Drinking Problem? How Do I Know if I Have One?
Our Admissions Specialists regularly take calls from people on the fence about whether they have a drinking problem. The caller is often in trouble, but they don’t see it. Or don’t want to see it. We appreciate these calls because they provide a non-threatening forum to discuss addiction and the treatment options available in […]
New Year’s Resolutions? Think Resiliency in 2021!
Welcome to 2021! I wish to start the year off with some resiliency focused thoughts: You are only in control of yourself. You do not and cannot control any other person or situation. Only you are responsible for your beliefs, emotions, and actions. Resiliency in the New Year Being in control of yourself […]
Anybody Else Having Trouble Sleeping?
I have a sleep history. For most of my adult life I have been a card-carrying insomniac. Waking at 3:00 am with a crazy energy, sweeping the front porch at dawn and banging pots and pans (or any other noisy handiwork) by 5:00 am. Loved ones stuffed toilet paper in their ears to deaden […]
Principles of Resilience in Recovery 2020
COVID-19 has brought significant upheaval and challenges to millions of families in our country and throughout the rest of the world. In your life situation, as you are reading this article, it’s likely that on top of COVID-19, you have a special person in your life with a substance use disorder. Or you are […]
COVID-19 Relapse – Miley Cyrus Focuses on Sobriety
In a series of recent articles, Miley Cyrus, who was 6 months alcohol free, admits to “falling off” during the pandemic. She says she is now “focusing on sobriety” after a relapse a few weeks ago. Miley is not alone in her struggles. And by speaking out, and reclaiming her recovery, she serves as […]
Addiction Recovery During COVID-19 – The GOOD News
Judith Snow is the Clinical Manager at the Sanford Outpatient Center, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. And during a time when most of the news is negative about the rise of addiction, relapse, and overdoses during the pandemic, she is a breath of fresh air. As a proponent of Carl Rogers, Judith contends, “You have […]
Finding Joy in an Unsettled World
I was sitting on a bench at Kirk Park taking in the fall colors, when a couple passed by. I watched them walk along the path toward Lake Michigan. A gale was blowing and they linked arms and bent against the wind off the water. The beach is eroded at Kirk Park, and there is […]
Kicking Up the Best of a Michigan Autumn (I’m not SAD)!
Updated September 2023 My daughter and her husband visited from Florida last year to see the fall colors (and what a difference a year makes). Sometimes it’s nice to see the world through someone else’s eyes. For a couple of hot-house flowers, the weather was blustery, but the autumn color was at its finest […]
Mothers of Addiction – Women Influence Treatment Outcomes
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, women make 80 percent of health care decisions in the United States. I’m not surprised. As a mother of grown children, I can attest to the fact they never really leave the nest. And women still take on the primary role of caregiver in families, even if […]
Manipulation – The Fourth Defense of Addiction
This is the fourth and final article in a series on understanding and dealing with the primary defenses of addictive disease. Please notice my choice of words, “the defenses of addictive disease”. Not, “the defenses of the person you love”. There is a difference between the person you love and the disease process in […]
