By Saleem Rana
Interview by Dr. Melody Foxx
May 7, 2012
Bobby Ferguson spoke with Dr. Melody Foxx on L.A. Talk Radio about his program to help chronic relapsing addicts and alcoholics. Founder of Jaywalker Lodge in Carbondale, Colorado, Ferguson shared his own story of how he stopped the cycle of getting clean in a safe treatment environment but relapsing into addictions once he returned home.
The purpose of the lodge, established in 2005, is to provide a therapeutic treatment program that has all the rigor of an extended care treatment, as well as the added benefits of accountability, freedom, self-expression, and personal responsibility. Incidentally, those who relapse after receiving primary care treatment are referred to as “jaywalkers” in the recovery community.
During the hour-long interview, said the key to recovery and a life of lasting sobriety was to create an good environment for those who leave the safe environment of a traditional treatment. While primary care treatment was often effective because it pulled a person out of their stressful life, it had to be followed up by an extended care treatment to keep a person from relapsing. The Jaywalker Lodge is an example of this approach, and the treatment modality they offer is now referred to as an Open Community Model of Care.
Drawing from his own experience as a recovered addict and alcoholic, he talked about his own feelings of utter helplessness and his family’s desperation when he relapsed after successfully participating in rehabilitation programs. However, through following a secondary care program, which focused on the first step of the 12-step program, he was able to stay sober.
The success of the Jaywalker Lodge can be distilled down to timeless recovery principles. Ferguson outlined three that he believed to be highly effective:
First, intensely follow the first step of the 12-step program. This step was the admission by an alcoholic that he was powerless over alcohol.
Second, someone in recovery needed to be in a special community led by those who had successfully been able to take back control of their lives from the influence of alcohol. Through witnessing personal, living examples, men in recovery could see what it was like to live in sobriety.
Third, someone in recovery in a small-town like Carbondale could enjoy the camaraderie and friendship that came from giving back to the city by doing voluntary work.
Visit the Jaywalker Lodge website at http://www.jaywalkerlodge.com/
