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.