Veronica has been attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings at The Men's Center since 2002. Although she also attends AA meetings at other locations, nothing fits as well as her association with the Welcome Home Group. She has favorite meetings, like Friday evening to start her weekend off right, or Sunday evening for a "moment of Zen." But no matter when she attends, she feels comfortable, safe, and protected at The Men's Center. Nowhere else does she feel so welcome.

"The Men's Center is home for me. The Welcome Home Group has become my family. When I was hospitalized for surgery, they were the ones who sat with me. "

Veronica struggled with addiction to pain medications, a problem that began in her early 20's when she was prescribed them for migraines. When she began mixing pain meds with alcohol, things got out of hand, and her husband checked her into rehab. After rehab, he took her to AA and told her that AA was her tool, but she had to work her own program. He too had found and maintained sobriety through AA several years earlier.

Once she was sober, Veronica realized that she still had to deal with her life. All the baggage that followed her out of addiction remained, and she began to use the steps of the AA program to sort through and change old habits.

She remembers a time when she complained about something in her life that she could not change. One of her friends from the Welcome Home Group handed her the Big Book opened to page 417, "Acceptance Was the Answer", and said, "Veronica, you're leading the meeting today." Her acceptance of the situation started that day.

Veronica counts the members of Welcome Home Group as her closest friends, true friends who help each other focus on changing what can be changed and accepting what cannot.

Although our stories are true, names and photos have been changed to preserve anonymity.