Welcome back to Coffee and Conversation with Recovery Advocate Network. I am your host, Ange, and I welcome you to Episode number 55.

Today’s guest is Mary Beth O’Connor the author of the book “From Junkie to Judge: One Woman’s Triumph Over Trauma and Addiction.”

In this episode, Marybeth O'Connor shares her journey from childhood trauma and addiction to recovery. She discusses the link between childhood trauma and addiction, the coping mechanisms individuals develop, and the challenges of setting boundaries. Marybeth also highlights the importance of understanding the impact of trauma on the body and the role of various forms of self-harm as a coping mechanism (drugs, alcohol, sex, and physical self-harm). She emphasizes that recovery is possible for everyone and that there are multiple paths to recovery.

Marybeth's story sheds light on the complexities of relationships with parents who have caused trauma and the process of emotional disengagement. She also addresses the challenges of accessing affordable treatment for substance use disorder.

She discusses the challenges of accessing treatment, the limitations of traditional programs, and the importance of personalized paths to recovery.

She emphasizes the importance of peer support and the long-term healing process.

Mary Beth encourages individuals to repair themselves and seek assistance, reminding them that it is never too late to find a way forward and overcome stigma.

More about Mary Beth:

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 of LifeRing Secular Recovery and She Recovers Foundation. She speaks on behalf of these organizations about multiple paths to recovery and 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.

Mary Beth's award-winning memoir, From Junkie to Judge: One Woman's Triumph Over Trauma and Addiction, is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indie Bound, and other sites, as well as at your local bookstore. She also has placed essays in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and Recovery Today.

Professionally, 6 years into recovery, Mary Beth attended Berkeley Law. She worked at a large firm in Silicon Valley and 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.

She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her beloved Doc whom she will celebrate 40 years with in April of this year.

Guest Links:

• https://junkietojudge.com/
• Purchase the book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/ceub45X
• She Recovers Foundation: https://sherecovers.org/
• LifeRing Secular Recovery: https://lifering.org/

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