The Betty Ford Center: Still First in Recovery from Addiction
Submitted by admin on Wed, 07/21/2010 - 09:55
First Lady Betty Ford’s candor, proved groundbreaking with her admission of addiction to painkillers, as she recovered from breast cancer surgery in the 1970s. Ford was admitted to rehab, after her four children staged an intervention at the White House. Ford’s revelation drew a spotlight to the issue of women’s alcoholism and addiction, as well as recognition of the need for gender-specific treatment.
Ford Programs for YAT and Youths
Since its founding on October 4, 1982, more than 50,000 women have received treatment for alcohol and drug addiction at The Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California. Now in 2010, the center’s newest program, Young Adult Track, referred to as YAT, caters to young, adult men aged 18-25. Patients in the YAT program are often enrolled by their parents because they face multiple addictions and lack basic independent living skills. The YAT program continues the center’s tradition of inclusiveness. All center programs, based on the 12-steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, involve the patient and his or her family, including children.
Inpatient treatment, residential day treatment and intensive outpatient treatment form the core of the non-profit, center’s therapy. Patient services include clinical, diagnostic evaluation, and therapeutic aftercare. The center’s state-of-the-art treatments take a holistic approach to recovery, with specializations in fitness, acupuncture, biofeedback, and meditation.
Hope is on the Way
The Betty Ford Center reminds the public that addiction is a disease. New research indicates that addiction centers on the mid-brain as a target organ. Addicts are under the influence of a neurotransmitter, called Dopamine. Inappropriate judgment of the patient, as a self-serving pleasure seeker, brings shame for their chronic, organic loss of control. Today’s motto at the Betty Ford Center is that help is always available, and so is hope.
Call 1-800-434-7365 for a confidential, walk-through-the-process by counselors or visit www.bettyfordcenter.org for a “Live Help” online chat.
