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Exercise for Stress and Anxiety – 5 Days X 30 Minutes!

I like setting small attainable goals. Tell me to exercise for my stress and anxiety, and I find myself in a quandary. Should I get up early and hit the nature center for a bracing hike (or will that take too long)? Wait, I could do Pilates in the living room and lunges with weights […]

Men’s Addiction Treatment – Take the Tour

  Sanford House at John Street for Men is a residential treatment facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Following the success of Sanford House at Cherry Street for Women, Founders Rae and David Green looked for a site for their men’s facility. Their goal was to create the same type of gender specific environment for men, […]

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Women’s Mental Health 2021 – Best of Excursions

  Sleep problems, depression and anxiety are more common in women than in men according to a recent report by Frontiers in Global Women’s Health. What’s more, as isolation extended during the pandemic, women’s symptoms worsened.   Perhaps not surprisingly, women also reported higher scores on a scale measuring empathy in the report. Empathy is […]

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Women’s Addiction – “Pink Flags” for Moms Who Need Wine

  I met with a thirty-something therapist last week who said she was concerned about her peers and their drinking habits. The “Moms who Need Wine” crowd, Starbucks cups filled with iced KJ at the soccer games. Play dates replete with chardonnay and imported cheese. Even baby-carriage walking groups with iced wine in the cup […]

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10 Reasons a Michigan Winter is Good for Your Health!

  At the beginning of winter 2020, there is no question what was in the minds of Michiganders far and wide. After almost a year of isolation, distancing and COVID-19, we are heading into the months when we normally sequester. How are we going to handle this? And when the first snow fell in October […]

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Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care – Limelight Interview

  A recovery-oriented system of care (ROSC) is an infrastructure with the resources to address the full range of substance use problems within communities. The ROSC provides a continuum of care, working together with mental health and primary care resources. This includes prevention, early intervention, various treatment programs, continuing care, and long-term recovery.   Recovery-Oriented […]

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The Human Element in Addiction Treatment – Limelight

When you think about addiction treatment, you may not think about the staff, at all levels, who will implement the programs day-to-day. But the people who work at an addiction treatment center are important to one’s overall comfort, participation, and success.  And when someone is vulnerable, a humane person-to-person connection can be the difference between […]

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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 […]

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Sober Cocktails from the Sanford Kitchen

Sober friends and recovery holidaymakers, we are in the heart of the 2020 festivities. Anybody else getting a little club soda logged? Even in the parred down events of this year, you might want to toast your favorite bubble-mate, the coming of a vaccine or 2021. There is something unnerving about a proffered champagne tray, […]

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Opioids in the NFL – The Pressure to Perform

  As of 2017, the opioid crisis has been designated as a public health emergency. 80-90% of opioid deaths happen in the United States, yet we are only 5% of the world’s population. The CDC reported that in 2019 opioid overdoses were up 4.6% and for 2020 we are on track for a 13% increase. […]

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