The compelling and deeply personal stories of six women's journeys through alcoholism and drug addiction, with commentary by Betty Ford.

The Betty Ford Center is widely regarded as the nation's leading addiction treatment hospital, and since it opened in 1982, over 56,000 people have been treated there. Yet little has been written about what actually happens during treatment at the hospital.

Last year, during an alumni reunion, six women who had gone through the center and with whom Betty Ford had close relationships, decided to share their remarkable stories.

These are regular women, not celebrities, and they cross a broad spectrum of race, age, and class. One is a schoolteacher, another a housewife, and one is a former gang member. These women were addicted to alcohol, prescription medications, illegal drugs, and some to a combination of the three. For a few of the women, their treatment was successful the first time around-for others the journey to recovery was much more arduous. Their stories are honest and open, at times funny, often heartbreaking, always compelling.

Betty Ford weaves her own commentary around these narratives, giving details about the women and their lives-what they went through at the center and what happened afterward -and sharing stories about her own battle with drugs and alcohol.

Healing and Hope is a book for anyone struggling with addiction or who knows someone who is. It chronicles the experiences of survivors, women who have fought to reclaim their lives and break free of the addictions that have held them prisoner for so long.