Every Monday and Friday the men of Guiding Light come to Belknap Lookout in Grand Rapids to participate in an hour-long group exercise. Physical fitness is a big part of programming here at Guiding Light. Although it is important for men recovering from addiction to become stronger and healthier, it is more important to develop one’s mental fortitude through physical exercise.
“If I had to choose one thing in this program that has been the most beneficial to me I would have to say it’s the exercise,” according to Brett, a client that has been in the program for three months. “It just motivates me, it’s something I can put my all in to. I was always athletic, but I lost a lot of that during my addiction. I was never a straight A student, so the mental side…the books and the classes we have here can be difficult for me. So being able to put my all into the physical side…something I know I can excel at…has been really helpful for me.”
There is a very real correlation between how hard a client is able to push himself physically, and how hard he is willing to push himself to stay sober. That is why, at Guiding Light Recovery, we believe physical exercise to be an integral part of our program. It is not a matter of how in shape, or out of shape, how capable, how old, or how young a client is. It is about learning to re-train his brain to remember that he is capable of pushing himself so much farther than he ever thought possible, even when his addiction would tell him otherwise. All of the men enrolled in Guiding Light Recovery are united through their common struggle with addiction. The community that men form while going through Recovery together is one of the most powerful and significant aspects of the program. Men form bonds here that last for life and, more importantly, they form an inter-connected understanding and commitment of accountability with one another. Many of the clients that come through here did not know what it is like to have a supportive community of peers that is worth staying sober for, or what it means to have others that can help pick you up when you are down. A common saying heard among men and women in recovery is “I drink/use, we stay sober.” The friendships and connections formed at Guiding Light will carry on when these men move out to Iron House, where they will have a remarkably high chance (76%) at achieving long term sobriety.
At Guiding Light we cannot thank you enough for all of your continued support through these uncertain times. Your donations make it possible for men out there struggling to have a chance at a better life and to come out of the darkness and into the light. From all of us, both clients and staff alike, thank you so much for all that you do for us.
