ATLANTA – Hundreds in Atlanta and around the country watched in person and virtually on November 14 as bestselling author and national recovery advocate William C. Moyers shared his personal story of overcoming addiction.
Moyers was the guest speaker for the Peachtree Road United Methodist Church's One Lamb Mental Health Initiative, part of the church's effort to break the stigma of mental illness and addiction by offering programming and support to its congregation and the community at large.
A former Atlantan and CNN journalist, Moyers struggled with addiction for years and has now been thriving in recovery even longer. He shares his message of hope for individuals and families affected by substance use disorders, which impact 1 in 3 families nationally and 1 in 7 individuals during their lifetime.
Moyers, a vice president at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, was a key player in the creation of the Addiction Alliance of Georgia (AAG), a partnership formed last year between Hazelden Betty Ford and Emory Healthcare, aiming to advance addiction-related clinical care, education and research throughout Georgia and beyond.
Since formally launching in September 2020, the Addiction Alliance of Georgia has been garnering philanthropic support to help fuel its goals. To date, AAG has raised approximately $8 million from the generous support of individuals, corporations and foundations, including the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation and O. Wayne Rollins Foundation.
The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is a force of healing and hope for individuals, families and communities affected by addiction to alcohol and other drugs. As the nation's leading nonprofit provider of comprehensive inpatient and outpatient addiction and mental health care for adults and youth, the Foundation has treatment centers and telehealth services nationwide as well as a network of collaborators throughout health care. Through charitable support and a commitment to innovation, the Foundation is able to continually enhance care, research, programs and services, and help more people. With a legacy that began in 1949 and includes the 1982 founding of the Betty Ford Center, the Foundation today is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in its services and throughout the organization, which also encompasses a graduate school of addiction studies, a publishing division, an addiction research center, recovery advocacy and thought leadership, professional and medical education programs, school-based prevention resources and a specialized program for children who grow up in families with addiction.