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 […]
Supportive Living – When It’s Not Safe to Go Home
Around recovery meetings, folks always say you need to change people, places, and things to manage an addiction. But what happens if you don’t have the option to change your current situation? If you live at home with parents or siblings who use, for example. It makes long-term recovery look daunting and can keep an […]
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 […]
A Toast to Brain Health – 10 Strategies to Embrace the Holiday Season
If you or a loved one are experiencing your first sober holiday season, I’ll bet I can predict the questions you are noodling. I can also assure you (nine years after my first dry yuletide) that most of your concerns are unfounded. I quit drinking in July, so I had time to get used […]
These 10 Excuses are the Enemy to Your Recovery. Do Any Apply to You?
It’s the holidays—the time for pageants at church and school, office parties, and family responsibilities. As a person in recovery, I can remember this time of year while in active addiction. On top of the crushing TO DO list of everyday holiday tasks, there was the exhausting schedule of drinking, planning to drink, and […]
10 Tips for a Sober Holiday
My family has a legend we talk about from my non-sober holidays past. It’s about the time “Mom,” with a bottle of chardonnay coursing through her system, put hot stuffing into a Pyrex bowl. And while the rest of the Thanksgiving meal was sliced, mashed, and dolloped into serving dishes, I attempted to keep the […]
What’s the Connection of ADHD and Substance Use?
Individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely to use substances as a way to cope with their symptoms, such as impulsivity and hyperactivity. There is also some evidence that ADHD medications may reduce the risk of developing problematic substance use behaviors, making ADHD treatment a critical part of preventing or managing substance use in […]
Living Sober for My Kids
I had one of those classic “couldn’t do this if I was still boozing” parenting moments the other day. Our nine-year-old had a friend over for a sleepover late in the evening. At around 9:30 p.m., we were interrupted in the living room by a little boy in tears saying, “I want to go home!” […]
Avoiding the Whack-a-Mole Eating Disorder Game
I’ve never liked the carnival game whack-a-mole. Bashing heads with a cartoon hammer while an endless succession of new rodents appears. It is too stressful and unpredictable. But I could relate when a friend in recovery said they thought eating disorders, popping up during addiction treatment, reminded them of playing whack-a-mole. Because just when […]
Why Not to Choose Alcohol over Family
One of the most challenging questions for those recovering from an alcohol use disorder is, “Why did you choose alcohol over me?” No matter how often you tell the family of a person in active addiction their loved one has a chronic, progressive brain disease, someone will stand up and say, “Yes, but they decided […]