STICK WITH THE WINNERS! –
June 24, 2025 – Mary Beth O’Connor has been sober since 1994. She wrote From Junkie to Judge: One Woman’s Triumph Over Trauma and Addiction. She speaks, trains, and writes about substance use, trauma, mental health, and recovery. She is a Director for She Recovers Foundation and LifeRing Secular Recovery. She is a retired federal Administrative Law Judge.
Q. If you are in recovery, what was your drug(s) of choice and when is your sobriety date?
A. Methamphetamine for 15 years; sobriety date is 1/13/94.
Q. What do you like most about 12-step meetings?
A. 12-step programs weren’t a good fit for me. I pulled a few ideas out but primarily built a secular, individualized recovery plan.
Q. Do you think addiction is an illness, disease, a choice, or a wicked twist of fate?
A. I categorize it as a brain disorder.
