Addiction Paper - Betty Ford - Book Report/Review Example

?Addiction Paper - Betty Ford This report discusses the story of a famous woman, Betty Ford, who struggled with drug addiction. Her journey from addiction to treatment has been described. First of all, an introduction has been given about Betty Ford. Her drug addiction and its impact upon her life have been taken into account. Any connections to her past have been considered and in the end, treatment methods that she utilized have been discussed. The report has been summarized in a concluding paragraph. APA style has been properly used to reference in-text citations. Introduction Born in 1918, Betty Ford, the wife of the former president Gerald Ford and the former first lady of the United States, has a great story starting from her addiction to drugs and ending at helping others in the journey of fighting drugs. People seeking help from Betty Ford rehab were respected rather than being stigmatized. Since, she had gone through the same journey, she knew the pain that the addicted went through, and helped them through motivation that came from her own journey. She had her rehab center built at Rancho Mirage, California, in 1982 in which more than 90,000 people have been getting treatments since it came into existence. When her husband was in the presidency, Betty Ford received much appreciation and also opposition from other parties like the Republicans because she held liberal views. She was known to raise issues like sex, addiction, abortion and women rights because of which she was known as a very outspoken lady. Candor was one of the most important characteristic of Ford’s with which she not only struggled with her addiction but proved to be a role model for many, according to Associated Press (2011). The Press states that Betty Ford “revealed a longtime addiction to painkillers and alcohol 15 months after leaving the White House, and regularly welcomed new groups of patients to rehab with a speech that started, "Hello, my name's Betty Ford, and I'm an alcoholic and drug addict." ” The Fighting First Lady, as named by the Time Magazine, Ford has been known as a very influential and brave lady of her time. She was a divorced ex-dancer when she married Gerald and then became an active member of the Women’s Movement of the 1970s. Impact of Drugs Betty Ford was addicted to alcohol and opioid analgesics. She wrote in her memoir that she got addicted to alcohol and pills because she found that these things made her feel stress free. But in 1978, her family insisted her to leave her addiction for their sake to which she responded positively. She struggled with her addiction until she was successful. The greatest impact was that she decided to open up a rehab center where she would help others fighting with chemical dependency. In 1987, she also co-authored a book named Betty: A Glad Awakening in which she describes her ferocious struggle against alcoholism and drugs (Ford & Chase, 1987). She wrote another book in 2003 in which she wrote down the stories of six women who were treated ion Ford’s rehab center, and also described her battle against alcoholism (Ford, 2003). Betty Ford always talked about her addiction openly in public. This was so “refreshingly honest” of her to tell women of her own addiction, says Huysman (2011). She wrote in her article: When Betty Ford admitted she was an alcoholic, women who were suffering from alcoholism and other addictions felt like a bad wife, mother, daughter or even grandmother…When she sought help she was deluged with letters and words from women all over the country who felt the same guilt and shame about their own lives. Taking care of her own sobriety first, she stepped into an iconic role she maintained with grace and class over the next 30 years. Since we know that Betty died at the age of 93, we cannot say that drugs and alcohol had a very upsetting impact upon her longevity or health. But during her increasing alcoholism, her family started noticing her not coming out for lunches and refusing to eat and drink and even dress. She always would want to drink and do nothing else. However, the impact of drugs will be remembered as her struggle to help other women fighting with addiction. She helped save many lives through her courage, bravery, motivation, and pioneering treatment at her center. She helped women take great decisions about their health and made them fight with chemical dependency as she did. Connections to the Past Ford was born in Chicago, Illinois to a traveling salesman. She spent her childhood in Colorado and Michigan. She graduated from Central High School and taught children dances and designed clothes when she was only fourteen years of age. She also studied dance in the Bennington School of Dance in Vermont, and worked as a fashion model in New York to support herself financially during her studies. Despite her mother’s opposition, she continued her dance studies and never returned to New York to her mother. She started teaching dance at Grand Rapids. Her past shows that Ford has always been an aspiring figure dying to get what she wanted despite all protests and oppositions. With regard to her career, she had not good connections with her mother who often protested against her activities and her dance studies. This might be a reason that got Ford indulged in alcohol and pills in which she found a sort of rescue from all the tension and mental misery she was going through. However, this is only a thought and not a proven fact that her mother was responsible for her addiction. During 1942-1947, Ford had an unsuccessful marriage with William C. Warren who had been a family friend since her childhood. Warren was addicted to alcohol and his health was devastating because of which Ford filed a divorce but remained silent because Warren went into a coma. But soon after he recovered from his illness, they got divorced. This also created a lot of mental pressure and tension for Ford and it is thought that this might be the reason for her getting addicted with pills because she wanted to get rid of her tension. In 1964, she got treatment for pinched neck nerve after which she suffered from extreme osteoarthritis due to which the doctors put her to a lot of medical drugs. After a couple of years, she began mixing alcohol with these drugs/pills. After she suffered from an emotional breakdown, which might be related to her divorce with Warren, she started seeing a psychiatrist who first did not take much notice of her alcoholism. After she got married to the president, Gerald, her alcoholism increased and she would remain home drinking while her husband would be out at speeches or sports. Her alcohol addiction became public in 1978. This was all about her past and we see that the only connection of addiction to her past is about her unhealthy relationship with her mother, an unsuccessful marriage with Warren, the osteoarthritis drugs, and the lavish lifestyle after marriage with the president. Treatments that Ford Utilized Betty Ford agreed to get a treatment when her family insisted her to leave her addiction. First of all, she entered Long Beach Naval Hospital to get the detoxification treatment. Later when she cofounded her own center, she used this treatment as a model therapy. She also got treatment for chemical dependency which was very successful and she was on her way to the recovery process very soon after she started seeking treatment. She opened a non-profit drug center which is known as the Betty Ford Center or the Alcohol Addiction and Drug Addiction Treatment hospital. She helped those women who suffered from the stigma of alcoholism and wanted to get treated. Betty Ford died in 2011 and hers was a natural death. Summary To sum up, Betty Ford is known as a fighting lady and an outspoken person. She liked talking about hot tabooed issues of sex, alcohol and abortion because she wanted to help women out of their miseries. She was an active member of Women Rights Movement and was a role model for all those women who wanted to come out of their addiction and lead healthy lives. She talked about her addiction publicly because she wanted to kindle the spark of hope which no former first lady had ever done so bluntly. She spent a stressful life and had been a divorced ex-dancer before she got married to the president. Her father had died in her childhood and her mother was not very happy with her dance studies. Also, the stress and tension that her previous marriage had given her put her under enough emotional breakdown and depression. Her pinched neck nerve treatment and heavy osteoarthritis drugs led her to mix up alcohol with pills which finally got her addicted. The lavish lifestyle later on added fuel to fire. However, she affirmed to her family’s request to get treatment and she entered the detoxification and chemical dependency treatment which was successful. She then opened her own rehab center where she helped thousands of women out of their addiction. She saved many lives and is known as an icon among struggling ladies. References Associated Press (2011). Home to Betty Ford's rehab center absorbs loss, reflects on her legacy. Msnbc.com. Retrieved September 15, 2011, from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43697759/ns/us_news-life/t/home-betty-fords-rehab-center-absorbs-loss-reflects-her-legacy/ Ford, B. (2003). Healing and Hope: Six Women from the Betty Ford Center Share Their Powerful Journeys of Addiction and Recovery. USA: Putnam. Ford, B., & Chase, C. (1987). Betty: A Glad Awakening. USA: Doubleday. Huysman, J. (2011). Betty Ford- a hero remembered during recovery month. Life in the Recovery Room. Retrieved September 25, 2011, from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/life-in-the-recovery-room/201109/betty-ford-hero-remembered-during-recovery-month Read More