Character Building as a Way of Life

Character building may be a vague or unfamiliar concept to many people, especially alcoholics and addicts. Those of us who have the disease usually found ourselves with little time to do anything other than what our alcoholism or addiction demanded. We had to feed the beast, no matter the cost — though the cost was […]

How Can I Possibly Have Hope for the Future?

Alcoholism and addiction are devastating diseases. They can wreck entire lives, including those around the sufferer. They can also cause major issues physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. If we are lucky, these issues won’t be permanent. But even if some are, there is help available that can improve our lives and stop the wreckage from […]

The Power of Choice in Recovery

Nobody likes to feel powerless. It goes against our nature to readily admit that we have no control. So many of our mental and emotional processes are meant to give us a sense of power and control. These inner workings are quite problematic for many, often leading to stress, pain, and struggle. Therefore, it is […]

We Believe: 5. The Importance of Daily Personal Disciplines

At Jaywalker Lodge, we believe that what we believe is exactly what sets us apart. To put that another way, our core values determine everything we do here. The core principles that motivate us personally and professionally every day inform every aspect of Jaywalker Lodge. We could tell you that we have a strong foundation […]

Men’s Issues: Being a Wet Blanket

Alcoholism and addiction can affect anyone, regardless of age, wealth, gender, race, or religion. The disease affects us all the same, though our individual symptoms may be unique. Luckily, the solution for alcoholism and addiction is the same for all of us as well —  the 12-Steps of recovery. They can help any person suffering […]

I Don’t Want to Lose Control Over My Life. How Can I Work the 12 Steps?

Most alcoholics and addicts have already lost control. That’s how we found ourselves lucky enough to be willing to work the program of recovery. People don’t often ask for help when they’ve got everything under control and things are going well. Right? But we did ask for help, and thankfully the 12-Steps were there. We […]

“Becoming a Part of” the Recovery Community

Alcoholism and addiction are a lonely disease. Almost without fail, they cause us to isolate ourselves from our loved ones and withdraw from our lives. Slowly but surely, our alcoholism and addiction become the number-one priority in our lives, forcing out everything that isn’t in direct service to our disease. This is a long, lonely […]

We Believe: 4. Cleanliness and Order Help Create an Environment of Safety and Trust

At Jaywalker Lodge, we are guided by our core values every day, in everything we do. Our entire program and every aspect of our day-to-day life is built upon the heart of our beliefs. We do things a little differently here at Jaywalker Lodge — and our values and beliefs are the reasons why. We […]

Picking the Tools Back Up

For those of us who suffer from alcoholism and addiction, it can seem impossible to get a handle on life. We struggle to keep it together, or follow through on our intentions. Thankfully, there is a solution. We find the rooms of recovery, and we are presented the 12-Step program. If we really want things […]

Why Doesn’t Self-Knowledge Fix My Problems?

A fair amount of self-knowledge and introspection is necessary for recovery. We must know who we are, what we value, what we want, and how we can best serve others. Self-knowledge helps us discover these things, but self-knowledge on its own won’t fix our problems — it is a piece of the puzzle. It is […]