Eat Your Greens! A Healthy Diet Means Healthy Recovery!
I recently attended a yoga workshop on digestive health and was able to take a moment to pause and reflect on the relationship I have with food and my body. Four years ago, I had no idea that a healthy diet can mean a healthy recovery. Now I’d argue that fruit and vegetables can […]
Why is Positive Thinking So Good For Your Recovery?
Recently, I was with a group of women in recovery, and I asked everyone what they were grateful for – with a caveat. My car had just been towed away, and I felt pessimistic about the potential outcome. I said, “I am grateful for many things, except I’d be more grateful if my car worked.” […]
Now That We’re in Recovery, Who Else Wants a Puppy?
Updated March 2024 I was minding my own business the other day, and an idea popped up: GET A RECOVERY PUPPY. It occurred with the same kind of punch-in-the-gut suddenness my wine cravings used to materialize, so I should be wary. I know we are not supposed to start a serious relationship, get married, […]
Girl Restarted – Being an Alcoholic Sort of Ruined My 21st Birthday Plans…
From the moment I took my first drink, I had glorious plans for my twenty-first birthday. Flashing horizontal ID’s in suspicious bouncer’s faces, drinking everyone under the table, ordering fancy drinks just because it was legal, and having to be dragged back to my room by friends because I was too sloshed to even […]
Girl Restarted – The Emotional Thaw
Sanford House alumna S.E.B. was in treatment before she was legally old enough to drink alcohol. She will be guest blogging for Sanford House and taking us along on her recovery journey. She’s learning to “feel”, turning 21 and navigating family and friends in the sober life. So, Wish her luck – she’s Girl Restarted… In […]
What is Recovery? We Asked the Experts – Women in Rehab.
There is no “correct” answer to the question, “What is recovery?”. In fact, the definition of addiction recovery is so subjective, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) uses 10 Guiding Principles of Recovery and a “working definition”. It reminds me of the pirate Barbossa, in The Pirates of the Caribbean. When […]
5 Ways Cycling Improved My Recovery (and a Killer Muffin Recipe)
If you’d have said to me 18 months ago, I would be using a bike as my main mode of transport; I’d be cycling in excess of 50 miles a week, I’d no longer wear makeup every day, and my priorities would be eating well and getting enough exercise, I’d have asked you where […]
Run, Paul, Run! The Role of Exercise in Recovery.
I never wanted to run. My father ran for many decades. When I was a kid, he would come home, his face all sweaty, in defiance of his headband, and he would chase my brother and me trying to kiss and hug us while wiping his face on our t-shirts. We squealed in delight […]
Widening the Path in Recovery
I was having a conversation with David Green the other day – we were discussing the things I might get involved in now that I live in Grand Rapids. He mentioned the symphony and I said, “Perhaps this sounds cretinous, but I hate the symphony.” Then I paused and said, “Wait a minute, maybe […]
50 Things I Love About Sobriety (Don’t Even Get Me Started…)
Yes, I love just about everything associated with sobriety (even though, being a grownup can be a little difficult at times…). Let me count the ways. I love: The mornings My hair, nails and skin Having a memory Not being afraid or regretful of what I remember… The free time No bags under my […]
