Since 1989, we have observed National Recovery Month in September. This annual event promotes and supports new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, our strong and proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and communities making recovery in all its forms possible. The TMF is proud to join recovery advocates across the country each year in this celebration of hope and healing.
Our TMF program sees so many recovery miracles. In honor of Recovery Month, we want to share one graduate’s miraculous story with you:
Dr. J is the daughter of first-generation immigrant parents. Shy and quiet, she did all the right things, avoiding illegal drugs in school but unfortunately developing a food addiction.
“By college I was morbidly obese,” she said. “In medical school I discovered alcohol and Ambien; as a lifelong insomniac, Ambien felt like a miracle drug. I LOVED residency, both the learning and partying. Post-residency found me working as a nocturnist and my Ambien [addiction] got worse. In 2011, I totaled my car and was arrested for shoplifting under the influence. The most shameful moment of my life was calling my parents to bail their grown daughter out of jail.”
It was a low point, but Dr. J had not yet hit bottom. She married quickly and moved to Chicago, making scant pay doing “scary” home PCP visits on the south side. With her Illinois license on probation, she was able to remain substance free but became pregnant and moved back to Tennessee for a better job at a small, rural hospital. Not knowing her history, an obstetrician prescribed Ambien and she was right back where she started, keeping her secret for fear of being shunned and stripped of her license.
“By 2015, I could not stop using and prayed for death regularly. My life from the outside looked great, but inside I was dying,” she said. “On January 9, after fortifying myself with Ambien, I met with Mike Todd and Dr. Roland Gray of the TMF. The secrecy was shattered: I admitted I was addicted, broke, broken, stuck in a failing marriage, alone, and absolutely desperate. I finally hit bottom and felt my life was over. The TMF got me admitted for an evaluation, followed by treatment and a monitoring contract.”
At a Caduceus retreat she met her future boss – a physician in recovery who shared his own story and worked “tirelessly” to get her back into hospital medicine. Nine years later, she is still serving as an internist there, including a stint as chief of staff.
“On January 10, 2025, I hit 10 years of sobriety. I have [recovered from] my food addiction, as well. My son is now 10 and has never seen his mom as an addict,” she proudly shared. “Over the years, I’ve clung to TMF, IDAA, and my Caduceus group like the life preservers they are because I know I cannot do this alone. Life in sobriety hasn’t been easy, but it’s seen
me through the death of my mother, the end of a marriage, several break-ups, a breast cancer scare, and all the life things that still happen, even in recovery.”
You may be able to relate to Dr. J’s experience and her transformation, or you may know someone who has a similar story. Why not honor their journey with a Recovery Month gift in their name?
One in 10 Americans are in substance use recovery, and one in four are in recovery for a mental health problem. As Dr. J’s story illustrates, a life in recovery offers benefits that include:
- Better physical health and reduced risk of chronic disease, better mental health, with reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other conditions.
- Better quality of life, increased happiness, and greater life satisfaction, stronger social support, and achievements in education, employment, and family relationships.
- Lower healthcare costs, better employment opportunities, fewer work absences, more productivity, leading to increased income and less financial stress and strain.
- For health professionals, improved focus, clarity, and ability to deliver a higher level of quality care with improved patient outcomes.
This month, as you celebrate National Recovery Month, the benefits of recovery, and the importance of staying connected to community and support, please also honor this special month with a donation to the TMF’s crucial mission to Save Lives, Save Careers for Tennessee health professionals. Your gifts help make our lifesaving and life-restoring programs and resources available to physicians and other health professionals in crisis.
Dr. J completed her primary monitoring in 2020 and remains as a voluntary participant for continued accountability. She ended her story with an expression of gratitude for the help and support available through the TMF, thanks to donors and partners just like you.
“TMF saved my life in every sense of the word. I owe everything to them and my family,” she said. “So when my voluntary (Recovery Maintenance Agreement) contract comes up for renewal, I will say yes, again.”
By investing in our work and mission, you will help physicians and other health professionals in distress or crisis find hope, health, and the miracle of recovery. Your gift can be made in the name of a colleague, a recovery provider, or those instrumental in your own recovery. We promise to use it well, and you will see the results of your investment in the lives of those you are helping.
With hope,
Clay W. Runnels, MD
TMF Board President
Michael Baron, MD, MPH, DFASAM
TMF Medical Director
