in the Sierra’s in fifty years, with some of...
March 18th, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
Not quite two years sober, sitting at my desk at my job in West Hollywood in July, I had a moment of clarity; I was never going anywhere if I didn’t make a plan. I picked up the phone and made a reservation for my five-year old daughter and me in Yosemite for the following December. Insecure as a parent, with our relationship still in the healing process, I began to take weekend camping trips with her and buddies from AA. When December rolled around though, no one was available to come along with us. It was the largest snowfall in the Sierra’s in fifty years, with some of...
12-Step Survey Results Available
March 15th, 2011 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
Results of the 2007 Member Survey of Alcoholics Anonymous show a variety of lengths of sobriety. The next membership survey will take place in late summer of 2011.
March 15th, 2011 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
Results of the 2007 Member Survey of Alcoholics Anonymous show a variety of lengths of sobriety. The next membership survey will take place in late summer of 2011.
“Gladly”
March 11th, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
It turns out that my four year-old daughter didn’t really want to hear about her dad’s recovery—she wanted her dad back, whole, complete. She cared a lot less about what I brought to her than the time I took over what she brought to me, “That’s the most fabulous hand print saucer I’ve ever seen, I love it, is it for me?” Over the years, I would bring it up from time to time—I have a pamphlet here, want to read it? Ever hear of Alateen?—but she expressed no interest. I was counseled to approach talking with her about recovery like talking with her about sex; if...
March 11th, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
It turns out that my four year-old daughter didn’t really want to hear about her dad’s recovery—she wanted her dad back, whole, complete. She cared a lot less about what I brought to her than the time I took over what she brought to me, “That’s the most fabulous hand print saucer I’ve ever seen, I love it, is it for me?” Over the years, I would bring it up from time to time—I have a pamphlet here, want to read it? Ever hear of Alateen?—but she expressed no interest. I was counseled to approach talking with her about recovery like talking with her about sex; if...
Here I Am, A Grateful Alcoholic
March 7th, 2011 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
I battled anxiety, depression and panic disorder all my life. I was also plagued with crippling low self-esteem. I tried to solve these problems with therapy and every tranquilizer and anti-depressant my doctors prescribed. Nothing ever worked for long. Eventually I turned to alcohol to find calm and ended up needing it just to get through the day. I maintained appearances and a career, was a wife and mother, yet every day my disease progressed and life became more terrifying, isolated, and dark. Drinking became my world, and hiding it became my obsession. One night, I...
March 7th, 2011 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
I battled anxiety, depression and panic disorder all my life. I was also plagued with crippling low self-esteem. I tried to solve these problems with therapy and every tranquilizer and anti-depressant my doctors prescribed. Nothing ever worked for long. Eventually I turned to alcohol to find calm and ended up needing it just to get through the day. I maintained appearances and a career, was a wife and mother, yet every day my disease progressed and life became more terrifying, isolated, and dark. Drinking became my world, and hiding it became my obsession. One night, I...
“Give Time Time”
March 4th, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
My first counselor job was on the lower east side of Manhattan in a one-hundred bed, co-ed, long-term Methadone to abstinence residential facility that used the Therapeutic Community model. We had weekly encounter groups, patients wore signs at morning meetings for contracts (‘I received this contract for sneaky behavior; what I have learned is to be straight up’), earned the right to move up levels for good behavior, and “tops” put patients “on the wall” to give them information and punishment for rule infractions. Because it was publically funded, 12 Step programs were...
March 4th, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
My first counselor job was on the lower east side of Manhattan in a one-hundred bed, co-ed, long-term Methadone to abstinence residential facility that used the Therapeutic Community model. We had weekly encounter groups, patients wore signs at morning meetings for contracts (‘I received this contract for sneaky behavior; what I have learned is to be straight up’), earned the right to move up levels for good behavior, and “tops” put patients “on the wall” to give them information and punishment for rule infractions. Because it was publically funded, 12 Step programs were...
Eating Disorder Recognition Hits Home for Counselor
February 20th, 2011 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
February 20-26 is National Eating Disorder Week, a subject “near and dear” to the heart of Betty Ford Center counselor Karin Eklund. “I had anorexia, which transitioned into bulimia, for over 20 years along with my own alcoholism,” Karin said recently. Her story is chilling: When she went through alcohol treatment for her dependency for the first time in 1979, other addictions were not addressed. If any of the patients had another co-occurring major addiction, it was either not discussed or minimized – or not discovered at all. Many who suffer from eating disorders...
February 20th, 2011 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
February 20-26 is National Eating Disorder Week, a subject “near and dear” to the heart of Betty Ford Center counselor Karin Eklund. “I had anorexia, which transitioned into bulimia, for over 20 years along with my own alcoholism,” Karin said recently. Her story is chilling: When she went through alcohol treatment for her dependency for the first time in 1979, other addictions were not addressed. If any of the patients had another co-occurring major addiction, it was either not discussed or minimized – or not discovered at all. Many who suffer from eating disorders...
My Father’s Son
February 7th, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
Until I got sober, I didn’t understand that because I had grown up with an alcoholic father, there was a blank spot in me when it came to expectations about men and about me. My dad was a good guy, well-meaning and a good provider, never intentionally cruel or unkind. He was, however, more or less always under the influence to some degree or another. On top of that, he arranged his life so that he was always away from home about fifteen days out of every thirty. So, he was emotionally unavailable when he was home, and half the time he was physically not present. As a boy, I...
February 7th, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
Until I got sober, I didn’t understand that because I had grown up with an alcoholic father, there was a blank spot in me when it came to expectations about men and about me. My dad was a good guy, well-meaning and a good provider, never intentionally cruel or unkind. He was, however, more or less always under the influence to some degree or another. On top of that, he arranged his life so that he was always away from home about fifteen days out of every thirty. So, he was emotionally unavailable when he was home, and half the time he was physically not present. As a boy, I...
Thank You for Helping Me Get my Life Back
January 27th, 2011 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
The morning of January 26, 2010 will forever stand out in my mind, for that is not only my sobriety date, but the day my life changed forever. When I woke up that morning and tried to get out of bed, my legs refused to work. Even in that dark moment, I hesitated to call 911, because if I did, everyone would know the truth. I was still drinking. Six months prior, my life appeared to be pretty great. I was a law school graduate who was working on Capital Hill, had a wonderful fiancé and a nice home. However, my life was spinning out of control due to my alcohol addiction. I was depressed...
January 27th, 2011 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
The morning of January 26, 2010 will forever stand out in my mind, for that is not only my sobriety date, but the day my life changed forever. When I woke up that morning and tried to get out of bed, my legs refused to work. Even in that dark moment, I hesitated to call 911, because if I did, everyone would know the truth. I was still drinking. Six months prior, my life appeared to be pretty great. I was a law school graduate who was working on Capital Hill, had a wonderful fiancé and a nice home. However, my life was spinning out of control due to my alcohol addiction. I was depressed...
“First Things First”
January 4th, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
At a retreat, I heard Father Terry give two criteria for a sponsor: someone who wouldn’t give you too much advice, and someone who wouldn’t be burdened by your secrets. I didn’t pick my sponsor, which was a good thing since my ‘picker’ was broken. Instead, my sponsor was picked for me, and I was cared for in some perfect, inexplicable way. It was an example for me of letting things happen instead of making things happen. At a meeting, listening to someone gush about loving everyone in AA, my sponsor leaned over and whispered to me, ‘If you love everybody in AA,...
January 4th, 2011 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
At a retreat, I heard Father Terry give two criteria for a sponsor: someone who wouldn’t give you too much advice, and someone who wouldn’t be burdened by your secrets. I didn’t pick my sponsor, which was a good thing since my ‘picker’ was broken. Instead, my sponsor was picked for me, and I was cared for in some perfect, inexplicable way. It was an example for me of letting things happen instead of making things happen. At a meeting, listening to someone gush about loving everyone in AA, my sponsor leaned over and whispered to me, ‘If you love everybody in AA,...
“Stand in the Light”
December 23rd, 2010 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
In playful irony, my Higher Power chooses to speak to me through the most unlikely people. He smoked, he had a ‘cock-of-the-walk’ arrogance to him, and he seemed perpetually angry. Of this small group of recovering men that I was part of, he was the one that I liked the least. I couldn’t believe that he had over a decade of sobriety. So, when I asked if anyone was interested in going on a camping trip that I was planning for Easter weekend with me and my 6-year old daughter, he was not the guy I wanted to respond. You guessed it; he was the one who said, “Sure, I’d...
December 23rd, 2010 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
In playful irony, my Higher Power chooses to speak to me through the most unlikely people. He smoked, he had a ‘cock-of-the-walk’ arrogance to him, and he seemed perpetually angry. Of this small group of recovering men that I was part of, he was the one that I liked the least. I couldn’t believe that he had over a decade of sobriety. So, when I asked if anyone was interested in going on a camping trip that I was planning for Easter weekend with me and my 6-year old daughter, he was not the guy I wanted to respond. You guessed it; he was the one who said, “Sure, I’d...
Smart Feet
December 10th, 2010 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
I went to my first retreat because it was suggested that I do so—I was enjoying a period of ‘smart feet.’ As it happened, it was a weekend Step Study with Father Terry at Casa de Maria in Montecito, just south of Santa Barbara. Casa de Maria was an old estate that dated from the silent film era, had passed to the Catholic Church and lately had become an ecumenical retreat. It was beautiful, with Spanish tile and dark wood, surrounded by live oak, citrus and olive trees. The setting was gorgeous, and the lectures were entertaining and insightful, but I was a mess. Father Terry...
December 10th, 2010 / Recovery News / Andrew Rohrer
I went to my first retreat because it was suggested that I do so—I was enjoying a period of ‘smart feet.’ As it happened, it was a weekend Step Study with Father Terry at Casa de Maria in Montecito, just south of Santa Barbara. Casa de Maria was an old estate that dated from the silent film era, had passed to the Catholic Church and lately had become an ecumenical retreat. It was beautiful, with Spanish tile and dark wood, surrounded by live oak, citrus and olive trees. The setting was gorgeous, and the lectures were entertaining and insightful, but I was a mess. Father Terry...
Nick News Focuses on Kids of Alcoholics
November 12th, 2010 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
The Nick News with Linda Ellerbee special, “Under the Influence: Kids of Alcoholics,” premieres Sunday, Nov. 14, from 9:00 to 9:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon. Jerry Moe, National Director, Betty Ford Children’s Program, acknowledges it’s difficult for kids growing up in homes where there’s alcoholism because they never know what’s going to happen next. But he also says "kids can cope by having safe people that you can talk to about what’s going on at home. By learning problem solving skills, ways to stay safe.” ...
November 12th, 2010 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
The Nick News with Linda Ellerbee special, “Under the Influence: Kids of Alcoholics,” premieres Sunday, Nov. 14, from 9:00 to 9:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon. Jerry Moe, National Director, Betty Ford Children’s Program, acknowledges it’s difficult for kids growing up in homes where there’s alcoholism because they never know what’s going to happen next. But he also says "kids can cope by having safe people that you can talk to about what’s going on at home. By learning problem solving skills, ways to stay safe.” ...
12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous
June 18th, 2010 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable. 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. 8. Made a list of all...
June 18th, 2010 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable. 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. 8. Made a list of all...
Like It or Not, Spirituality Actually Aids Recovery!
June 18th, 2010 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
Surveys indicate that 8% of American drinkers eventually become alcohol-dependent. Treatment providers endeavor to match those who seek treatment with the program most appropriate for their needs. There are two basic models of treatment programs: one is spiritually based such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), and the other is a more clinical model without a spiritual component. Past research has shown that spirituality facilitates recovery from alcoholism. Positive outcomes have been reported for AA attendance, length of sobriety, and a general sense of purpose in life. However, some...
June 18th, 2010 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
Surveys indicate that 8% of American drinkers eventually become alcohol-dependent. Treatment providers endeavor to match those who seek treatment with the program most appropriate for their needs. There are two basic models of treatment programs: one is spiritually based such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), and the other is a more clinical model without a spiritual component. Past research has shown that spirituality facilitates recovery from alcoholism. Positive outcomes have been reported for AA attendance, length of sobriety, and a general sense of purpose in life. However, some...
‘Epitome of courage’
June 18th, 2010 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
By Darrell Smith The Desert Sun June 7, 2005 RANCHO MIRAGE - She battled personal trials on the most public of stages, then used her experiences and her energy to help others overcome their struggles. And on Monday, her children by her side and Vice President Dick Cheney looking on, Betty Ford received the 2005 Gerald R. Ford Medal for Distinguished Public Service from her husband for whom the award is named. Gerald Ford, with the aid of a cane, his son Mike and daughter Susan Ford Bales, chairwoman of the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, led Betty Ford to the podium....
June 18th, 2010 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
By Darrell Smith The Desert Sun June 7, 2005 RANCHO MIRAGE - She battled personal trials on the most public of stages, then used her experiences and her energy to help others overcome their struggles. And on Monday, her children by her side and Vice President Dick Cheney looking on, Betty Ford received the 2005 Gerald R. Ford Medal for Distinguished Public Service from her husband for whom the award is named. Gerald Ford, with the aid of a cane, his son Mike and daughter Susan Ford Bales, chairwoman of the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, led Betty Ford to the podium....
Betty Ford earns namesake medal
June 18th, 2010 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
By Chris Bagley The Desert Sun June 1, 2005 RANCHO MIRAGE - Former First Lady Betty Ford will receive this year’s Gerald R. Ford Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the former president's foundation said Tuesday morning. In a ceremony for Gerald and Betty Ford and their family, the medal will be presented by the former president Monday during the annual dinner of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation at The Lodge at Rancho Mirage. "This will be a very special occasion for me, my family, our friends and all of those people that have benefited from Betty's lifetime commitment to their...
June 18th, 2010 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
By Chris Bagley The Desert Sun June 1, 2005 RANCHO MIRAGE - Former First Lady Betty Ford will receive this year’s Gerald R. Ford Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the former president's foundation said Tuesday morning. In a ceremony for Gerald and Betty Ford and their family, the medal will be presented by the former president Monday during the annual dinner of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation at The Lodge at Rancho Mirage. "This will be a very special occasion for me, my family, our friends and all of those people that have benefited from Betty's lifetime commitment to their...
Betty Ford passes torch to daughter
June 18th, 2010 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
By Ferdie De Vega The Desert Sun January 7, 2005 RANCHO MIRAGE - Former first lady Betty Ford will hand over the reins of the Betty Ford Center to daughter Susan Ford Bales, but will remain on the board of directors of the world-renowned substance abuse treatment hospital. In addition, Ford will retain the title “life chairman,” center officials said on Thursday. The center, which has become the most prominent substance abuse treatment center in the world and the valley’s best-known medical facility, was founded in 1982. Ford moved to Rancho Mirage after her husband,...
June 18th, 2010 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
By Ferdie De Vega The Desert Sun January 7, 2005 RANCHO MIRAGE - Former first lady Betty Ford will hand over the reins of the Betty Ford Center to daughter Susan Ford Bales, but will remain on the board of directors of the world-renowned substance abuse treatment hospital. In addition, Ford will retain the title “life chairman,” center officials said on Thursday. The center, which has become the most prominent substance abuse treatment center in the world and the valley’s best-known medical facility, was founded in 1982. Ford moved to Rancho Mirage after her husband,...
Congratulations, Betty Ford Center – Celebrating 20 years of helping people battle drug, alcohol abuse
June 18th, 2010 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
Our voice The Desert Sun October 25, 2002 Happy 20th anniversary, Betty Ford Center. This is a milestone worth celebrating. There is so much of which to be proud. The Betty Ford Center has for decades been recognized as a world leader in the treatment of substance abuse. Today is no exception. Its international status has come as much from its namesake, a tireless advocate for the forthright treatment of addiction, as from the famous names who have checked into the Rancho Mirage facility throughout the years. Its global regard is also rooted in a variety of innovative...
June 18th, 2010 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
Our voice The Desert Sun October 25, 2002 Happy 20th anniversary, Betty Ford Center. This is a milestone worth celebrating. There is so much of which to be proud. The Betty Ford Center has for decades been recognized as a world leader in the treatment of substance abuse. Today is no exception. Its international status has come as much from its namesake, a tireless advocate for the forthright treatment of addiction, as from the famous names who have checked into the Rancho Mirage facility throughout the years. Its global regard is also rooted in a variety of innovative...
The house that Betty built – Giving back is Betty Ford’s philosophy
June 18th, 2010 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
By Francesca Donlan The Desert Sun October 20, 2002 Complete strangers tell Betty Ford she saved their lives. Following her own battle with breast cancer and drug dependence in the 1970s, the former first lady spoke candidly about her experiences. And for the first time, breast cancer, drug addiction and alcoholism became a major part of the American discourse. In a rare interview with The Desert Sun, Ford shared how proud she is of the center which carries her name. She also talked about her love of the desert, home since 1977. She recalled those days back in 1978 when she...
June 18th, 2010 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
By Francesca Donlan The Desert Sun October 20, 2002 Complete strangers tell Betty Ford she saved their lives. Following her own battle with breast cancer and drug dependence in the 1970s, the former first lady spoke candidly about her experiences. And for the first time, breast cancer, drug addiction and alcoholism became a major part of the American discourse. In a rare interview with The Desert Sun, Ford shared how proud she is of the center which carries her name. She also talked about her love of the desert, home since 1977. She recalled those days back in 1978 when she...
Ford’s public battle molds personal cause – Treated while still the first lady, Betty Ford found a way to help others like her
June 18th, 2010 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
Note : Content in this article may be dated and include staffing and program information that is no longer current. By Francesca Donlan The Desert Sun October 18, 2002 In 1978, one year after leaving the White House, former first lady Betty Ford checked herself into a treatment facility for drug and alcohol addiction. She had grown dependent on "the sleeping pills, pain pills, relaxer pills and the pills to counteract the side effects of other pills," she writes in her memoir, "Betty: A Glad Awakening." Add to that the vodka and bourbon she drank before and after...
June 18th, 2010 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
Note : Content in this article may be dated and include staffing and program information that is no longer current. By Francesca Donlan The Desert Sun October 18, 2002 In 1978, one year after leaving the White House, former first lady Betty Ford checked herself into a treatment facility for drug and alcohol addiction. She had grown dependent on "the sleeping pills, pain pills, relaxer pills and the pills to counteract the side effects of other pills," she writes in her memoir, "Betty: A Glad Awakening." Add to that the vodka and bourbon she drank before and after...
Betty Ford Center Teams With First Nation Bands
June 1st, 2008 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
Note : Content in this article may be dated and include staffing and program information that is no longer current. They’ve been called “The Odd Couple of Treatment.” The world-famous Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California, and the Esketemc First Nation community in remote Alkali Lake, British Columbia. How did the unlikely alliance – between Betty Ford, Alkali Lake and now other aboriginal communities in North America – begin? Patrick Haggerson, now a Training Specialist at the Center, saw a film about Alkali Lake and its sobriety revolution several years ago....
June 1st, 2008 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
Note : Content in this article may be dated and include staffing and program information that is no longer current. They’ve been called “The Odd Couple of Treatment.” The world-famous Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California, and the Esketemc First Nation community in remote Alkali Lake, British Columbia. How did the unlikely alliance – between Betty Ford, Alkali Lake and now other aboriginal communities in North America – begin? Patrick Haggerson, now a Training Specialist at the Center, saw a film about Alkali Lake and its sobriety revolution several years ago....
90-Day Treatment Program Launched At Betty Ford Center
December 1st, 2007 / Programs / Betty Ford Center
Last summer the Betty Ford Center launched a new treatment program for persons addicted to alcohol and/or other drugs, which lasts for three months. The growth of the 90-Day Program has been dramatic. At its inception, there were five patient participants; in January, 2007, 30 patients are in the program. While the Center has for several years offered treatment beyond the basic 30-day inpatient stay, what’s significant about the 90-Day Program is that patients in that program now make a full 90-day commitment upon admission. According to Drew Paxton, who directs the new program,...
December 1st, 2007 / Programs / Betty Ford Center
Last summer the Betty Ford Center launched a new treatment program for persons addicted to alcohol and/or other drugs, which lasts for three months. The growth of the 90-Day Program has been dramatic. At its inception, there were five patient participants; in January, 2007, 30 patients are in the program. While the Center has for several years offered treatment beyond the basic 30-day inpatient stay, what’s significant about the 90-Day Program is that patients in that program now make a full 90-day commitment upon admission. According to Drew Paxton, who directs the new program,...
Betty Ford Center Celebrates 25th Anniversary This Fall
September 1st, 2007 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
By John T. Schwarzlose, CEO & President The usual gift commemorating a 25th anniversary is something – anything – silver. In the case of the 25th anniversary of the Betty Ford Center, the gift that comes to mind is a massive quilt representing the 80,000 men, women and their loved ones who have begun a journey of recovery on our campus in Rancho Mirage, California. In 1980 former First Lady Betty Ford and her good friend Ambassador Leonard Firestone (they were neighbors at the Thunderbird Golf Club) started thinking about how well the desert environment in the Coachella...
September 1st, 2007 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
By John T. Schwarzlose, CEO & President The usual gift commemorating a 25th anniversary is something – anything – silver. In the case of the 25th anniversary of the Betty Ford Center, the gift that comes to mind is a massive quilt representing the 80,000 men, women and their loved ones who have begun a journey of recovery on our campus in Rancho Mirage, California. In 1980 former First Lady Betty Ford and her good friend Ambassador Leonard Firestone (they were neighbors at the Thunderbird Golf Club) started thinking about how well the desert environment in the Coachella...
Dr. Johanna O’Flaherty
September 1st, 2007 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
Vice President, Treatment Services, Betty Ford Center Dr. Johanna O’Flaherty was recently appointed Vice President, Treatment Services, at the Betty Ford Center. Dr. O’Flaherty actually began her association with the Center nearly 20 years ago when she first referred airline employees who needed treatment for their alcoholism/drug addiction to Betty Ford. The Ireland-born Dr. O’Flaherty developed and managed Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) for several airlines. She has long been committed to helping people by focusing on grief, trauma, addiction and healing. Dr....
September 1st, 2007 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
Vice President, Treatment Services, Betty Ford Center Dr. Johanna O’Flaherty was recently appointed Vice President, Treatment Services, at the Betty Ford Center. Dr. O’Flaherty actually began her association with the Center nearly 20 years ago when she first referred airline employees who needed treatment for their alcoholism/drug addiction to Betty Ford. The Ireland-born Dr. O’Flaherty developed and managed Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) for several airlines. She has long been committed to helping people by focusing on grief, trauma, addiction and healing. Dr....
BFC Pioneer Dr. James West, 93, Stays the Course
March 1st, 2007 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
He’s a renowned surgeon, one of the two doctors who performed the world’s first human organ transplant (a kidney). He later completed advanced studies in psychiatry and taught at the University of Chicago. He became physician director of the Betty Ford Center when it opened in October, 1982, and served as Medical Director of the world-famous treatment hospital for several years after that. He’s authored any number of scientific treatises, as well as “The Betty Ford Center Book of Answers,” a source for lay people wanting information about the disease of addiction. His...
March 1st, 2007 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
He’s a renowned surgeon, one of the two doctors who performed the world’s first human organ transplant (a kidney). He later completed advanced studies in psychiatry and taught at the University of Chicago. He became physician director of the Betty Ford Center when it opened in October, 1982, and served as Medical Director of the world-famous treatment hospital for several years after that. He’s authored any number of scientific treatises, as well as “The Betty Ford Center Book of Answers,” a source for lay people wanting information about the disease of addiction. His...
Betty Ford Institute Formed; Convenes Consensus Conference
September 1st, 2006 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
Former First Lady Betty Ford, co-founder of the Betty Ford Center, announced this Fall the establishment of the Betty Ford Institute. It is operating independent of the non-profit licensed addiction treatment hospital located in Rancho Mirage, California. "As we approach our 25th anniversary,” says Mrs. Ford, “we feel it is an appropriate time to take this initiative. Although we have been involved as a leader in education and training in addictive disease and its treatment, as well as in public policy efforts, the establishment of our Institute will allow us to devote more resources...
September 1st, 2006 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
Former First Lady Betty Ford, co-founder of the Betty Ford Center, announced this Fall the establishment of the Betty Ford Institute. It is operating independent of the non-profit licensed addiction treatment hospital located in Rancho Mirage, California. "As we approach our 25th anniversary,” says Mrs. Ford, “we feel it is an appropriate time to take this initiative. Although we have been involved as a leader in education and training in addictive disease and its treatment, as well as in public policy efforts, the establishment of our Institute will allow us to devote more resources...
Focused Continuing Care: One-Year, Extended Care at Betty Ford Center
March 1st, 2006 / Programs / Betty Ford Center
Focused Continuing Care at the Betty Ford Center began as a pilot program in 1997. Every seventh patient was invited to participate. Upon discharge from formal treatment, individuals were contacted by telephone on a regular basis by a counselor, with whom they had met prior to completing primary care. Based on extremely positive early results, this additional level of care was expanded shortly thereafter to include all patients. Since 1997, an astonishing 22,500 “check-in and check-up” calls have occurred between Focused Continuing Care counselors and over 4,000 patients. In...
March 1st, 2006 / Programs / Betty Ford Center
Focused Continuing Care at the Betty Ford Center began as a pilot program in 1997. Every seventh patient was invited to participate. Upon discharge from formal treatment, individuals were contacted by telephone on a regular basis by a counselor, with whom they had met prior to completing primary care. Based on extremely positive early results, this additional level of care was expanded shortly thereafter to include all patients. Since 1997, an astonishing 22,500 “check-in and check-up” calls have occurred between Focused Continuing Care counselors and over 4,000 patients. In...
Clinical Diagnostic Evaluation Program Scores Major Gains
December 1st, 2005 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
The Clinical Diagnostic Evaluation (CDE) program began four years ago at the Rancho Mirage, California-based Betty Ford Center as a service for health professionals. Essentially, persons who enter the program undergo an intensive three-day-long physical and psychological examination which determines whether or not they are addicted to alcohol and/or other drugs and, if so, what type of treatment is indicated. Most – but not all – CDE participants work in safety-sensitive and/or professionally-licensed jobs. They come to the program at the urging – or insistence – of state or...
December 1st, 2005 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
The Clinical Diagnostic Evaluation (CDE) program began four years ago at the Rancho Mirage, California-based Betty Ford Center as a service for health professionals. Essentially, persons who enter the program undergo an intensive three-day-long physical and psychological examination which determines whether or not they are addicted to alcohol and/or other drugs and, if so, what type of treatment is indicated. Most – but not all – CDE participants work in safety-sensitive and/or professionally-licensed jobs. They come to the program at the urging – or insistence – of state or...
Betty Ford Center Takes in Hurricane Victims for Treatment
September 1st, 2005 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
Note : Content in this article may be dated and include staffing and program information that is no longer current. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast with devastating fury in early September, the Betty Ford Center has taken in six persons from the area whose treatment for alcohol/drug addiction was interrupted by the storm. The patients came from New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. According to Hope Networks, a treatment/recovery advocacy group in Baton Rouge, even before the hurricane, Louisiana offered a dearth of treatment options for...
September 1st, 2005 / Recovery News / Betty Ford Center
Note : Content in this article may be dated and include staffing and program information that is no longer current. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast with devastating fury in early September, the Betty Ford Center has taken in six persons from the area whose treatment for alcohol/drug addiction was interrupted by the storm. The patients came from New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. According to Hope Networks, a treatment/recovery advocacy group in Baton Rouge, even before the hurricane, Louisiana offered a dearth of treatment options for...
Betty Ford Center Works With Native Canadians
June 1st, 2005 / BFC Insights / Betty Ford Center
Shortly after Patrick Haggerson became a counselor at the Betty Ford Center in 1998, he made a phone call to British Columbia’s Alkali Lake Indian Band, to get information about a video he wanted to order, called “The Honor of All: The Alkali Story.” The hour-long documentary told how that community of native peoples achieved significant levels of sobriety. The sobriety movement in Alkali Lake began in 1971, when an eight-year-old girl refused to go home with her parents because of their drinking. This led her mom, Phyllis, to seek help for her alcoholism through AA. This act...
June 1st, 2005 / BFC Insights / Betty Ford Center
Shortly after Patrick Haggerson became a counselor at the Betty Ford Center in 1998, he made a phone call to British Columbia’s Alkali Lake Indian Band, to get information about a video he wanted to order, called “The Honor of All: The Alkali Story.” The hour-long documentary told how that community of native peoples achieved significant levels of sobriety. The sobriety movement in Alkali Lake began in 1971, when an eight-year-old girl refused to go home with her parents because of their drinking. This led her mom, Phyllis, to seek help for her alcoholism through AA. This act...
Betty Ford Center Works with Drug Endangered Children Organization
March 1st, 2005 / BFC Insights / Betty Ford Center
On a Thursday morning in mid-May, Jenny Gomez of the Betty Ford Center Children’s Program in Dallas went to work especially early, at 4:30 a.m. Jenny joined 80 law enforcement officers from four different agencies as they gathered for a briefing prior to serving arrest warrants on 40 individuals suspected of operating methamphetamine labs. The 80 officers split into 10 groups. Jenny went with a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) team, because the location they were targeting was known to have children living on the premises. Jenny watched from a safe distance as the agents, dressed in...
March 1st, 2005 / BFC Insights / Betty Ford Center
On a Thursday morning in mid-May, Jenny Gomez of the Betty Ford Center Children’s Program in Dallas went to work especially early, at 4:30 a.m. Jenny joined 80 law enforcement officers from four different agencies as they gathered for a briefing prior to serving arrest warrants on 40 individuals suspected of operating methamphetamine labs. The 80 officers split into 10 groups. Jenny went with a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) team, because the location they were targeting was known to have children living on the premises. Jenny watched from a safe distance as the agents, dressed in...
BFC Children’s Program Evaluated in First-Ever Scientific Study
December 1st, 2004 / BFC Insights / Betty Ford Center
Results have been released of the first-ever scientific examination of prevention/education programs in the U.S. aimed at children who live in a family environment in which the disease of addiction to alcohol and/or other drugs is present. The study surveyed 149 young people, age seven to 13, who participated in the Betty Ford Center Children’s Program in Rancho Mirage, California, between October 2002 and October 2003. The study was designed and conducted by Dr. Jeannette Johnson, Professor and Director of the Research Center on Children and Youth at the University at Buffalo/SUNY....
December 1st, 2004 / BFC Insights / Betty Ford Center
Results have been released of the first-ever scientific examination of prevention/education programs in the U.S. aimed at children who live in a family environment in which the disease of addiction to alcohol and/or other drugs is present. The study surveyed 149 young people, age seven to 13, who participated in the Betty Ford Center Children’s Program in Rancho Mirage, California, between October 2002 and October 2003. The study was designed and conducted by Dr. Jeannette Johnson, Professor and Director of the Research Center on Children and Youth at the University at Buffalo/SUNY....
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