BOOKS BY MY FRIENDS
From Junkie to Judge: One Woman's Triumph Over Trauma and Addiction by MARY BETH O'CONNOR
Welcome to Books By My Friends, Mary Beth. You’re here to tell us about an amazing journey. Let’s get to it, shall we?
JH: What’s the blurb for your book From Junkie to Judge: One Woman's Triumph Over Trauma and Addiction?
From a junkie addicted to methamphetamines to a federal judge, Mary Beth O’Connor’s memoir shares her inspiring journey from rock bottom to resilience as she forged a personal path to recovery from trauma and addiction. Searing, unsettling, and ultimately triumphant, Judge O'Connor's debut memoir takes readers on a wild ride through the rock-bottom underbelly of intravenous drug addiction to the hallowed halls of justice where she rose to the pinnacle of success as a federal judge. With wit and unabashed honesty, O’Connor shares her remarkable three-phase journey: the abuse and trauma that drove her to teenage drug use, the chaos that ensued from her addiction; and how she developed a personalized secular recovery plan that led to twenty-nine years of sobriety. Her story proves any addict can recover and anyone can build a productive and happy life, no matter how low the bottom or how deep the pain. Within a week of being born, O’Connor was dropped off at a convent. When she was brought into her home, her mother focused on her own needs and desires, ignoring her young child. When she was nine, her stepfather kicked her in the stomach for spilling milk, beat her when she didn’t clean a plate to his satisfaction, and molested her when she was twelve. A few months later, with her first sip of Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill wine, her life changed. She felt euphoric and relaxed. So she got drunk as often as possible, adding pot, then pills, then acid. At sixteen, she found her drug of choice--methamphetamine. With her first snort, she experienced true joy for the first time. When this high was no longer sufficient, she turned to the needle and shot up. During the next sixteen years, she descended into a severe meth addiction, working her way down the corporate ladder, destroying relationships, and shattering her physical and emotional well-being. At thirty-two, she entered rehab, where she was ordered to submit to the 12-steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. As an atheist, turning her will and her life over to a higher power was not an option, and she refused to agree she was powerless. Told to comply or fail, she bravely created a new path that combined ideas from multiple programs and even incorporated some AA concepts. Clean and sober now for more than nearly three decades, she is proof that anyone can find their sober self, their best self, no matter how far they have fallen. Along with her inspiring story, she offers a comprehensive checklist of questions for readers to ask themselves as they take the brave steps toward recovery, offering a powerful blueprint for personal change.
JH: What inspired you to write From Junkie to Judge: One Woman's Triumph Over Trauma and Addiction?
I thought my story of recovering from multiple forms of child abuse, and assaults as a young adult, and my subsequent lengthy methamphetamine addiction would inspire hope. I also wanted to write about multiple pathways to addiction recovery.
JH: What one thing do you love most about writing?
I found it to be an intellectual exercise. I believe myself to be a good business and legal writer. But writing a memoir required me to learn and apply new techniques and new skills.
JH: What’s next for you in the way of writing/publishing?
My memoir is part of my advocacy for recovery from substance use disorder and abuse. I speak at conferences and on podcasts and radio. I also write op-eds.
JH: How can readers contact you?
BIO:
For Mary Beth, childhood abuse and other traumas led to substance use disorder (addiction). Beginning with alcohol at age 12, she spent several years abusing various drugs. She found methamphetamine at 16 and started shooting up at 17. Mary Beth struggled with meth until she was 32 years old. By incorporating ideas from multiple sources to build a secular (not 12-step or faith based) recovery plan that works for her, Mary Beth has been sober since 1994. She used similar techniques to address the trauma and related anxiety as well. Mary Beth is a board member for LifeRing Secular Recovery and She Recovers Foundation. She speaks on behalf of these organizations, about multiple paths to recovery, and about all topics related to substance use disorder and recovery. She also speaks about sexual abuse and rape, child abuse, domestic violence, ptsd, anxiety, and recovering from these as well. In 2020, Mary Beth published two opinion pieces about substance use disorder and recovery in major national publications. She has published memoir pieces. Her book-length memoir, From Junkie to Judge: One Woman's Journey to Recovery without God, will be released on January 24, 2023. Professionally, 6 years into recovery, Mary Beth attended Berkeley Law. She worked at a large firm in Silicon Valley, then litigated class actions for the federal government. In 2014, Mary Beth was appointed a federal Administrative Law Judge, a position from which she retired in 2020.
JH: Thanks for visiting BBMF, Mary Beth. Your story is inspiring and your mission to help others is wonderful and heartfelt. All the best to you for continuing the fight against substance use disorder and abuse.
All good things,
Joy
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Thanks, Mary Beth, for being our guest on BBMF! I've received many supportive comments about your book.
"This was a particularly good one, for me. What a powerful story. These books, these authors, are all so different. Thanks so much for these Thursdays."
and
"Thank you for this. It is so relevant for a student right now, and I sent it to them, so you may have helped someone!"
Thanks for all the great comments, folks.
Inspiring! People need to see that recovery is possible.