Your generosity gave Lauren and her family the support they needed to heal, rebuild trust, and rediscover joy—together.
Lauren remembers the summer everything fell apart. "I tried to stop drinking on my own, but it wasn't working," she recalls. "I was scared to go to treatment because I'd never been away from my kids." Her husband was in the Coast Guard, and the family moved often. Life felt chaotic.
When Lauren entered treatment at Hazelden Betty Ford, things didn't go as she had hoped. She began drinking again right away. Eventually, she went back, "but not as quickly as I should have," she says. "The third time I went back to treatment, I was at the lowest point I'd ever been. I felt totally hopeless."
But thanks to generous supporters, Hazelden Betty Ford was there for Lauren no matter how many times she walked through the door. "I was met with compassion, and no one made me feel badly for coming back," she says. "They encouraged me for trying. I had thought no one cared, but everyone made me feel like I belonged."
Lauren describes Hazelden Betty Ford as a "bubble of safety"—a place where she could heal, laugh again, and rediscover joy. "I don't remember laughing that hard for years," she says. "On hard days now, I almost wish I was back at Hazelden Betty Ford."
Donor support also made it possible for Lauren's family to heal alongside her. "The Children's Program was one of the most important aspects of recovery for all of us," she explains. Her children, just 9 and 11 years old at the time, had witnessed her worst moments. "My daughter could tell that I relapsed before my husband knew," Lauren says. "The program allowed the kids to separate me from the disease, and it gave us the vocabulary to talk about addiction. I'm not sure we could have had these conversations otherwise."
Lauren's husband and mother participated in the Family Program, too. They both gained tools and skills to help themselves while they supported her in her recovery. "I don't think I'd be sober without the support of my family. It was a disease we were all fighting together."
Today, life looks very different for Lauren. "This summer we were a cohesive family unit again," she says. "During winter break we went to Italy…family vacations were not something we had done before. I could do that because I was sober. It was amazing."
Lauren feels lucky to have been given a second chance at life. "I was on a reckless path—escalating so fast," she says. "I'm sure I'd be in jail or dead now. Instead, my kids got their mom back; my husband got his wife back. Hazelden Betty Ford saved my life."
And that second chance? It started with you. Your support ensures that when someone like Lauren feels hopeless, Hazelden Betty Ford can meet them with compassion, provide life-saving care, and help entire families heal. "Getting a second chance is almost a miracle," Lauren says. "I owe my life to counselors who never gave up on me."
Thank you for making miracles happen.
