10 Tips for a Thankful Sober Holiday
As a person in recovery, I am thankful every day. During the holidays, I am particularly aware of my blessings, and this is Thanksgiving, the time to be loud and proud about the things one is grateful for. I do remember the early days of recovery and how nervous I was that the festivities would […]
Holiday Anxiety – Women Feel It More Than Men
It’s almost the Thanksgiving holiday, a time for gratitude and reminiscence about holidays past, but my memories of Thanksgiving mostly involve my angst-ridden mother bustling about while the rest of the family watched the Macy’s parade and played cards. She used to do this predictable “thing” whenever I would indicate frailty, especially during the holidays. […]
The Healing Power of Laughter in Mental Health Treatment
I once heard a comedian say the least funny thing one can do is explain a joke or analyze why something is funny. That is probably because laughter signals a deep connection that is hard to explain. If you find yourself describing a joke, you are bombing as a comedian or missing the shared experience […]
The Isolation of Addiction
At Sanford Behavioral Health, we have a case study of a client in the final days of their isolation and active addiction. They were a smoker but not allowed to light up in the house. So, this individual would take a bottle of Jack Daniels to an unheated garage behind their house, sit on a […]
Do I Drink Too Much?
I used to live in The Bahamas, where drinking in the morning is called (somewhat facetiously) “Bahamian breakfast.” It was not shocking to see someone walking on the Government Dock at 7:00 a.m. with a beer in one hand and a power tool in the other. No one looked askance when a tipsy tourist slurred, […]
Is Alcohol Ruining My Marriage?
In 2017, I wrote an article about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s divorce and the role alcohol played in their relationship’s demise. Brangelina was secondary to the theme of the article, but it has gone on to garner more than 150,000 views over the years. I have updated it many times, and it remains our […]
Recovery Awareness Month 2023 – No One is Alone in Recovery
September is Recovery Awareness Month, and at Sanford Behavioral Health, recovery is a word that is near and dear to our hearts. One of the tenets of our mission is to support and educate those in recovery, their families, and communities, but what does recovery awareness mean? The dictionary defines recovery as a return to a […]
The Health Benefits of Positive Thinking
Recently, I was with a group of women in recovery, and I asked everyone what they were grateful for – with a caveat. My car was in the shop, and I felt pessimistic about the looming deductible. I said, “I am grateful for many things, except I’d be more grateful if a tree had […]
Avoiding Addiction Treatment – The Back-to-School Excuse
The admissions specialists at Sanford Behavioral Health have heard every excuse in the book for avoiding addiction treatment. A person calls for information about Sanford’s programs, but “for future reference because it is not a convenient time.” During the holidays, there are mandatory work or family get-togethers. School is letting out in spring, or there […]
6 Reasons a Michigan Summer is Good for Mental Health
Michigan summer feels hopeful and restorative. Green is the color of life, nature, renewal, and energy. The color green is also associated with fertility, growth, and harmony. Blue stands for serenity, stability, inspiration, wisdom, and health. So, what better place to explore than Pure Michigan now that summer is here with all its shades of […]
