Multiple Pathways to Substance Use Disorder Recovery

Mary Beth O'Connor on the Reproductive Rebel Podcast

Mary Beth O'Connor, Author, and Book Author, From Junkie to Judge:

One Woman's Triumph Over Trauma and Addiction

Tom O'Connor, Publisher

Recovery from substance use disorders has had several definitions. Today, it is recognized that Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) exist on a spectrum of mild, moderate, and severe. Recovery plans should be tailored to the individual. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) defines recovery as a dynamic change process through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live self-directed lives, and strive to reach their full potential.

The concept of Recovery Capital is central to many recovery definitions. In essence, Recovery Capital is the collection of resources an individual may use to support their ongoing recovery. While an individual may be able to find and maintain recovery, the resources they have at their disposal aid in the long-term growth and maintenance of their recovery.

Multiple Pathways to Substance Use Disorder Recovery is a highly personalized approach that focuses on strength building, individualized coping skills development, and utilizing resources. Helping the person with a SUD find their path increases buy-in tremendously.

Recovery Capital

Recovery Capital can be broken into four areas:

• Social:  Family, friends, group, and community support

• Physical:  Physical assets like money and property

• Human:  Skills, education, and personal drive

• Cultural:  Values, beliefs, and attributes linking social conformity and social behaviors

The more recovery capital individuals can access, the better their chances of long-term recovery growth and maintenance. With an emphasis on accumulating Recovery Capital, the community's job is to ensure that sufficient recovery supports are available.

Author Mary Beth O'Connor published a book titled "From Junkie to Judge," which chronicles her journey from addiction to becoming a federal judge, highlighting her path to recovery. Mary Beth's memoir shares her inspiring journey from rock bottom to resilience as she forged a personal path to recovery from trauma and addiction. 

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. Please visit her website at https://junkietojudge.com/.

According to Mary Beth O'Connor:

A frequent decision is to reduce or eliminate substance use, whether that be alcohol, cannabis, or other drugs. To assist with this process, some choose to participate in peer support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and other 12-step groups (NA, CA, ACA, etc.), which are a good fit for some but not for many others. 

Fortunately, numerous options exist, including LifeRing Secular Recovery and She Recovers Foundation. Because these two programs tackle recovery the same way I did 30 years ago, when I got sober from a lengthy methamphetamine addiction, I joined the Board of Directors for both.

LifeRing Secular Recovery 

LifeRing's philosophy is the "3-S" approach: sobriety, secularity, and self-empowerment. Sobriety is defined as abstinence from all drugs except those that are medically indicated and taken as prescribed. LifeRing emphasizes that sobriety needs to be your #1 priority, particularly during early recovery. It teaches that all positive decisions and new recovery habits strengthen the Sober Self.

As to secularity, out of respect for all faiths and none, LifeRing conducts meetings in a secular way, so we do not use prayer or talk about religion. However, many members have personal spiritual or religious beliefs. 

By self-empowerment, LifeRing means that the individual's motivation and efforts are the key to recovery. LifeRing also recognizes that each member is unique and thus should build a personal recovery plan that best suits them. The program and meetings are a means by which to do so.

She Recovers Foundation

She Recovers Foundation members seek recovery from a variety of life challenges, which include substance use, trauma, grief and loss, eating and gambling disorders, burnout and moral injury, love addiction, and mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. The development of these conditions often has a common source, and the recoveries are intertwined.   She Recovers is dedicated to redefining recovery, inspiring hope, ending stigma, and empowering women to increase their recovery capital, heal themselves, and aid other women.

A fundamental principle of the She Recovers program is supporting its members in their recovery pathways and the challenges they face. The focus is on strengths rather than defects and recovery as the journey to wholeness and radical self-love. This program includes offerings to develop the mind-body linkage, like trauma-informed yoga and recovery dance. It helps members resolve past wounds and intergenerational traumas. Connection is the sole/soul purpose, as members are stronger when they work together and lift each other.

Both LifeRing & She Recovers Program

LifeRing and She Recovers offer in-person and online meetings. Both welcome 12-step members and members of other peer support groups to attend and incorporate additional techniques and strategies that have proven helpful to many.

If these summary descriptions appeal to you, please visit www.lifering.org and www.sherecovers.org  for more information. 

In addition to LifeRing and She Recovers, there is also SMART Recovery, an abstinence-oriented organization for individuals with addictive problems. Their self-empowering, free mutual support meetings focus on ideas and techniques to help substance users change their lives from one that is self-destructive and unhappy to one that is constructive and satisfying. They can be reached at www.smartrecovery.org.  

Recovery 2.0 is a global community of people who have found a way to overcome addiction and thrive in life. Their philosophy is based on the idea that they are engaged in a never-ending Path of Discovery. They embrace the wisdom of numerous spiritual traditions, the 12 steps, other recovery modalities, psychology, philosophy, yoga, and meditation. Through daily practices, community engagement, 40+ live meetings weekly, online programming, educational resources, and live transformational retreats, Recovery 2.0 offers another path to achieve long-term recovery.

Mary Beth O'Connor can be reached at  www.junkietojudge.com

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