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 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.
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