The Society of Our Fellows

Isolation and “Lone Wolf syndrome” are extremely common modes of operation for alcoholics and addicts. The reason why going solo is so popular among people like us is complicated. It’s partly because we are defiant, independent people, and partly because we are often very emotionally sensitive people. We like to do our own thing and […]

Men’s Issues: Healthy Sex Conduct

If we’re an adult male of any stripe, the odds are good that sex is a pretty big part of our life. Especially if we’re a man in recovery for alcoholism or addiction, there’s a whole section of inventory just for sexual conduct. It’s clearly pretty important. It’s also a minefield for a whole mess […]

How To Reconnect to Our Purpose

Purpose is a big word. The greatest minds in history have been trying to answer this question for ages. But for alcoholics and addicts like us, purpose may be a lot easier to come by than we thought. What Is Purpose? The dictionary defines the word purpose as “the reason for which something is done or […]

9th-Step Promises and the 9th-Step Funk

For those who have spent even just a little time in the rooms of recovery, we are aware of the 12-Steps. Hopefully, we’ve gotten ourselves busy and started working on the 12-Steps with our sponsor. That’s all we need to find freedom and recovery — a copy of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, a […]

How Nature Helps Us Find Our Inner Wild Man

The myth of the wild man is an ancient one. The wild man lives free and true, outside the boundaries we all share. He’s one with nature, one with himself. He fully knows himself, and he lives by his own code. He is strong, fierce, and helpful. A guide. A protector. But the wild man […]

Anxiety in Recovery

Anxiety is something that every single one of us has experienced at some point in our lives. It’s a common reaction and response to certain situations and events. When we’re faced with anything uncertain or unknown, it’s pretty natural to feel nervous, worried, or uneasy. There isn’t anything wrong with being anxious from time to […]

This Too Shall Pass

We’ve all heard the phrase “this too shall pass” — it’s downright ancient. For as long as we can remember, people have been using this little golden phrase to comfort themselves and each other in times of trouble and hardship. It reminds us that the storm raging around us, or inside us, is only temporary. […]

Men’s Issues: Vulnerability

At Jaywalker Lodge, we deal exclusively with men seeking lasting recovery. Most of our men have also struggled with finding and maintaining recovery over the long term. That’s what makes us Jaywalkers, just like the parable in the book Alcoholics Anonymous. But in our efforts to help men in recovery and from our experience of […]

Resting on Our Laurels

“Resting on Our Laurels” – This may not be a commonly used phrase anymore, but it still gets a lot of airtime in the rooms of recovery. The words may sound old-fashioned or even silly, but they illuminate an attitude about actions that can be very subversive and potentially very destructive. We may not even […]

Putting the Past in Its Proper Place

Everyone has something in their past that weighs on them or still troubles them in other ways. We all have a moment of regret or remorse, something we wish we had done differently or hadn’t done at all. Perhaps there is something we wish we had done. It’s quite common to have some negativity in […]