August 25, 2021

Outdoor Activities Are More Than Just Fun: They’re Healing

Posted by Jaywalker Lodge Staff in Lifestyle, Support

Time and time again, research has shown the importance of sunshine for mental and physical health. Sunshine gives us vitamin D, which is a mood booster and helps promote physical health. However, there are many other benefits to being active outdoors, as well.  The benefits of being outdoors extended to social and natural health, as well as general well-being. Also, being active promotes physical health. So, what are the drawbacks? Only getting wet on a rainy day. Let’s look at some of the benefits. Four Benefits to Outdoor Activities There is a multitude of benefits to being active outdoors. Some of these benefits cannot be measured and are not known, but there are at least the four following: #1. Physical Health: Outdoor activity has been shown over the years to be a promoter of physical health. Not only does our vitamin D level increase, but so does our endurance. Also,…

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August 9, 2021

People Need People

Posted by Jaywalker Lodge Staff in Lifestyle, Support

For those of us familiar with recovery, we are already well aware of the big fact that we simply cannot recover alone. We need each other. People need people in every walk of life, but it is especially true for those of us in recovery from alcoholism and addiction. It is a fact of our lives every single day. Not only that, but it is among the greatest blessings of our lives, as well. The irony is easy to see, of course, when we consider that most of us struggling with alcoholism and addiction-like to fancy ourselves as lone wolves. We all like to imagine we can go it alone and do it our own way — we don’t need anybody. Certainly, none of this is true in recovery, and though we all resist it at first, it comes to be one of the greatest gifts of a 12-Step program:…

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August 4, 2021

Can I Still Go To Parties In Recovery?

Posted by Jaywalker Lodge Staff in Recovery, Support

It’s summertime and the party season is in full effect! That might seem like bad news for those of us in recovery from alcoholism and addiction, but does it have to be? Entering recovery does not mean the end of fun and parties—not at all! However, there is a lot to keep in mind when we ask, “Can I still go to parties in recovery?” There are plenty of parties that take place in the recovery community, and they couldn’t be safer or more fun! There are still parties outside the recovery environment that we may get invited to, as well. There are lots to consider about partying safely in recovery, and there’s plenty to think about. Keep in mind, in recovery we absolutely insist on enjoying life, so long as we don’t put our recovery in jeopardy. What Kind of Party Is It? This is the first question we…

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July 26, 2021

What Is Sober Living and Why Should I Go There?

Posted by Jaywalker Lodge Staff in Lifestyle, Support
sober living

Jaywalker Lodge believes in helping alcoholics and addicts every step of the way in recovery, so we’re especially glad to talk about sober living. Sober living is the transitional living environment between intense addiction recovery treatment and independent recovery living. In other words, sober living is the buffer between working the recovery program in a safe treatment environment and living the recovery lifestyle out in the big, beautiful world. Of course, there are lots of benefits of taking advantage of a sober living environment. But before we discuss why we should go to sober living, let’s get into what it is and why it was created in the first place. What Is Sober Living? Sober living is a little bit like treatment and a lot like living on our own. It’s the transition between an in-house, intense recovery treatment and fully independent living in recovery. Sober living is the safe…

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June 22, 2021

Personal Touches in Recovery Treatment

Posted by Administrator in Recovery, Support
individualized therapy

Recovery treatment has quite a few blanket elements that are applied to everyone, mainly because they work for almost everyone. Alcoholics and addicts are always served by abstinence and sobriety. Also, both individual and group therapy tend to be remarkably helpful in recovery treatment. Eating right and being physically active never did anyone any harm. And then there is the biggest and most effective universal solution: the 12-Step program of recovery. This course of action works for anyone who is willing to do the work. The Twelve Steps, combined with meetings and being of service, is the solution that really works for so many of us. These are big, one-size-fits-all applications of recovery treatment methods. But each of them also has a deeply personal element that sometimes gets overlooked. For truly effective recovery treatment, we can’t forget the personal touches needed with each method. Addiction recovery treatment has so many…

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June 19, 2021

Men’s Issues: I Don’t Want To Lose My Friends

Posted by Administrator in Alumni, Support
friends in recovery

It may or may not be surprising to hear that one of the most common concerns for those of us who are new to recovery is the potential loss of friends. We may fear that our friends will abandon us once we adopt the recovery lifestyle or, on the flip side, that we will have to leave certain friends behind to ensure our own recovery. Either way you slice it, friendships tend to cause a lot of worry in early recovery. Friendships are normally a happy part of life, so it seems strange that such a good thing could make us hesitant about our own recovery. True friendships should be able to endure whatever lifestyle changes the people involved make, especially when it means life or death for one of them. But sadly, this is not always the case. Hence, potentially losing friendships becomes an issue of real concern for…

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June 17, 2021

I Miss Live Meetings. What Can I Do?

Posted by Administrator in Recovery, Support
live meetings

Wherever we are in our recovery journey, meetings are incredibly important. This still holds true, even in strange times like these. Live and in-person meetings may not be available in our area, or we may not be comfortable attending the ones that are ongoing for a number of reasons. As alcoholics and addicts in recovery, we know that we need to attend meetings. We likely even want to hit a few meetings. But what if we can’t for one reason or another? If we find ourselves missing live meetings or unable to make as many meetings as we’d like to, there are several things we can do now and keep in mind for the future. Meetings Mean a Lot Meetings are part of the “triangle of recovery”: Unity, Service, Recovery. The unity includes meetings and fellowship. We simply need one another on this journey — none of us recover alone. Meetings…

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June 16, 2021

The Importance of Giving Back in Recovery Treatment

Posted by Administrator in Insights, Support
giving back

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 ever devised. Adding altruism to recovery treatment increases the chances that one can get and stay recovered, as proven by the success of those who work the 12-Step program. Of course, altruism alone is not enough. The specific brand of altruism taught in the 12-Step program must be engaged with while continuing to work the entirety of the recovery program. Medical treatments, therapy, and psychiatry along with physical, mental, and emotional health are still important factors, too. Being that alcoholism and addiction is a disease of a three-fold nature — 1) the physical allergy, 2)…

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June 15, 2021

Why “Meeting Makers Make It”

Posted by Administrator in Recovery, Support
meetings

Those of us who are new to recovery have surely heard a lot about the importance of 12 Step meetings. The recovery community talks about them all the time. Some of us go to a meeting every single day — maybe even more than one! Some will only hit a meeting whenever they feel like they “need a meeting.” Everyone has a different opinion on meetings, but one thing is clear: meetings are a big part of the 12 Step program of recovery. In fact, the three sides of the triangle symbol of recovery are Unity, Service, and Fellowship. Fellowship is another word for meetings. Meetings are important, no matter what anyone says. The book Alcoholics Anonymous makes that clear. So important, in fact, that “meeting makers make it” has become a familiar recovery saying. But meetings aren’t the most popular part of the 12 Step program. Many people view them…

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June 12, 2021

The Gift of Responsibility

Posted by Administrator in Insights, Support
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, and purpose. Freedom is everything in recovery, but freedom only grows if the responsibility we’re willing to shoulder grows. Far too often, the very concept of responsibility has a hard time sticking in our world. Not only is responsibility often disdained by alcoholics and addicts like us, but most of the people in our lives (sometimes including those who wish to help us) are unwilling to trust us with responsibility. We have to admit this is fair, given that in our disease we are very seldom responsible for much else besides pain and destruction. Through…

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