10 Reasons a Michigan Winter is Good for Your Health!
We have had a gloomy start to the year in Michigan. The sun shined for five minutes in the first eight days of January 2023. Since then, it has been all grey skies and puddles threatening to turn to black ice. So why, you ask, is this woman writing an article about the health […]
Dry January – What are the Lessons We Learn?
During the holidays, I was extolling (as one does when loved ones gather) about the relative ease of my recovery from an acute alcohol use disorder. I am nine years sober, and at this stage of the game, not drinking has become as much of an affectation as my omnipresent wine glass used to be. […]
Alcohol-Free Mocktails, “That’s What I Prefer”
It’s party time, and drinking alcohol-free mocktails can seem antisocial to someone new to recovery or practicing an alcohol-free lifestyle. After all, it is rare to attend a holiday gathering without the omnipresent open bar. But when Uncle Joe picks a fight, or your neighbor falls into the sunken living room, splashing his bloody mary […]
3 Tips to Help Your Mental Health During the Holidays
The holidays can be a memorable and joyful time, but they can also be stressful and challenging for your mental health. Regarding your mental health, it’s essential to understand that you shouldn’t feel ashamed or embarrassed by any mental health issues you might face. In the U.S., mental health is a serious issue that impacts […]
The Effects of Alcohol on the Whole Body
Whenever I think of the ill effects of alcohol and drugs on the body, I think of the 1980s Partnership for a Drug-Free America campaign with the egg. This is your brain (hold up a pristine egg). This is drugs (grease bubbling in a frying pan). And this is your brain on drugs (crack […]
Michigan Autumn is Good for Your Mental Health
I was speaking to a colleague of mine yesterday. She asked if I had any ideas for inspirational thoughts on the monitors at Sanford West Behavioral Health Campus. As the Sanford Marketing Director, my answer to questions of this sort is always, “Yes.” I had been thinking about the mental health benefits of a […]
Yes, Alcohol Ruins Relationships – Best of Excursions Magazine
Every day at Sanford Behavioral Health people come to us for help. One of the most frequent queries is, “Will alcohol ruin my relationship?” We are also asked, “Will my wife’s/husband’s/partner’s drinking cause divorce?” Finally, these individuals ask, “How do I know if my loved one has a drinking problem?” Of course, all these […]
Who Needs Botox? 4 Reasons Sober is Beautiful Inside and Out
I work for Sanford Behavioral Health in Grand Rapids. Michigan, and my job gives me a bird’s eye overview of our patients in recovery. I don’t see them every day, which means I am privy to the cumulative effect recovery can have on a person’s overall look. And what a difference even a week […]
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 […]
The Wellbeing Trifecta: Sleep, Social Interaction and Exercise
I’ve been watching Philip K. Dick’s, Electric Dreams on Amazon. Based on his science fiction short stories, Season 1 is a star-studded dystopian watch-athon. The marketing blurb says, “…the anthology will question what it means to be human in uniquely ambitious, grounded, yet fantastical worlds.” Which seems to me like a marketing blurb for […]
