What is Recovery Awareness?
September is Recovery Awareness Month, and at Sanford Behavioral Health, recovery is a word we hear all the time. One of the tenets of our mission is to support and educate those who are in recovery, their families and communities, but what does recovery awareness mean? The dictionary defines recovery as a return to a […]
Admissions to Mental Health Treatment: Limelight Interview
One of the most daunting parts of entering mental health treatment is picking up the phone to ask for help. Often, when people call, they are overwhelmed, contacting us on what might be a very bad day. But every person who calls Sanford Behavioral Health will know they are no longer alone. The Admissions team […]
Men’s Alcohol Addiction – The Bad and Good News
Let us begin with the bad news: statistically men are more likely to use every type of illegal and legal drug than women. When it comes to men’s alcohol addiction, men drink more than women in every category. This includes binge drinking, overall consumption, and substance use disorders. According to a CDC Fact Sheet […]
Tackling 10 Relapse Triggers in Addiction Recovery
Addiction recovery presents challenges and obstacles, especially in the early days. In fact, anyone who is trying to make a significant life change may experience relapse triggers that arise unexpectedly. A trigger is an emotional, environmental, or social situation that evokes memories of past drug or alcohol use, threatening to weaken one’s resolve. Triggers […]
Do Alcohol Delivery Apps Feed Isolation & Addiction?
For someone in recovery from an alcohol use disorder, there are a few simple tenets. Be careful of the people, places, and things that might cause emotional triggers. Take things one day at a time. And the one that has become a sticky wicket in the past three years: do not isolate. Isolation and alcohol […]
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 […]
Steven Tyler Long-Term Recovery Relapse – Why Does it Happen?
In a series of articles, we heard last week that rock band Aerosmith have cancelled the first two months of their Los Vegas residency. The reason cited is that front-man, Steven Tyler, checked himself into rehab after more than a decade of sobriety. The star is said to have relapsed after taking pain medication […]
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, […]
Red Wine a Day Keeps Heart Disease Away? A New Study Debunks the Adage
A new study debunks the concept that drinking modestly protects the heart. Instead, its conclusion is that there is no level of drinking that does not present heart disease risk. The risk is minimal if people consume an average of seven drinks per week (as compared to abstaining). But the risk rises dramatically as […]
Prevalence of Alcohol Use Disorders Before/After Bariatric Surgery
There are times on the road to wellness, when the only thing one can say is, “No fair.” I remember thinking no fair when six months sober, a long dormant eating disorder popped up like the head of a Hydra. Just when I had my alcohol use disorder (AUD) licked, another trial presented itself. And at […]
