The Importance of Giving Back in Recovery Treatment

From a purely medical standpoint, altruism does not seem like an appropriate treatment for alcoholism and addiction. However, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the 12-Step program has an intense focus on altruism and just so happens to be among the most effective, successful, and versatile treatment methods for alcoholism and addiction […]

The Gift of Responsibility

Responsibility is often overlooked when it comes to treating alcoholism and addiction. Jaywalker Lodge understands that freedom is proportional to the responsibility we accept for our lives. And freedom is what recovery is all about — freedom from alcoholism and addiction, freedom from our grosser handicaps, and freedom to live a life of happiness, joy, […]

Yesterday’s Home Runs Don’t Count in Today’s Game

Anybody who has spent time in recovery or read the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous enough has heard the phrase “resting on your laurels.” This is an old saying based on Greek and Roman culture, where winners of competitions were granted crowns of laurel leaves (laurels). Resting on your laurels is when we are too […]

Will I Always Inventory About the Same Things?

Hopefully, if you’ve been in recovery for even a little bit of time, you’ve gotten busy with the 12 Steps. If this is the case, you’ve likely encountered the 4th Step and the 10th Step. These are commonly referred to as the personal “inventory” steps. Even if we’re new to the 12-Step program, we’ve probably […]

What Will Life Be Like in Recovery?

This is one of the most common questions we have as newcomers: what will life be like in recovery? We all want to know what’s going to change. Everything can change in recovery, but what changes is primarily up to us. Are we willing to do things differently? It’s going to be what we make of it, […]

Taking It One Day at a Time

Pretty much everyone has heard this phrase at one time or another: “Take it one day at a time.” It’s advice that we might get at a yoga class, from a therapist, or a sympathetic friend. When we come into the rooms of recovery, we are likely to hear it more than ever before. Everybody […]

How Can I Be on My Own Team?

Many of us are blessed with a team of “cheerleaders” behind us. There are people in our corner, people who believe in and want the best for us, who will help us when we need it, and who trust us to learn our lessons and do our best. Strangely, so many of us take these […]

Getting Your Life Back? Don’t Skip Meetings, Please!

It can all seem a little strange at first for those of us who are new to the rooms of recovery. However, most of us are so destroyed by alcoholism and addiction when we get here that we don’t care if it’s weird — we just don’t want to die. Many of us recognize that […]

I Think It’s Too Late For Me. Can I Really Start Over?

First things first — it’s never too late. If you’re still breathing, there is still time left. Don’t give up hope, and don’t give up on yourself. If you’re struggling with addiction, there is a solution — and it really works! Thousands of us have been where you are now, and we are happy and […]

The 4th-Step Blues: Separating Myth From Reality

Any alcoholic or addict who has been to a few meetings or spent any time in the rooms of recovery has likely heard about the 4th-Step. The problem is, we’ve likely heard a lot about it. Not necessarily everything we hear is accurate or even the truth. Much of it gets said in meetings, is overheard […]