February 22, 2021

How Can I Have Self-Discipline and Self-Control?

Posted by Jaywalker in Insights, Lifestyle
self-discipline

The quest for self-discipline and self-control goes way back in human history. There are answers aplenty, theories, practices, and opinions, with no shortage of things to try to seek resolution. For most of the world, it’s just a matter of choosing which theory seems to suit them best and finding out whether it works or not. For those of us who are alcoholics and addicts, we come out on top in this age-old search. As if we weren’t already the luckiest people on earth, saved from the gates of death and given the tools to live a life beyond our wildest dreams, we now also have some very effective answers for problems that the whole world deals with. Don’t We All Have Some Already? Sure, everybody has a bit of both in different areas of life. But on the whole, most people think they would be happier with significantly more…

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February 16, 2021

How Do I Find a Higher Power of My Own Understanding?

Posted by Jaywalker in Insights, Lifestyle
finding your higher power

That’s quite a big question, isn’t it? Perhaps the big question. Finding and understanding our higher power is a quest that mankind has engaged in since ancient times. But we’re not going to go back that far; we’re going to start right here and now. For alcoholics and addicts, the higher power issue is one of the most controversial, necessary, and misunderstood aspects of our recovery. Despite the magnitude of this question, we do have some helpful ideas and suggestions. What if I Have an Issue With the Higher Power Concept? To put it simply, we all have an issue with the higher power. All alcoholics and addicts have the spiritual malady — it is a symptom of our disease. Even for those of us who have a good relationship with a higher power already, we still suffer from this spiritual sickness. Therefore, all who arrive in the program seeking recovery…

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February 15, 2021

Revealing the Value of Treatment

Posted by Jaywalker in Insights, Recovery
the value of treatment

In the field of recovery, it can be quite difficult to break from typical medical-style mindsets. When a doctor sees a sick patient, he or she gives a prescription that will cure the disease. The doctor expects the patient to trust him or her and take the medicine as directed. Though it might not always happen this way, in most cases the doctor is in the position to assume the patient wants a cure, as he or she has sought out medical attention. From there, the doctor rightly assumes the patient will follow the course of treatment to receive healing. Though sometimes patients do not follow doctor’s orders for any number of unique and perhaps questionable reasons, the doctor can at least rest assured that he or she has done his job. A patient sought a remedy and the doctor provided it. However, this is one of many areas in…

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February 9, 2021

Will My Life Ever Be Normal Again?

Posted by Jaywalker in Insights, Recovery
the new normal

This is a common question among those of us who are new to recovery. It’s a legitimate concern and quite the philosophical bombshell. After our alcoholism and addiction and the newness and unfamiliarity with the rooms of recovery, it’s understandable to wonder if life will ever be normal again. Is life ever normal, for anyone? What do we mean when we say normal? There’s a lot of good news to answer this question. But much like life itself, it might not look the way you’d expect. What Does “Normal” Mean Anyway? Everyone has an idea of what normal life looks like for them, but rarely do people share the exact same definition. However, there are some common themes. Most people want a happy relationship with a significant other, a group of friends to share life with, good relationships with their family, a healthy body and mind, a job that they…

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January 27, 2021

Healing as Treatment

Posted by Jaywalker in Insights
healing as treatment

When it comes to recovery treatment, healing is not always the first thing that comes to mind. We think first of sobriety, then perhaps healthy coping mechanisms, diversionary tactics, and the like, and then “self-help” meetings. This thought model is outdated and less functional than necessary. Indeed, the recovery treatment hierarchy needs serious rethinking. Our first thought when it comes to recovery treatment must be the 12-Step program model. The 12-Steps are far and away the most widely applicable and proven effective tool in the recovery arsenal. The 12-Steps are the primary treatment method for both alcoholism and addiction. After that, it is highly effective to employ both individualized and group therapies. Many therapeutic schools and methods are effectively coupled with the 12-Steps. The success of each is highly dependent upon the needs of each individual and each group. We must remain adaptable in this regard. After this, we will…

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January 22, 2021

Making Treatment Meaningful

Posted by Jaywalker in Insights
making treatment meaningful

From the Jaywalker point of view, recovery treatment is about more than sobriety. Jaywalker Lodge gets its name from the parable of the Jaywalker in the book Alcoholics Anonymous. This story is a seemingly dramatic portrayal of a man who repeatedly jaywalks, despite his increasingly grievous physical injuries as a direct consequence of his jaywalking. Upon closer reflection, this is no different than someone who is an alcoholic or addict yet continues to drink and use despite their desire to stop. Understanding this vicious cycle of chronic relapse and how to break free of it is one of our primary missions at Jaywalker Lodge. We want to help men end chronic relapse and find lasting recovery. We succeed at this goal through a unique combination of services, treatments, methodologies, and approaches. All of these are placed upon the foundation of the 12-Step program of recovery. Beyond that, we employ the…

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January 5, 2021

We Believe #7: Collectively, All of Us at Jaywalker Lodge Are Capable of Absolutely Anything

Posted by Jaywalker in Insights
we can accomplish anything

At Jaywalker Lodge, we are guided by our beliefs. The core values that we hold direct our every action and decision. We believe so strongly in our system of values that it consciously informs everything we do here. How we conduct ourselves, all of our day-to-day interactions and activities, all of it comes from the heart of Jaywalker Lodge. It’s more than a code of ethics, and it’s more than a list of platitudes. What we believe in is our heart here. The heart of Jaywalker Lodge is driven to help men recover from alcoholism and addiction. That’s what motivates, inspires us, and drives us every day. We ourselves once struggled to recover from alcoholism and addiction. We stumbled many times, and seemingly nothing worked for us. We were the Jaywalker from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. Finally, we found the help that made a difference. We were shown…

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December 30, 2020

The Role of Physical Health in Recovery

Posted by Jaywalker in Insights
health

Alcoholism and addiction, as well as mental and emotional health issues, can wreak havoc on our physical health. From health problems like ulcers, elevated blood pressure, and brain damage, to other issues like chemical imbalances, there is a whole host of physical conditions that can be brought about or exacerbated by these issues. Aside from the conditions themselves, the lifestyles that commonly accompany them can be highly destructive as well. It isn’t just the big trouble like cirrhosis of the liver or potentially fatal overdose. There are often issues caused by frequent accompaniments like cigarette smoking that are disastrous to overall physical health.  What muddies the waters here is the crossover between destructive actions and their results. Not only can alcoholism and addiction result from self-medicating mental and emotional health issues like anxiety, depression, or trauma, but excessive problematic drinking and substance abuse can also cause anxiety, depression, or trauma….

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December 23, 2020

Hope as a Foundation

Posted by Jaywalker in Insights
hope

Alcoholism and addiction are often accompanied by a multitude of mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual issues. Where does hope come in? Hope is a concept, an idea, and a motivating feeling. But it is also a somewhat ambiguous principle, because what gives hope to one may not spark it in another.  Like alcoholism and addiction — which have a solution in the 12-Steps — mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health issues each have treatments and practices that can go far in addressing and solving them. We have seen great success with the idea of hope as a foundation for all the necessary treatment methods that someone who is experiencing these issues will need to engage with. We Must Hope for Success It goes back to a very old philosophy quote, “You cannot achieve that which is not hoped for.” Simply put, if you do not believe that treatment will be…

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December 15, 2020

Establishing Treatment Methods as Habit

Posted by Jaywalker in Insights
mental health

Jaywalker Lodge is proud to utilize many treatment methods for the men who stay with us. The particular methodologies we employ are chosen for good reason. It’s no mistake that we do things this way. We believe it is in everyone’s best interest for the most helpful, healing, educational, and effective treatments to be used to their highest efficacy. We believe in combining treatments that improve the benefits of one another. The men who come to Jaywalker Lodge suffer from alcoholism and addiction, potentially in conjunction with mental and emotional health issues. Most of our men have struggled to achieve or maintain recovery in the past as well. This needs to be addressed head-on and that’s exactly what we do here. We utilize our particular mixture of treatments because we aim to implement a program designed to heal these issues holistically. Working the 12-Steps Alcoholism and addiction are best dealt…

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