Myth Busting – Non-Drinkers Are Not BORING
On a recent long road trip, I listened to the podcast Smartless for 17 hours. This was my only entertainment other than noting the decor in rest area bathrooms and the displays in roadside gas stations (which morphed from Slim Jim and antifreeze to oranges and baby alligator heads). Smartless is hosted by Jason […]
Happiness in Recovery – Reset Your Day!
It has been a long winter, and some of us may be feeling a bit down lately. To be sure, thereโs nothing wrong with feeling down. Happiness is not a prerequisite of recovery for our clients at Sanford Behavioral Health. However, we do teachย coping skills to help our clients move through the rough patches: […]
Awe Walks for Mental Health
I am a self-described, often awestruck, nature nerd. I have written about the joys of Michigan winter in late February (when most Michiganders are tolerating the dreary days until spring). Other topics I have covered are finding joy during the pandemic, how a $75 blowup kayak can change your life, and the mental health benefit […]
A New Look at 10 Addiction Relapse Triggers
You are new to recovery and innocently pushing your cart down the aisle at the local Fresh Market. Let’s say it’s a gloomy Sunday afternoon. You round the corner, and there in front of you is the alcohol aisle. Aisles more like it, all shapes and sizes of beer and wine stacked and displayed artfully. […]
Real Life Recovery: Day Treatment for Addiction
A standard directive in 12-step or addiction recovery meetings is, โGo to 90 meetings in 90 days.โ They say this to encourage anyone new to recovery to immerse themselves in recovery in the same way they immersed themselves in their addiction. Recovery is the most important thing a person can do. But what if […]
How a Winter in Michigan Can Help You
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 holidaysโthe 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 […]
