Alcoholism and addiction are often accompanied by a multitude of mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual issues. Where does hope come in? Hope is a concept, an idea, and a motivating feeling. But it is also a somewhat ambiguous principle, because what gives hope to one may not spark it in another.
Like alcoholism and addiction — which have a solution in the 12-Steps — mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health issues each have treatments and practices that can go far in addressing and solving them. We have seen great success with the idea of hope as a foundation for all the necessary treatment methods that someone who is experiencing these issues will need to engage with.
We Must Hope for Success
It goes back to a very old philosophy quote, “You cannot achieve that which is not hoped for.” Simply put, if you do not believe that treatment will be successful, it won’t be. If you do not hope for healing and success, you are unlikely to find it — because in many cases, a lack of hope translates to a lack of effort. If it’s impossible to get healthy mentally or to recover from addiction, then why bother trying? Seen in this light, hope becomes very important. Hope becomes the thing we need to address before we get into anything else. It is the foundation upon which we build and incorporate all the treatment methods we need.
Hope in Human Form
We aim to demonstrate the efficacy of hope and are aided quite seamlessly by the 12-Step program of recovery. Having a built-in, active alumni community of men in recovery is a fantastic and unique addition to Jaywalker Lodge. Those with us are often given the chance to spend time with men who have left the Lodge yet continued their recovery. They remained vigilant with their health treatments and are living full, successful, happy lives. Every single one is a walking bastion of hope. The men who are currently with us can see the results of getting and staying involved with the necessary treatments right before their eyes. They can talk with these alumni, hear their experiences, and feel understood. If it worked for these men, it can certainly work for them. As another old philosophy quote promises, “If one man can do it, another man can do it.”
This community of real-life beacons of hope is taken directly from the 12-Step program of recovery, which is our primary tool and one of the main foundations of Jaywalker Lodge itself. This community approach breeds hope. To be told in treatment by a therapist that therapy is important is obviously true. But it doesn’t have quite the same inspiring elements as being told that therapy is important by someone who was once in your exact same position and is now working in a career, enjoying relationships, and living a happy life. When that man tells you that the 12-Steps and therapy saved his life and gave him the life that you want to one day have for yourself, it would fill anyone with hope.
Finding Hope From Within
Though it is crucial, not all hope can come from outside sources. That kind of hope is the pilot light, so to speak. It sparks hope and demonstrates the burgeoning possibility. But to experience longevity of success, we need a less outwardly dependent form of hope. It is vitally important that we instill hope in the men at Jaywalker Lodge on a personal level as well. This begins, we think, with education. Each man must come to understand his conditions and be provided with avenues to further educate himself. This is a mechanical principle — the better you understand the problem, the more apt you are to diligently apply the proper solution. Both the conditions in need of treatment and the treatments themselves take on new meaning when they are understood in personal ways.
It goes like this: I can see clearly that I have this problem. I understand that this is the right solution for my disease. I have seen it work in others like me. I need this solution, and I think it just might work! And just like that, hope is sparked within. As the men at Jaywalker Lodge begin to engage with the solutions and treatments presented to them meaningfully, their hope turns to belief and they are genuinely excited by and engaged in their recovery.
It All Begins With Hope
Once we help people understand their conditions, introduce the solutions, and show them the results of those solutions in others, the proof is in the pudding. They will begin to have practical, personal experience with the effects of the treatments and solutions in their own lives. Of course, the importance of diligence and lifelong commitment must be stressed along the way as well. But this entire life-changing process begins, we believe, with hope.
These things happen to us having a disease like alcoholism or addiction or suffering mental and emotional health issues. But they are not punishments, they are conditions. The lives we lived in pain as a result of these untreated conditions was hard enough. At Jaywalker Lodge, we truly believe that recovery is about the promise of a bright, beautiful future and a meaningful, purposeful life. Recovery is about healing, thriving, and serving. But most importantly, recovery is about grasping and holding onto the hope that whatever our conditions may be, we can heal.
No matter how much alcoholism, addiction, or mental and emotional illness has damaged us and our lives, recovery is possible. No matter how many times you have tried before to get well and break free, recovery is possible. Every problem has a solution, and alcoholism and addiction are no different. The 12-Step program is designed to produce the vital spiritual experience and necessary psychic change needed for lasting recovery in anyone who takes these actions with willingness, honesty, and open-mindedness. Those three things, along with the earnest desire to stop drinking and using, are all that is needed to begin. If you have these, all you need is help to undertake the 12-Step process. At Jaywalker Lodge, we help men who have struggled to find recovery in the past finally begin their journey to lasting recovery. Let us show you how. To learn more, call us now at (866) 529-9255.
