Holiday Drinking and Panic Attacks: What You Need to Know with Clinical Director Tessa Sterling
If you have ever experienced a panic attack, you will probably agree that it feels like you are having a heart attack. My only panic attack occurred many years ago, when I was in active addiction. I remember it vividly: chest pains, difficulty breathing, numbness in my arms and hands, sweating, palpitations, and tightness over […]
Overnight Admissions Calls: A CEO’s Wild Ride
As the CEO of a behavioral health company, I never thought I’d be taking overnight admissions calls again, but it has been awesome! We created 24/7 EZ Admissions because nighttime or weekends can present an opportunity for an individual to seek help that they may talk themselves out of during the daytime or workweek. When […]
A New Record in Super Bowl Monday Absenteeism? It’s a Hangover Thing
Are you going to a party for the big game? UKG’s longtime Super Bowl survey finds that an expected 22.6 million American workers will miss work on Monday, a record number compared to the previous record 18.8 million who missed work in 2023. Interestingly, that game also featured the Philadelphia Eagles vs. the Kansas City […]
Worried About a Loved One’s Drinking During the Holidays? 7 Ways You Can Help
Updated 11/19/ 2025 At Sanford Behavioral Health, we get feedback from the loved ones of previous clients this time of year. They tell us about the difference between holidays in recovery versus the years prior when their loved ones were in active addiction. We hear, “It is such a relief. I used to get so […]
ALL THINGS ALCOHOL – The Sanford Library
April is Alcohol Awareness Month, and we have searched Excursions Magazine for interesting articles on alcohol. Over the years, we have interviewed people in recovery from alcohol addiction, posted current stats, and analyzed the reasons alcohol is normalized in social activities. We have opined on hangovers, detox, the joys of sober vacations, 12-step methodology, Superbowl […]
Vacations Without Alcohol – Our Favorite Dry Destinations
April is Alcohol Awareness Month, and it is also the time of year when we begin to think about our summer vacation. For those who are new to recovery, the thoughts of summer vacation without alcohol can be stressful. No glass of wine on the plane to “calm the nerves?” No sunset umbrella cocktail in […]
Alcohol-Related Liver Disease on the Rise
According to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), alcohol-related liver disease is on the rise. Alcohol-related liver disease is also the leading cause of death from excessive drinking. Alcohol-related deaths have increased over the past 20 years. Notably, there was a 29% increase from 2019 to 2020, attributable to […]
The “Big Game” Hangover. Have You Heard of Super Bowl Monday?
According to a yearly study by the Workforce Institute, nearly 26 million Americans will be late or miss work on Super Bowl Monday this year. Not surprisingly, the top reasons for planned absenteeism are fatigue, nausea, and hangovers. In years past, 34 percent of individuals over 21 stated that drinking too much during the […]
Women and Alcohol – The Downside
The most recent government data show that from 2019 to 2020, rates of alcohol-induced deaths for females “increased across all age groups for those aged 25 and over.” According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), nearly half of adult women report drinking alcohol. 13% of adult women and 18% of women of child-bearing age […]
Alcohol-Related Deaths are on the Rise for Women
A new study by the JAMA Network examined sex differences in alcohol-related deaths in the US from 1999 to 2020. The study analyzed data from the CDC on over 600,000 deaths attributed to alcohol, including alcohol-related poisoning, liver disease, gastritis, and cardiomyopathy, among others. Alcohol-related deaths have steadily risen across all demographics in the past […]
