Mary Beth O'Connor

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 for LifeRing Secular Recovery and She Recovers Foundation. She speaks on behalf of these organizations, about multiple paths to recovery, and about all topics related to substance use dis

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Henriette Ivanans

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Elizabeth Gilbert

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Visit her at:
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She is currently working on her next book, "Dog-Shaped Hole: How Five Hounds Healed Hen."
Buy books on Amazon
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David Poses was the author of the groundbreaking memoir The Weight of Air.

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Julie D. Summers

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Having grown up in a small Midwest town, I went to college in Boston and discovered I’m a city gal. I now live in New York City and am an author, teacher, and writing coach. My work has appeared in the New York Times; the Visible Ink anthology; and the flash fiction anthology, For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn. My memoir, The Wrong Calamity, is my debut book. Previously, I was an executive in corporations and nonprofits and a consultant to nonprofits. When I’m not writing, you might find me reading in a park or cooking something out of the ordinary in my kitchen while singing along with a playlist.
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