Alcohol-Free for One Month – Health Benefits
We are winding down the 4th of July weekend with parties and firework displays and alcohol in every cooler. For those in recovery, weathering another holiday rife with temptation is par for the course. For those waking with another hangover or who just feel like they’ve over indulged, we’d like to offer a challenge. […]
Michigan Excursions – Nature Therapy in the Great Outdoors
I work for Sanford Behavioral Health, and as the marketing director, I notice the organization’s communal language. Words have power and we are in the business of stigma busting, so we are mindful about our words when it comes to addiction, eating disorders, and mental health conditions. A few years ago, when we launched […]
BEST Vacations in Recovery – Sober Summer Travel
Every year at this time I think of those who are new to recovery. Summer vacation, a time to relax and enjoy life can be stressful to the newly sober traveler. In my drinking days vacation began with the first glass of wine on the plane. It often ended with bruised shins, battered relationships, […]
How Workplace Culture Impacts Patient Outcomes and Staff Satisfaction
A few weeks ago, I had a patient tell me that she was very nervous to come to treatment. She said that once she was here, she found the staff to be compassionate, professional, knowledgeable, and happy. The word happy resonated with me because, as the Chief Operating Officer at Sanford Behavioral Health, I have […]
The Importance of Human Connection. Pandemic’s Silver Lining?
There is no argument – 2021 has been a tough year on our mental health. We have been challenged by the seemingly never-ending COVID pandemic. And in the behavioral health field the increase in overdoses, caused by multiple factors linked with the pandemic, resulted in more than 100,000 deaths. Is Connection the Pandemic’s […]
Recovery Processing Group – Checkups for Long-Term Sobriety!
Recovery Processing Group is available for our clients who have achieved 6 months of sobriety or more. As we stay sober longer our needs change. Gone are the days of having to learn and hone our coping skills. By the late months of the first year, we have learned many of the skills that […]
Signs of Depression and How to Cope
Depression is more than just sadness. People with depression may experience a lack of interest and pleasure in daily activities, significant weight loss or gain, insomnia or excessive sleeping, lack of energy, inability to concentrate, feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide. American Psychological Association Signs of Depression Depression […]
Milestones, Legends & Michigan Summer – Best of Excursions
Michiganders feel a hint of melancholy during the Labor Day holiday each year. This is the time we dry dock the boats, close up cabins, and buy back-to-school supplies. It is also the last big blowout of the summer and picnics, waterskiing, tubing, hiking and camping excursions abound. Milestones, Legends and Summer… But […]
Remembering Early Recovery in an Empty House
I had what will probably be a once in a lifetime experience this summer. Sanford House at Cherry Street for Women in Grand Rapids, Michigan was closed for a short time for restoration. This is something that happens rarely in the 24/7 world of residential addiction treatment. The 170-year-old floors were restored, and everything […]
Why Do I Need a Recovery Tool Kit?
At the start of my recovery, years of people pleasing had dulled down who I really was. I developed an ability to respond to any situation in the way I thought I should rather than the way I actually felt. On top of that, years of drinking dulled the pain of living a life […]
