In this candid and moving memoir, former First Lady Betty Ford shares her experience, understanding, and hope so that others can discover that alcoholism and drug addiction need not rob them of their lives. Much more than one woman's intimate odyssey through loneliness and despair to happiness and health, this extraordinary volume is one of encouragement, comfort, and support to all families and individuals. It is a living testament to the power of love, the joys of recovery, and the will to survive that can give life a new, and often better, beginning. Like so many millions of Americans, Betty Ford suffered from alcoholism and drug addiction. But, in her case, as in many cases, the disease took years to surface. When it did, it took all of the strength and courage that she and her family possessed to be able to deal with it. Betty: A Glad Awakening is the deeply personal story of one of the most celebrated women of our time. Wonderment, gratitude, serenity, laughter, freedom—these are but a few of the gifts that Mrs. Ford received in her journey through treatment to recovery. And, as she so eloquently describes in her book, they inspired her to help others who feel defeated by the disease of addiction.