Tag: Recovery

August 29, 2020

Men’s Issues: The Hole in the Doughnut

Posted by Pat S in Alumni
Men’s Issues: The Hole in the Doughnut

At Jaywalker Lodge, we help men who struggle with achieving long-term recovery from alcoholism and addiction. We particularly seek to reach the ones who can’t seem to stay in recovery, despite the honest desire to do so. These are the Jaywalkers, just like we were. By being part of this specific population of alcoholics and addicts, and recognizing what has helped and continues to help men like us, we have identified techniques, actions, and ways of thinking that are effective. We have also been able to recognize common themes and dangerous patterns that seem to plague men who struggle to maintain sobriety. We would like to take time to address these men’s issues and share useful information and insights. This month, we have selected an extremely common fear amongst men — fear of being the hole in the doughnut. What Does a Doughnut Have to Do With Me? This fear…

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August 21, 2020

Finding Serenity in Calamity

Posted by Pat S in Alumni
Finding Serenity in Calamity

No ocean, no matter how beautiful, is calm all the time. There will inevitably be storms. But when we sailed the ocean of life in our active alcoholism and addiction, we were sailing with a boatload of extra trouble. Now that we have entered recovery at Jaywalker Lodge, our ship is no longer making things worse. The 12-Step program and active recovery have taught us how to be better sailors and shipbuilders, so to speak. We see the ocean of life for the beautiful thing it really is. But this doesn’t mean that there will never be storms. It does, perhaps, mean we’ll be causing less of them, but life does not stop being life just because we’re sober. We simply, finally, have a design for living well and better that really works. Prepare for Rough Seas Though calamity will eventually come, we can meet it with a better attitude,…

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August 15, 2020

We Believe #2: The Daily Choice To Stay

Posted by Pat S in Insights
We Believe #2: The Daily Choice To Stay

At Jaywalker Lodge, we live in accordance with our values. Our philosophy guides our daily activities and actions, and the things we believe in form the core of who we are and what we do. That is why we are taking the time to explore our 12 “We Believe” statements one by one. These are our guiding principles at Jaywalker Lodge, and we want to share them with you so you can see how, why, and who we are and what makes us different. This month, we are discussing our “We Believe” statement #2: We believe it is a daily choice to stay in treatment, and to stay in recovery while in treatment. At Jaywalker Lodge, we truly believe that the choice is made anew every day to stay in treatment, to stay in recovery while in treatment, and to build a life of hope, meaning, and fulfillment. The Power…

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August 13, 2020

Don’t Give Up On Yourself

Posted by Pat S in Alumni

It’s common for those of us who are new to recovery to have low opinions of ourselves. We are still healing from our active alcoholism and addiction, and we may find it difficult to shake a bleak view of who we are and the future we expect to have. But one major key to happy and successful recovery is embracing a hopeful outlook, and this includes a kinder view of ourselves. Recovery isn’t about paying the price for our past — the past was punishment enough. Recovery is about righting what we can, healing as best we can, and having hope for the future. When we keep beating ourselves up for the past, or for not being who we want to be, we lose our motivation to stay in recovery. Nobody wants to help someone they don’t like and if we expect to enjoy long-term recovery, we really need to…

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August 5, 2020

Living A Healthy Life in Recovery

Posted by Pat S in Alumni
Living A Healthy Life in Recovery

A healthy life is something that is largely foreign to most of us who spent much of our lives struggling with active alcoholism and addiction. Life consisted of adhering to the will of our destructive disease. When we first get sober, we often have a lot of learning to do about healing our minds, bodies, and spirits. Alcoholism and addiction is a three-fold disease, and the 12-Steps begin to repair, heal, and educate us in all those areas. We learn how to calm our minds, steady our emotions, stop abusing our bodies, and uplift and awaken our spirits. The healing begins the moment we start working the 12-Steps or attend our first Jaywalker meeting. As we continue 12-Step work, meetings, and service work in our recovery we find that they continue to help us heal and grow. Yet because we are still not used to healthy ways of living and…

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June 30, 2020

The Role of Medically Assisted Treatment in Our Recovery Programs

Posted by Pat S in Alumni
The Role of Medically Assisted Treatment in Our Recovery Programs

Medically assisted treatment (MAT) is a topic and practice of no small debate. We keep our position on the issue simple, clean, and in line with what we think is best for the quality of both life and recovery for the men who stay with us. At Jaywalker Lodge, we take nothing more seriously than the health, happiness, joy, and freedom of our people. MAT varies from place to place in efficacy, safety, and long-term results. We are particularly interested in long-term recovery here. Those who come to us have often found lasting sobriety elusive, so we wish to do what works best to provide them the opportunity to achieve long-term recovery for themselves. MAT at Jaywalker Lodge We do deal with the vast majority of chemical and substance addictions that a person can have. We also treat co-occurring mental and behavioral health issues. MAT is most commonly used in…

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August 22, 2018

HeartMath at Jaywalker Lodge

Posted by Pat S in Insights

HeartMath at Jaywalker Lodge Jaywalker Lodge is now using HeartMath technology and stress management tools in conjunction with EMDR, TRE, CBT and 12-step facilitation in treating chemical dependence and co-occurring disorders.  HeartMath technology is a great compliment to the 12-steps and offers clients the opportunity to see in real time, via portable HeartMath biofeedback monitors, the benefits of meditation.  While using HeartMath tools clients learn how to build resilience, decrease anxiety, regulate their mood, and tolerate powerful cravings and triggers.  Decades of rigorous research on HeartMath tools have shown significant benefits for sleep, focus, serenity, anxiety, fatigue, and depression.  While 12-step facilitation remains the core of Jaywalker’s clinical model, incorporating tools like HeartMath technology has helped Jaywalker better treat clinically complex clients that suffer from addiction and co-occurring disorders. BENEFITS OF HEARTMATH Studies conducted with over 11,500* people have shown improvements in mental & emotional well-being in just 6-9 weeks using HeartMath…

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May 9, 2017

Jaywalker Spring Alumni Trip – Moab, UT

Posted by Pat S in Alumni

“…to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host a friends, this is an experience you must not miss” Alcoholics Anonymous Page 89It is no secret that this is one of my favorite passages in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, it epitomizes everything that the Jaywalker Alumni Program represents. This past weekend I had the honor of taking 20 Jaywalker alums to Moab, UT for our annual spring trip. Past Jaywalker clients from Florida, Denver, Boulder, and the Roaring Fork Valley all met up in Moab for a weekend of mountain biking, dirt biking, four wheeling, golf, and of course fellowship. Big shout out to alumnus Andrew P for organizing, prepping, and cooking all of our wonderful meals, thanks for all you do brother. John S.

December 22, 2016

Hooked on Hot Yoga

Posted by Administrator in Lifestyle

Take a yoga class? No way! A hot yoga class? An even crazier idea! That was my mindset. Yoga seemed like an activity for mystical and ridiculously flexible people, and I was neither. Now it has been 5 years of taking hot yoga classes. I’m still not mystical or very flexible, but I’m hooked on the hot yoga. I work with recovering addicts and alcoholics. Five years ago, a coworker we call Hot Yoga Steve suggested our program try offering hot yoga classes for our clients. The plan was to implement two classes per week starting at 6:45 AM. It seemed like something that could benefit our clients, and I could tag along and take the classes too. There is a love/hate relationship between hot yoga and me. Each night before a class, I love the idea that I get to do yoga in the morning. When I wake up…

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November 22, 2016

There is one key to happiness: Gratitude

Posted by Administrator in Lifestyle

By: Dirk Eldredge“There is one key to happiness: Gratitude. Gratitude and discontent cannot co-exist. They’re like light and darkness. Choose Gratitude daily and you will find joy.” Seems so simple right………. My recovery makes everything else possible in my life. Being a Father , a husband , a friend and a member of our family. All of this I’m most grateful for. Yet, losing sight of the light I  found through gratitude, while I drop back into darkness, is so easy to do. During this holiday, I hope each of us can find peace and centeredness through the absolute abundance of grace we have been granted. Tell everyone close to you that you love them and you appreciate them, as they may be gone tomorrow. During this season I want to “Pause” and just “Be”. How about realizing that we are all in this together and that Love is the…

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