He nodded his encouragement, though he wanted to embrace her and let her know she had what it took to stay clean. Quincy knew how important hugs and encouragement were, both of which had disappeared from his life after Truman had gone to prison. These last two years of his recovery, Quincy had greedily accepted and happily doled out as many as he could. But this wasn’t a group of friends chatting or a therapy session. It was Simone’s turn to share her painful experiences and try to find her way through them, and in doing so, she might also help others. While hugs were encouraged, members were asked to save conversations and comments for after the meetings, which was exactly what Quincy would do.

“I don’t want to go back to being the person I was, and I’m not sure who I’m supposed to become. But I’m going to figure it out,” Simone said more confidently. “Thank you.”

Jacob, the guy sitting next to her, reached over and embraced her, patting her back supportively.

Quincy glanced at the clock and said, “We’re out of time. I’d like to thank everyone who shared tonight. When you walk out that door, remember the reasons you walked through it. The only person who can change your life is the one in the mirror, but you don’t have to do it alone. If you feel yourself slipping, lean on your sponsors. That’s what we’re here for. There’s a list of daily meeting locations on the table. You can do this, but you have to want it.” He pushed to his feet, and everyone else followed, holding hands and bowing their heads as they said the Serenity Prayer.

When they were done, a couple of people left without a word; others thanked Quincy as he put away the chairs, and then they headed outside, where he knew they would linger and talk as late as they could. For people in recovery, too much downtime or time alone opened dangerous doors, behind which the beasts were clawing to get through.

“You did good tonight, Sims. I’m proud of you,” Quincy said as she put on her coat. “How’d it feel?”

“Like I was sitting there naked.”

He remembered that feeling all too well, but feeling vulnerable was so much better than being wasted. “That about sums it up, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, but it also felt good, you know? Getting it out there. I still can’t believe the things I did, the way I treated people. The way I treated myself.”

“Recovery is not for the weak. We need clarity in order to accept what we did and find ways to forgive ourselves so we can move forward. We’ve all been there. Just remember, we are all far from perfect. That guy in the suit you talked about? He’s no better than you. In fact, he’s worse. He took advantage of your drugged-up state, and now you’re done with drugs. You’re working to better yourself, and he’s probably still paying for sex.”