Through MARA, I finally found what every human being longs for: a safe place to speak my truth, people who understood me, and dignity in the way I was surviving. Today, I’m proud to serve as a MAT Ambassador, advocating in courts, treatment programs, and community spaces to make sure others have the same chance at recovery and stability. 

I'm standing here, alive, because of recovery. Not a cookie-cutter version of recovery. My pathway has been medication-assisted treatment, mental health medication, therapy, and a fellowship called MARA — Medication-Assisted Recovery Anonymous.

Through MARA, I finally found what every human being longs for: a safe place to speak my truth, people who understood me, and dignity in the way I was surviving. MARA — Medication-Assisted Recovery Anonymous — is different from traditional recovery fellowships. It is nonjudgmental, stigma-breaking, and believes recovery should be accessible to anyone seeking a safer lifestyle today.

It was created for people using medication as part of their recovery, but it welcomes anyone — whether or not they’ve ever been on medication or even used substances. The only requirement is a desire to live a safer lifestyle. MARA has its own format, preamble, and guiding principles, all built around the idea that medication-assisted treatment is a valid and respected pathway to recovery. It’s not just for those with substance use disorder — it’s for anyone ready to leave unsafe patterns behind and embrace change.

Today, I facilitate MARA meetings across Massachusetts. 

Here’s what I learned: We don’t tell someone with asthma that using an inhaler means they aren’t really breathing on their own. We don’t tell someone with diabetes that taking insulin means they aren’t really healthy. We don’t tell someone with depression that antidepressants mean they aren’t strong enough.

Yet every day, people in recovery are told that using medication like methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone means they aren’t really sober. That stigma doesn’t just hurt — it kills. It pushes people to hide their treatment or give it up, even when it’s keeping them alive. Medication-assisted treatment stabilizes the brain, prevents overdose, and supports recovery. It is medicine, just like an inhaler or insulin. The difference is not in the science — it’s in the judgment.