Betty entered a Navy-run rehab based on Alcoholics Anonymous in April 1978. Four hospital beds—more like cots. Military grade. 1978年4月，贝蒂进入海军经营的戒毒所。四张病床——更像是小床。军事等级的。

Betty's apprehension had been building, and when she saw the stark facilities and realized she was going to share a room and bathroom with three other women, she said, "I am accustomed to having a private room." (She agreed to sleep there.) 贝蒂的忧虑一直在积累，当她看到冰冷的设备，意识到她要和另外三个女人共用一个房间和浴室时，她说:“我已经习惯了私人房间。”（她同意睡在那里。）

For group therapy, Betty was placed in Group Six—they called themselves the "Six-Pack." There were five men. Betty was the oldest, the only female. 在小组治疗中，贝蒂被分在六组，他们称自己为“六块肌”。有五个人。贝蒂年龄最大，是唯一的女性。

It was negotiated that Betty would not have to clean toilets—that seemed to cross a line for a former First Lady—but other than that there were few exceptions allowed. 经过协商，贝蒂不必打扫厕所——这似乎对一位前第一夫人来说太过分了——但除此之外，几乎没有例外。

Betty resisted admitting she was an alcoholic. "I can't do that," Betty told her doctor, her voice beginning to quiver. "I don't want to embarrass my husband." 贝蒂拒绝承认她是个酒鬼。“我不能那样做，”贝蒂告诉她的医生，她的声音开始颤抖。“我不想让我丈夫难堪。”

Jerry winced. He'd come to realize that he'd been enabling her for far too long. "No," he said, "it won't embarrass me." 杰里生气了。他开始意识到，他骄纵她太久了。“不，”他说，“这不会让我难堪。”

On April 21, 1978, she publicly said that she was addicted to prescription medication and alcohol. 1978年4月21日，她公开表示她对处方药和酒精上瘾。

America loved and respected Betty Ford, and her announcement brought home in a powerful way that this disease alcoholism could touch virtually any family. 美国人爱戴并尊敬贝蒂·福特，她的声明以一种强有力的方式让人们认识到，酒精上瘾这种疾病几乎可以影响到任何一个家庭。

"I'm Betty and I am an alcoholic," she said at a group session. "And I know my drinking has hurt my family." “我是贝蒂，我是个酒鬼，”她在一次小组会议上说。“我知道我喝酒伤害了我的家人。”

As she said it out loud, a wave of relief spread through her. A year into recovery, friends broached the idea of her starting an alcohol treatment center. 当她大声说出来的时候，一股如释重负的感觉传遍了她的全身。康复一年之后，朋友们提出了让她开办一个酒精治疗中心的想法。

Betty couldn't forget how being forthright about her breast cancer had helped thousands of women. 贝蒂无法忘记，她对乳腺癌的坦率帮助了成千上万的女性。

She realized that perhaps her personal battle with alcoholism and addiction could do the same thing. She and a partner raised $3 million. 她意识到，也许她个人与酗酒和毒瘾的斗争也能起到同样的作用。她和一位合伙人筹集了300万美元。

The Eisenhower Medical Center offered several acres in Palm Springs, asking that the facility bear Betty's name. 艾森豪威尔医疗中心在棕榈泉提供了几英亩的土地，要求该设施以贝蒂的名字命名。

"Absolutely not," Betty said. "I'm new to recovery." In the back of her mind, she was also thinking, I'll never be able to drink again. “绝对不行，”贝蒂说。“我刚开始恢复。”在她的内心深处，她也在想，我再也不能喝酒了。

But her family was unanimous. "We're proud of you," they said. "Go for it." From the moment Betty agreed to put her name on the center, she took ownership. 但她的家人一致同意。“我们为你感到骄傲，”他们说。“试试吧。”从贝蒂同意把她的名字放在中心的那一刻起，她就拥有了所有权。

Betty chose the fabrics, the furniture, the rugs, the art. 贝蒂选择了布料、家具、地毯和艺术品。

Before the opening, she realized there weren't soap dishes in patients' rooms, so she went to Kmart, Secret Service agents in tow, to buy soap dishes. 开业前，她意识到病人的房间里没有肥皂盘子，于是她去了Kmart，跟着的是特工人员，去买肥皂盘子。

Betty insisted there not be any private rooms— she had realized how important it was to have roommates and for no patient to be treated more special than any other because of wealth or stature. 贝蒂坚持没有任何私人房间——她已经意识到有室友是多么重要，没有病人因为财富或地位而受到比其他任何病人都特殊的对待。

The Betty Ford Center opened on Oct. 3, 1982. She had an office, but you were more likely to find her chatting with patients at the coffee bar or walking around with a garbage bag, picking up any litter. 贝蒂福特中心于1982年10月3日开业。她有一间办公室，但你更有可能发现她在咖啡馆和病人聊天，或者拿着垃圾袋四处捡垃圾。

Once a month, she gave a lecture to patients. 她每个月给病人做一次讲座。

She'd walk into the auditorium and look out at the audience of people from all walks of life—truck drivers, housewives, actors, and musicians: "Hello, I'm Betty, and I'm an alcoholic." 她走进礼堂，看着来自各行各业的观众——卡车司机，家庭主妇、演员和音乐家:“你好，我是贝蒂，我是个酒鬼。”