William Moyers shares his journey to sobriety in new memoir

Big Books & Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller

William Moyers was one of the lucky ones.

Sober for decades after years of addiction to alcohol and crack cocaine, he became a model of success and redemption. He started working at the Hazelden Betty Ford, and in 2006, he published a vulnerable memoir, “Broken,” about his journey out of addiction.

But then he was prescribed pain killers after some dental work. And he found himself addicted again. Only this time, he had a public persona. People looked to him for hope. And he found opioids a much harder substance to break free from.

What happened next is captured in his new memoir, “Broken Open: What Painkillers Taught Me about Life and Recovery.” Moyers said it changed his focus from sobriety to recovery, and it caused him to rethink how addicts can get there.

This week, he joins host Kerri Miller in the studio for an conversation about what true recovery looks like. “It’s really messy,” he says. “It’s particularly messy for those of us who are public advocates for organizations like Hazelden Betty Ford who are putting their stories out there to inspire others to get well. My story has helped thousands and thousands of people, and I’m glad for it. But there’s more to it, which is why I have to tell this story.”

Guest:

• William C. Moyers is the vice president of public affairs and community relations at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. His new memoir “Broken Open: What Painkillers Taught Me about Life and Recovery.”

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