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Title details for From Junkie to Judge by Mary Beth O'Connor - Available

From Junkie to Judge

One Woman's Triumph Over Trauma and Addiction

by Mary Beth O'Connor
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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.
Silver Award, 2023 Nonfiction Book Awards
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 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.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    January 24, 2023

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9780757324574

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9780757324574
      • File size: 1271 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      November 18, 2022

      In this harrowing, yet affirming, memoir, O'Connor (director of the She Recovers Foundation and of LifeRing Secular Recovery) shares her traumatic tale in page-turning prose. Abandoned by her mother within her first week of life and dropped off at a convent, where she lived until she was six months old, O'Connor endured years of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather, leaving her suffering from PTSD. What began as teenage rebellion, smoking and drinking cheap wine, led to drug use of LSD and ultimately meth, which became her drug of choice on and off for 15 years. While she managed to graduate from college, she dropped out of law school due to her addictions and worked in low-level jobs that she could never hold for long. Finally, entering rehab, she achieved sobriety. After returning to law school, she worked in corporate law and ended her career in the legal profession as a federal judge. VERDICT This is a sad but ultimately uplifting story. Recommended.--Rebecca Mugridge

      Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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