Addiction Recovery During COVID-19 – The GOOD News
Judith Snow is the Clinical Manager at the Sanford Outpatient Center, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. And during a time when most of the news is negative about the rise of addiction, relapse, and overdoses during the pandemic, she is a breath of fresh air. As a proponent of Carl Rogers, Judith contends, “You have […]
Adults (Especially Women), Alcohol Consumption & COVID-19
We’ve been under the thumb of COVID-19 long enough now, that the statistics are beginning to come in. There has been a more than 50% increase in national sales of alcohol in 2020. And a new survey by RAND Corporation shows that those over the age of 30 increased alcohol consumption 14% during May […]
Figuring Out the Formula for Long-Term Recovery
I’ve been in recovery for eight and a half years. During that time, I have evolved into a completely different person: I lead an intentional and healthful life with a sense of purpose and meaning. I have never felt so alive and so empowered. My journey wasn’t easy, but it absolutely was worth it. […]
Childhood Experience and Addiction – Hole in the Soul
Childhood Experience and Addiction – Hole in the Soul I grew up in a family where my dad died when I was only 6 months old. My mum re-married and because of that, my brothers and I had a different surname than she and my stepdad. We wanted to keep our father’s name. All this […]
Saturday Programming, Addiction Treatment – Limelight Interview
Sanford House at John Street for Men is quiet on a Saturday. After a long week, the men in residential treatment embrace the weekend and Saturday programming with a more casual vibe. This is not to say we set aside the evidence-based practices we employ during the week, but the work is more relaxed […]
Isolation and Addiction – 3 BIG Reasons Folks With SUDs Isolate
I have a friend who tells a story about the final days of his isolation and active addiction. He says he was smoking then, and he was not allowed to light up in the house. So, he would take a bottle of Jack Daniels to the unheated garage behind his house, sit on a […]
Watery Me – Crying in Recovery
At the start of the pandemic I cried for two weeks. Not all day, every day, but very regularly. The enormity of the crisis, the fear about the virus, the concerns about lock down – it was a lot to deal with and get my head around. Every time an email came through from […]
Recovery Adventures Outdoors – 5 Favorites in Michigan
In April of 2020, Michigan had a spring snowstorm. I had been physically distancing since February, and somehow the surprise storm seemed like the last straw (icicle, snowdrift, chilblain?). Of course, there was more to come with COVID-19, but at the time I felt trapped. No adventures, working from home, and far from family […]
Calling All Alumni – Virtual Groups During COVID-19!
There has been a spate of articles, webinars and Zoom presentations talking about the negative impact of COVID-19 on those in recovery from addiction. Isolation, limited in-person connection, and uncertainty are just a few of the stressors that affect everyone during a pandemic. But those with substance use disorders have additional challenges. And Sanford […]
Sober Challenges – My COVID-19 Move & Job Change
The last 3 years of sobriety have thrown many challenges at me, but 2020 threw the biggest ones yet. At the start of this year I was unhappy in my job. It was causing me stress and reigniting some of my depressive behaviours. I talked to the bosses within my company, and managed to get […]
