November 29, 2020

Scheduling Recovery

Posted by Pat S in Alumni, Recovery
recovery

It doesn’t take much for life to get busy, even for those of us who are new in recovery. It can happen so quickly that we forget the fear and terror of our previous lives in alcoholism and addiction. Initially, we were so relieved and so grateful for sobriety and recovery. Being returned to life and mostly free from our disease, we often forget the things that got us here and begin letting our lives get busy. We have jobs, friends, family obligations, exercise, errands to run, meals to cook, and naps to take. It’s okay if we miss a couple of meetings here and there, right? Maybe, but most likely not. Think of how unknowingly we lost ourselves to our disease over time. It likely happened little by little, one thing at a time. We just had a drink in the morning on weekends, but soon we were drinking…

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November 21, 2020

Letting Go of the Old

Posted by Pat S in Alumni
fresh start

For those who are alcoholics or addicts, it can be overwhelming to experience the newness of life in recovery. From our daily habits, to how we feel and think, to who we spend time with, to where we spend our time, everything about our lives becomes new. Even the familiar things seem fresher when we experience them from a new, sober perspective. Just waking up sober in recovery is new enough to take some getting used to. It can be even more overwhelming when we understand the vital necessity of all this unfamiliar, brand-new territory. Our lives in active alcoholism and addiction were not working — in fact, they were killing us. The good things that were in our lives were likely put at risk by our disease. If we’re lucky, we don’t need a new job or new family when we get into recovery, but it’s very likely that…

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November 13, 2020

Character Building as a Way of Life

Posted by Pat S in Alumni
happy

Character building may be a vague or unfamiliar concept to many people, especially alcoholics and addicts. Those of us who have the disease usually found ourselves with little time to do anything other than what our alcoholism or addiction demanded. We had to feed the beast, no matter the cost — though the cost was usually everything. We didn’t have the time or strength to learn how to become the people we wanted to be.  Once we find the program of recovery and work the 12-Steps, we discover freedom from our disease. Now that we have the time to live the life of our dreams, we may find ourselves unequipped to do so. There was much time when we could have been learning, growing, and improving, but we were trapped by our addiction and alcoholism. This realization can leave us feeling like people left behind like it’s too little too…

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November 5, 2020

Men’s Issues: Being a Wet Blanket

Posted by Pat S in Alumni
sober

Alcoholism and addiction can affect anyone, regardless of age, wealth, gender, race, or religion. The disease affects us all the same, though our individual symptoms may be unique. Luckily, the solution for alcoholism and addiction is the same for all of us as well —  the 12-Steps of recovery. They can help any person suffering from alcoholism and addiction if they are taken.  Our common disease and common solution unite us, for at the end of the day we are all one, and we have more similarities than we have differences. However, at Jaywalker Lodge, we treat male alcoholics and addicts. Over time, we have noticed specific issues that seem to impact men. This month, we are addressing the fear of being a wet blanket once we are sober, and how we can combat this issue in our recovery. Taking an Honest Look at Our Past A lot of us…

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October 30, 2020

We Believe: 4. Cleanliness and Order Help Create an Environment of Safety and Trust

Posted by Pat S in Alumni
Cleanliness and Order

At Jaywalker Lodge, we are guided by our core values every day, in everything we do. Our entire program and every aspect of our day-to-day life is built upon the heart of our beliefs. We do things a little differently here at Jaywalker Lodge — and our values and beliefs are the reasons why. We have a strong foundation rooted in the 12-Steps, and that has inspired us to summarize our heart in 12 beliefs. These are the 12 things we believe in most strongly — the things that mold and motivate our every action, interaction, and decision. We believe in you getting to know us better, so we want to share with you the meaning behind what “We Believe.” This week, we are discussing our fourth belief: We believe that cleanliness and immaculate order create an environment of safety, trust, and other-centered consciousness. Jaywalker Lodge is big on environment….

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October 23, 2020

The Differences and Similarities Between Alcoholism and Addiction

Posted by Pat S in Alumni
alcoholism and addiction

Alcoholism and addiction are often mentioned in the same breath. They are often even experienced simultaneously. In the modern age, many who abuse alcohol also abuse drugs or other addictive substances, yet many stick to one or the other. All of this combines to create a great deal of confusion and misunderstanding surrounding alcoholism and addiction, and the differences and similarities between them.  Alcoholism vs. Addiction Some hold the belief that alcoholism is simply an addiction to alcohol. This theory says that alcoholism and addiction are simply both” addiction.” There are also those who classify addiction as a type of alcoholism, thereby making both addiction and alcoholism just types of alcoholism with different manifestations. For some it is an issue of semantics, and academic and medical opinions may vary. However, for the purposes of recovery using the 12-Steps, there are some points that can be cleared up from a non-medical…

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October 15, 2020

Why Whole-Person Healing Is Vital to Recovery

Posted by Pat S in Alumni
whole person healing

Alcoholism and addiction are diseases of a three-fold nature, affecting a person physically, mentally, and spiritually. This is true whether or not mental or emotional health issues are simultaneously present. However, mental or emotional health issues are prevalent amongst alcoholics and addicts, as is trauma. These additional conditions only add layers to the already triple-layered disease. Therefore, it is imperative that the entire person be treated as a whole, so holistic healing can begin.  Body, Mind, and Spirit Alcoholism and addiction affect the body, mind, and spirit of the person who suffers from it. The disease is an allergy of the body which requires abstinence, as it cannot be eradicated. The mental obsession requires an effective psychic change in order to be managed. The 12-Steps are designed to produce this psychic change, and in beginning the 12-Steps, the change and the healing can begin simultaneously. However, the alcoholic or addict…

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October 7, 2020

The Importance of Education In Recovery

Posted by Pat S in Alumni
education in recovery

There are many helpful exercises and lots of information dispensed to alcoholics and addicts when they enter recovery. Whatever the setting may be, it is common for those who suffer from alcoholism and addiction to be treated in group therapy and individualized therapy sessions, given additional workbooks or worksheets, and introduced to the 12-Steps of recovery. These methods can all be productive, especially when combined. At Jaywalker Lodge, we employ all of these tactics, placing equal emphasis on group and individual treatments. Yet, we believe it is simply not enough to hand out worksheets, provide recovery literature, and get people into meetings and group therapy sessions. A real emphasis must be placed on the learning that happens in early recovery.  Remember, alcoholics and addicts in early recovery are receiving an intense amount of new information. Even when it comes from familiar sources, everything can seem new to someone who is…

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September 29, 2020

The Importance of Happiness

Posted by Pat S in Alumni
importance of happiness

Happiness is a word that means different things to different people. Happiness as an idea sounds outright hokey to a lot of people — particularly with alcoholics and addicts, many of whom have suffered in ways that are far from trivial. For most of us who suffer from the disease, our best memories of happiness are from before we ever took a drink or a drug. After the way things have gone since, the things we’ve done, and what has happened to us, happiness may not seem like it’s in the cards for us. It certainly isn’t a priority. Boy, do I have good news for you! Happiness in large enough amounts to produce real and enduring joy is practically the whole point of recovery at Jaywalker Lodge — well, that and being of service to others and having a meaningful relationship with your higher power. But happiness is certainly…

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September 21, 2020

Cutting Through the Fog

Posted by Pat S in Alumni
Clarity during Recovery

Once we are freed from active alcoholism and addiction, we often feel a new clarity and vibrancy come over us. No longer beholden to our disease, we see the world a lot more clearly after working our 12-Steps and becoming a member of the recovery community at Jaywalker Lodge. We find inner peace no longer a stranger, we are able to think more clearly, and our emotions are steadier and less volatile. Yet, just like waves, our emotions sometimes come and go, and that newfound sense of clarity may not always be with us. Sometimes we can get overcome by fatigue and a “fog” settles over the new pair of glasses through which we see our life in recovery. Perhaps we let ourselves get complacent, as we misplace our gratitude for the wonderful things in our life. We get used to them, and forget the days when we prayed for…

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