Episode description

In 1978, former first lady of the United States, Betty Ford, announced that she had an addiction to alcohol and prescription medication, and would be seeking treatment.

Wife of the 38th US president Gerald Ford, her openness and honesty about her addictions was remarkable for its time and was headline news.

But it was her daughter, Susan Ford, who had organised the family intervention to confront her mother about her addiction, prompting her to seek help.

Susan Ford Bales remembers the moment she knocked on her mother's door early in the morning with the rest of her family and begged her to get help.

Betty Ford would go on to establish the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California to help others struggling with addiction.

Susan Ford tells her and her mother’s story to Colm Flynn.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

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(Photo: Betty Ford. Credit: Getty Images)