Veronica Ramos Clark, LCAC, a licensed clinical addiction counselor and Executive Director of Fresh Start Counseling Services, has announced the September 22, 2026 release of A Fresh Start: Breaking the Cycle. The book combines memoir and practical guidance for adults who grew up with an alcoholic parent or in a dysfunctional home. Its publication matters because it directly addresses a question familiar to its intended readers: Why do the same struggles keep appearing long after childhood has ended? By exploring how roles learned early in life—such as keeping the peace, taking responsibility for others, or staying quiet to avoid conflict—can continue to influence adult relationships and self-worth, the book offers a framework for understanding and changing entrenched patterns.
Clark brings both professional and personal experience to the subject. An adult child of an alcoholic herself, she grew up as one of eleven children. Her work draws on nearly three decades of counseling experience and her own efforts to understand the family patterns she carried into adulthood. This dual perspective lends credibility and relatability to the guidance, making it accessible to readers who might otherwise feel isolated in their experiences.
A Fresh Start invites readers to identify those patterns and consider how they want to respond differently. Topics include people-pleasing, conflict avoidance, grief, suppressed emotions, and the difficulty of setting boundaries. The book offers tools for examining childhood beliefs and developing a clearer sense of personal needs and worth. The intended audience includes adults who appear capable and dependable to others but feel exhausted by always being the responsible one. It also speaks to readers who want to understand recurring relationship difficulties and avoid passing destructive family patterns to another generation.
In an endorsement published on Clark's website, Patty Aubery writes, "Veronica's wisdom and compassion shine through every page. This book is a gift to anyone seeking healing and hope."
Readers can view A Fresh Start: Breaking the Cycle on Amazon and visit VeronicaRamosClark.net for book updates, information about the author, and Reading Your Story, a free companion self-assessment. The release of this book is significant because it provides a resource for adults seeking to break the cycle of family dysfunction, offering both validation and practical steps toward healing.
Veronica Ramos Clark, LCAC, is a licensed clinical addiction counselor, speaker, author, and Executive Director of Fresh Start Counseling Services. She works with adult children of alcoholic and dysfunctional homes, helping them understand learned patterns and make changes in their lives.
