Betty Ford and the Birth of Celebrity Drug Rehab
In the late 1970′s, treatment centers were not common commodities nor synonymous with “drug and alcohol recovery” like they are today. Alcoholics and drug addicts were routinely committed to hospitals and psychiatric wards. Once flushed of chemicals, clinicians sent patients on their merry way with a wave and a smile, hoping the addict or alcoholic would somehow transform their life in such a way that the desire for pills and vodka would magically dissipate. The problem is, alcoholism/addiction is an insidious disease. It’s power manifests itself in three dimensions -an obsession of the mind, a physical allergen, and a spiritual sickness.
Most likely, you hear the name “Betty Ford” and envision a red-turtleneck-wearing Stepford Wife lookalike flashing her pearly whites for the camera. Betty Ford presented a favßade of flawlessness for the first four years in which her husband, Gerald Ford, was in office as both President and Vice-President of the United States. Despite her aesthetic appeal and public togetherness fulfilling the role as First Lady of the United States, Ford fell victim to a chemical dependency and struggled to break free of its grip -eventually leading to her hospitalization in 1987. A disastrous combination of depression, stress and substance abuse fueled her unhappy, discontent sense of self. When Betty underwent detoxification from drugs and alcohol in the hospital, she lacked an entourage of emotional support throughout the process that is available today in modern drug treatment centers. A massive surgery -a double masectomy -guided her toward addiction via painkillers and alcohol. Betty Ford harbored keen intuition that steps to provide better treatment, specifically catered toward women, would be a net gain for society as a whole. If she did receive support, it was in negligible doses — given the magnitutde of the disease — by nice nurses who happened to have a fabulous bedside demeanor. Herein Betty’s inspiration was born to incorporate mutual support networks within a treatment center, focused exclusively on drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Support would come in the form of networking between fellow clients -other addicts and alcoholics who have battled the same demons -and recovery assistance by resident assistants, therapists, psychiatrists, and on-site clinicians specially trained in the fields of alcoholism and addiction.
Ford’s close friends encouraged her to follow her dreams. Ambassador Leonard Firestone was one of her biggest advocates. Firestone’s admiration for Betty’s perseverance blew back the wind in his sails to the extent that he agreed to co-found the non-profit Betty Ford Treatment Center. It was located in Rancho Mirage, California. According to one of Betty Ford’s numerous online biographies, the center was “one of America’s first prominent centers devoted solely to such recovery, and it eventually drew high-profile clients like Elizabeth Taylor and Liza Minnelli. Ford became a prominent activist in the field, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991 — and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999.”
Having experienced the debilitating effects of chemical dependency herself, Betty also understood the toll addiction takes on family members and loved ones as well. For the chornic relapser or the practicing drug addict, family members across race, ethnicity, and geographical points found themselves drowning in sorrowful feelings, some moreso than others. In a general sense, addicts and alcoholics act out in self-destructive ways, burn bridges, lie, manipulate, and break promises while they are actively engaged in their disease. Many family members fall privy to manipulation by an active addict or alcoholic — simply as a result of love and care. In a situation where Mom is actually enabling the addict, she may believe she’s helping him recover from his cocaine addiction. She’s one example of many affected family members whom experience difficulty differentiating between the loved one and the disease. In addition, codependency is a common thread underlying relationships within family members where an addiction is present. Based on such a complex package of outstanding issues to contend with, Betty decided that without family involvement in the addict/alcoholic healing process, family members may be left with a hole in their hearts.
Barring recovery, family members tend to fall into repeated patterns of hope compounded with drastic disappointment. Without professional intervention the cycle feeds on itself -it continues picking up speed and spiraling downhill, often resulting on tragic outcomes. Betty Ford rehab centers provide family therapy to break the cycle. It was the first of its kind to offer separate programs for children and adults affected by the disease. The rehabilitation center even has a kid’s corner in which youths ages 7-12 dive into a prototype of Al-Anon fellowship. In theses rooms, children process the impact their mother or father’s addiction on their self-esteem, happiness and overall mental health. Both in adult and child care family support systems, participants are encouraged to exchange stories of strength and hope amongst themselves.
Betty Ford is well-known for comping an overall tough, no-nonsense attitude towards rehabilitation. Celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan are shuffled off to treatment -but not all survive. As UK”s Mail Online highlights in its “U.S. Showbiz” section, “Not every patient is able to stomach the strict regime, especially pampered celebrities.” Take Jerry Lee Lewis, for example, who lasted a mere two days at center Betty Ford center. My thoughts on that are aligned with what the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous states. In a nutshell, we have to be willing to go to any lengths to stay sober. Buckling down and scrubbing a toilet or two seems like a small price to pay for a lifelong gain.
