On Saturday mornings, some of the men of Guiding Light have been traveling down to the YMCA in Downtown Grand Rapids. They are grateful for this opportunity to begin the long process of healing their bodies from years, often decades, of addiction.
Men come to Guiding Light to become mentally, spiritually, and yes, physically fit once again. 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.
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. 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 (81%) at achieving long term sobriety.
We want to thank the Grand Rapids YMCA for their willingness to work with us and our clients. These are men simply seeking to better themselves, and they couldn’t do it without you. There is no financial cost for men to become enrolled in the Guiding Light Recovery program, only there willingness and sincere desire to live differently. Thanks to you, the only cost required of them is their honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness to change. To all of our donors, volunteers, and advocates, thank you so much for all of your support. Thank you for helping these men live up to their God-given potential and to see that there is a life worth living in sobriety.
