February 26, 2021

Don’t Forget To Study the Big Book

Posted by in Lifestyle, Recovery
studying the Big Book

Studying isn’t necessarily everyone’s favorite way to spend time, though most of us have at least a few things we enjoy learning about. For those of us who are alcoholics and addicts, we come into contact with the book Alcoholics Anonymous, commonly known as the “Big Book.” This vital literature actually contains the 12-Step program of recovery, along with information about the causes, conditions, and consequences of the disease of alcoholism and addiction. It also contains testimony and stories from people who have worked the 12-Steps and found recovery as a result. This book is simply a necessity for those who wish to recover from alcoholism and addiction. It will be the sourcebook used to work the 12-Steps with our sponsor. We can read it when we need a meeting, but can’t get to one. It will help us understand the deadly disease we suffer from. Reading it regularly can…

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February 22, 2021

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

Posted by 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 17, 2021

Relationships and Love

Posted by in Lifestyle
relationships in recovery

No matter who you are — alcoholic, addict, al-anon, double-winner or otherwise — relationships are a huge part of human life, whether we are managing, acquiring, or ending them. Relationships occupy most of our emotional energy and a huge portion of our daily efforts, whether we seem to do well in our relationships or struggle to find and keep meaningful ones. Relationships can go a long way in making our lives feel full, our sorrows lessened, and our joys multiplied when they are shared. This is what makes relationships and love often go hand in hand. Love isn’t separate from many of our relationships, but it’s also big enough to be a category all its own. Love is the great engine behind hope, change, and joy. Love is sought after when it’s missing and is typically viewed as the single most important ingredient to a good life. We not only…

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February 16, 2021

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

Posted by 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 12, 2021

We Believe, #8: Every Day Matters!

Posted by in Lifestyle, Recovery
every day matters

At Jaywalker Lodge, we don’t do anything we don’t believe in. It is following our heart that separates us from the pack and allows us to help so many. We don’t take any of this lightly because it’s the stuff that saved our lives, and we know that it can do the same for others. Not only are we guided by the best of what has worked for us through personal experience, but we have brought these lessons together and put them at our core. Right next to the 12-Steps, we have another set of core values, guiding principles, and philosophies. We thought it was only appropriate that we should also use the number 12, so when we boiled down everything we’ve learned, we got 12 unwavering beliefs. These guide every single thing that happens at Jaywalker Lodge, every single day. They’re what we truly believe in. Let’s look at…

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February 10, 2021

Men’s Issues: Ch-ch-changes

Posted by in Alumni, Lifestyle
dealing with change in recovery

At Jaywalker Lodge, we deal exclusively with helping men find recovery from alcoholism and addiction. We specialize in helping those who have had difficulty achieving or maintaining recovery. We were like that ourselves, and it is a great joy to share the things that helped us overcome our chronic relapse and find lasting recovery. In the course of doing just that, we see men struggle with a variety of issues. These range from mental and emotional health issues to trauma, spiritual crises, and even things like societal pressures. Over time, we have begun to see such troublesome issues arise enough to be considered common. Though we each have a unique life experience, there is much that unites us in commonality. Just as we share the disease of alcoholism and addiction, and we also share in the solution to that problem —  the 12-Steps of recovery. There are other problems and…

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February 8, 2021

An End to Loneliness

Posted by in Lifestyle, Recovery
end to lonliness

No matter who we are or what our life circumstances may be, every human being has experienced loneliness at one time or another. We may have felt it briefly or perhaps as a child, teen, or adult for quite some time. We may still be feeling it today. Loneliness hurts, it’s sad, and it can become a place where we get stuck. Particularly for those who are alcoholics and addicts, loneliness is often a frequent, common, and painful theme for us. Let’s delve into what loneliness really means and how we can address and heal from it. We Get Really Lonely The book Alcoholics Anonymous talks about loneliness quite often, so common and hurtful a thread it is amongst us. The Big Book talks about the point most of us reached where we could not imagine our lives going on drinking or using as we were, nor could we imagine our…

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February 4, 2021

How Can I Celebrate Safely?

Posted by in Lifestyle, Recovery
celebration when sober

As alcoholics and addicts, many of us have always had a heightened relationship with both celebration and sorrow. The book Alcoholics Anonymous talks at length about how our typical behavior pattern usually went something like this: If we were low for one reason another, it was the perfect reason to seek out a drink or drug and drown our sorrows. But when things were great and we were happy, that was an equally good reason to drink or drug as a way of increasing or celebrating our triumph. Being alcoholics or addicts, of course, we took these behaviors to extremes and usually went too far. However, in the normal course of life, we will find occasions worthy of celebration. We also find times when grief or sorrow is appropriate. Both of these events can trigger the desire to engage in our old behaviors. Essentially, they are so ingrained with our disease…

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February 3, 2021

The Connection Between Body And Mind

Posted by in Lifestyle, Recovery
body and mind connection

The connection between our bodies and our minds may seem obvious at face value. Still, integrating all our parts as physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental beings have long been one of the most explored elements of human life. The reason this topic has been pondered and discussed for so long isn’t lack of information or experience, but the sheer vastness of it. Science has discovered remarkable things about how each aspect of our being relates to the other aspects and even relates to other beings. There is reason to believe that not only is each part of our individual being deeply connected but perhaps we are all connected in similar ways. The Obvious It seems pretty obvious that the body and mind are connected, right? We all just kind of realize that it’s true, but maybe we don’t explore much of what it really means. What is the mind, really?…

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January 15, 2021

I Love an Alcoholic/Addict. What Can I Do About Their Problem?

Posted by in Lifestyle
my loved one is an addict

Alcoholism and addiction are a disease that affects much more than just the sufferer. This disease can cause pain and wreak havoc in the lives of all who are close to them. It can be excruciating to watch someone we love suffer from this devastating disease. Once they are controlled by their disease, the person we love can transform in heartbreaking ways. They may not resemble their normal self at all. It can be an incredible strain on any relationship, but this is especially true when it’s our significant other or spouse. We may love them with all our heart. Maybe we have been together for some time. But as alcoholism and addiction progress, they can drive us further and further apart, causing more and more pain. If you find yourself romantically involved with someone who is an alcoholic or addict, do not despair. Whatever type of relationship you have…

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