August 5, 2020

Living A Healthy Life in Recovery

Posted by Pat S in Alumni
Living A Healthy Life in Recovery

A healthy life is something that is largely foreign to most of us who spent much of our lives struggling with active alcoholism and addiction. Life consisted of adhering to the will of our destructive disease. When we first get sober, we often have a lot of learning to do about healing our minds, bodies, and spirits. Alcoholism and addiction is a three-fold disease, and the 12-Steps begin to repair, heal, and educate us in all those areas. We learn how to calm our minds, steady our emotions, stop abusing our bodies, and uplift and awaken our spirits. The healing begins the moment we start working the 12-Steps or attend our first Jaywalker meeting. As we continue 12-Step work, meetings, and service work in our recovery we find that they continue to help us heal and grow. Yet because we are still not used to healthy ways of living and…

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July 29, 2020

Introducing Our Monthly Series on Men’s Issues

Posted by Pat S in Alumni, Recovery
Introducing Our Monthly Series on Men’s Issues

Jaywalker Lodge is a place where men who chronically struggle to maintain long-term recovery can come to be helped with the specific hurdles they are facing. Not all alcoholics and addicts are exactly the same. But all alcoholics and addicts do have some key experiences, similarities, and common feelings that help us unite and relate to one another – things that a non-alcoholic would likely not understand. Likewise for men, not all of us are the same. But we do have similarities in our experiences, tribulations, and struggles, at least enough that we can relate to one another. While each of us has unique issues, we also all share some trouble areas as well. Some of these issues are more common than we may care to admit, and some are so private, we fear admitting them at all. But our job at Jaywalker Lodge is to help you clear up…

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July 23, 2020

Addressing Chronic Relapse

Posted by Pat S in Alumni, Recovery
Addressing Chronic Relapse

The journey from active alcoholism and addiction to sobriety and recovery is different for everyone. Some people are ready and able to get a firm hold on recovery after their first try. That is truly a wonderful blessing. But for many of us who suffer from the disease, it’s not always that easy. Relapse is by no means an uncommon part of many people’s process toward achieving long-term sobriety. Some people stumble once or twice and then they get it – for others, it’s a much bumpier road. Slipping after making a beginning doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with us. It doesn’t mean we’ll never get sober. But it may signify that there is a need for some change in our approach. Break the Relapse Cycle Chronic relapse plagues many men who truly want to get sober and live a recovered life. It does not have to be a…

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July 21, 2020

Learning to Accept Love

Posted by Pat S in Alumni, Recovery
Learning to Accept Love

This title alone may have already made you uncomfortable, which is a common response for alcoholics and addicts. The word “love” is a complicated thing. We associate it with something we tried, but could never get right – a word that reminds us of the people we’ve hurt. Many of us don’t recall much love involved with our past in addiction. We certainly don’t ever think about whether or not we love ourselves. Allowing ourselves to be loved seems like a silly question when we don’t even feel like we deserve to be loved. The truth is good news or bad news, depending on your mindset. You deserve to be loved. Love is something that all of us have, and all of us feel. Alcoholic or not, everyone has love to give and deserves to receive love as well. It’s a huge concept and a massive feeling, and accepting love…

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July 13, 2020

The 12-Steps Provide Us With a Daily Reprieve

Posted by Pat S in Alumni, Recovery
The 12-Steps Provide Us With a Daily Reprieve

Alcoholism and addiction are diseases of a three-fold nature that affect us mentally, spiritually, and physically. First, we have the physical allergy to drugs and alcohol, meaning that people like us can’t safely use alcohol in any form at all. Once we start, we can’t stop – no matter how badly we want to. Then there’s the mental obsession. This is the tricky part that keeps our mind spinning on and on about when we can take our next drink, trying to control and manage our drug use, or endlessly repeating negative memories and thoughts. The mental obsession takes many forms, but it always tries to drive us back to drinking or using. Lastly, we have the spiritual malady. This is most easily summed up by the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous as “lack of power.” We don’t have the power to stop drinking. We don’t have the power to…

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July 5, 2020

Dealing with Temptation

Posted by Pat S in Alumni, Recovery
Dealing with Temptation

Our struggles with alcoholism and addiction change us greatly, but they do not change the fact that other people react to alcohol (and even some drugs) differently than we do. We must accept the fact that we are bodily and mentally different from our fellows. We can never safely use alcohol in any form at all. That may sound dreary, but it ends up being the doorway through which we enter a beautiful new world. Yet it does not change the fact that drinking is often present in the culture around us. They won’t stop making commercials or movies featuring drinking just because we got sober. It is also likely that occasionally we will be in situations or around friends or family who are able to drink differently than we are. That is okay. Living a life in recovery does not necessarily mean that we become crusaders or advocates of…

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June 30, 2020

The Role of Medically Assisted Treatment in Our Recovery Programs

Posted by Pat S in Alumni
The Role of Medically Assisted Treatment in Our Recovery Programs

Medically assisted treatment (MAT) is a topic and practice of no small debate. We keep our position on the issue simple, clean, and in line with what we think is best for the quality of both life and recovery for the men who stay with us. At Jaywalker Lodge, we take nothing more seriously than the health, happiness, joy, and freedom of our people. MAT varies from place to place in efficacy, safety, and long-term results. We are particularly interested in long-term recovery here. Those who come to us have often found lasting sobriety elusive, so we wish to do what works best to provide them the opportunity to achieve long-term recovery for themselves. MAT at Jaywalker Lodge We do deal with the vast majority of chemical and substance addictions that a person can have. We also treat co-occurring mental and behavioral health issues. MAT is most commonly used in…

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June 29, 2020

Sobriety and Anonymity in the Time of Digital Recovery

Posted by Pat S in Alumni
Sobriety and Anonymity in the Time of Digital Recovery

In the era of self-quarantine and lockdowns, nearly every aspect of our daily lives has been turned upside down. However long this crisis lasts, we have to remain adaptable to the “new normal.” Life doesn’t stop, but it does often change. Now it has changed again and for many of us, the majority of our lives are now dependent on the very technology we previously used to distract us from our lives. Work, school, and socializing have all gone digital for most. Recovery is no different – especially for those of us who have been in recovery for a while. Meetings, time with our sponsor, and fellowshipping are all vital and beloved parts of our lives. Thankfully, though many meeting places and coffee shops have shut down, recovery has managed to flourish online. Many recovery facilities are offering digital services, such as Jaywalker Lodge’s online alumni meetings. Thanks to internet…

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June 23, 2020

The Benefits of All-Male Treatment

Posted by Pat S in Alumni
The Benefits of All-Male Treatment

It is absolutely true that alcoholism and addiction can affect anyone. This disease does not acknowledge gender, wealth, race, or creed. It does not care who we are or where we’re from – it can wreak havoc on anyone. So, why is Jaywalker Lodge all-male? We aren’t simply an all-male lodge. At Jaywalker, we have focused our expertise to help only adult males. This is primarily because we were built by adult men who found lasting sobriety and joyful lives after many failed attempts, so those with similar experiences are the ones we are most suited to help. There are many diverse options for help in recovery, just as there are many diverse people seeking recovery. A good life in recovery is available to all who want it and are willing to work for it. We hope that everyone, regardless of their personal details, can find and achieve the sobriety…

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June 21, 2020

Building Self-Esteem in Sobriety

Posted by Pat S in Alumni
Building Self-Esteem in Sobriety

Feeling good about ourselves after struggling with alcoholism and addiction may seem like a far-off and unlikely task. Sure, it sounds nice, but we’ve suffered a lot. Most of us have done things we aren’t proud of and acted ways we wished we hadn’t. We learn quickly in recovery at Jaywalker Lodge that selflessness goes a long way in improving our opinions of ourselves. The more we do for others, the better our lives become and the more we like ourselves. Self-love and self-esteem aren’t inaccessible to people in recovery. We all deserve to love the person we’re closest to our whole life – and that person is us. The 12-Steps build self-esteem all by themselves, even though we may not notice it at first. For some of us, building a healthy relationship with ourselves might require a little extra help. What Does Self-Esteem Mean? Self-esteem has a lot to…

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