What is Early Recovery? And When Do I Graduate?
I was hiking with a group of people who are new to recovery. And out of the blue, one of them asked, “What’s early recovery?” Before I could answer, someone else said, “Yeah. What is early recovery and how do I get out of it?” Still a third said, “I have a friend […]
The Restorative Health Benefits of a Michigan Summer
Michigan summer… It’s finally Michigan summer. Last weekend I was mired in a rather “snakey” looking bog on the edge of Big Seven Lake. I could hear, but not see, the frogs with their burping, throaty chirps. There were tiny dragon-flies hovering over the water lilies and my inflatable kayak was listing to starboard. […]
WHO is Your Addiction Treatment Experience?
In the past two weeks I have spent more time than I would like in a hospital. In fact, any time spent in a hospital is too much for me. But I have an ailing mother and there is something so sad about a hospital inhabitant without a plethora of primrose toting visitors. So I […]
Shame – Being VS Doing Something Wrong …
I struggle to facilitate conversations about shame. And I’m transparent about that with my clients. This is for a few reasons: shame is difficult to conceptualize. Unlike “coping skills” or “aftercare planning,” shame is nebulous. Open for discourse. Dependent on our unique perspectives and past experiences. Additionally, I’ve yet to master managing shame in my […]
Social Drinking, Social Anxiety and the Open Bar
Updated 12/4/2025 What is it about an open bar at a lively party? Friendly wait staff in bow ties and damask-draped folding tables.The inevitable lineup of soon-to-be new best friends. And for anyone like me, with social anxiety, the open bar is the ultimate event ice-breaker. New Friends, Open Bar In the movie […]
Gracefully Welcoming Change: Recovery in an Ever-Changing World
Change. Many of us struggle to navigate it gracefully. To create meaningful change, we have to do things differently. We must engage in some self-reflection. And practice self-awareness. And admit our shortcomings… It’s a lot of work. I could draw a metaphor, here, about the changing seasons (it’s finally starting to feel like spring […]
Fear Not Sober Vacations – Great Escapes for Sober Sojourners!
A newly sober friend of mine was looking meaningfully into his coffee. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “I’m going on a sober vacation to St Martin next week and I’m really nervous about my recovery,” he said. My immediate thought was a sarcastic, Poor you – that’s the kind of problem I’d like to have. But […]
Neuro-Reflexive Therapy – Dry Needling for Addiction Aftercare
I am lying on a wide padded table breathing in through a “hole in my head”. I am breathing out through my hands and feet. There are neuro-reflexive needles in my face, hands, ankles, hips, and the top of my head. And behind my eyes I see cobalt blue squares. When I tell the […]
Coping with Life’s Ordinary Moments in Recovery…
Are things honestly ever “just fine” in early recovery? At Sanford House , we begin group therapy sessions with a check-in. Clients are asked to identify how they’re feeling today. (Sure, sometimes therapy is just as on-the-nose as one may imagine.) I challenge my clients to reframe answers like “fine,” “good,” or “I don’t […]
Honoring the Unique – The Life Story Project at Sanford
I visited Seattle recently, and stayed in a hostel for the first time. When I got home, I struggled to describe my trip. “My perspective is a little different now,” I said. Different names for the same place… honoring the unique, dynamic, peculiar, and predictable In truth, all of our experiences shift our worldview […]
