Women Shaping the Recovery Movement
Long before substance use disorder was widely recognized as a health issue, women were already organizing support networks for those struggling with alcohol and addiction. In the 1700s, an Indigenous leader often referred to as Wyoming Woman, a Delaware prophetess, helped lead one of the earliest recovery circles focused on abstinence and mutual aid.
By the 19th century, women’s mutual-aid societies such as the Martha Washington Society and the Ladies Dashaway Association were creating early community-based support systems for women experiencing alcohol-related harm.
As the modern recovery movement began to develop in the 20th century, women continued to lead transformative change.
Marty Mann, one of the first women in Alcoholics Anonymous to achieve long-term sobriety, became a powerful advocate for recovery. In 1950, she founded the National Council on Alcoholism, helping shift the national conversation toward recognizing alcoholism as a public health issue rather than a moral failing.
Lois Wilson, co-founder of Al-Anon Family Groups, helped create a structured support system for families affected by addiction, recognizing that recovery often involves entire support networks.
In the 1970s, Dr. Jean Kirkpatrick founded Women for Sobriety, the first national recovery organization created specifically for women. Her approach emphasized self-esteem, empowerment, and emotional healing, expanding how recovery programs could address women’s unique experiences.
Public leadership also helped break down stigma. When Betty Ford openly shared her struggles with alcohol and prescription drug addiction, she helped normalize treatment-seeking and later co-founded the Betty Ford Center, one of the most influential addiction treatment programs in the country.
Other leaders helped expand recovery support to better serve diverse communities. Chaney Allen, author of I’m Black and I’m Sober, helped bring visibility to the experiences of Black women in recovery and worked to improve counselor training for serving minority populations. Jacki McKinney, co-founder of the Women’s Recovery Network, advanced culturally responsive recovery support for African American women.
Today, women continue to lead innovative recovery initiatives across the country. Organizations such as She Recovers, founded by Dawn Nickel and Taryn Strong, have created global communities that support multiple pathways to recovery.
“Women helped transform addiction from a hidden struggle into a public health conversation—replacing silence and stigma with advocacy, education, and support.”
These leaders—past and present—have helped reshape the recovery landscape by centering compassion, community, and dignity.
“The recovery movement we see today exists because generations of women refused to let people face addiction alone.”
This Women’s History Month, we honor their leadership and continue working toward a community where recovery is possible for everyone.