Sanford Founder Rae Green On Our Most-Read Articles of 2024
12 Days of Hope Series #5 Every year at this time, we look back at our best articles and discuss why people want to read what we have written. “Best” means most website clicks and social media shares, and a couple of these articles (with regular updates) have been going strong for years. Looking at […]
Why Not Try Dry January?
12 Days of Hope Series # 4 An interesting thing happened to me this holiday season. I had a late-night Target pickup, and as I exited the parking lot and headed to the highway, I made an honest driving mistake. My Target has one of those go-right-to-go-left situations where you must cross four lanes of […]
Best of Resolutions for a New Year
12 Days of Hope Series #3 This time of year, the word “resolution” is on the mind. There is something about a clean New Year and the hope for change. For those with active addiction or an eating disorder, the holidays exacerbate their disorders and accentuate emotional triggers. Social media says we should keep resolutions […]
Resolutions and Changes – Making Them Stick
12 Days of Hope Series #2 Welcome to 2025! In your social circles, the “buzz” is probably about New Year’s resolutions. Did you make any? I want to share some perspectives on how humans make behavioral changes, such as resolutions or adjustments to our relationships and lives. In our second addition to the 12 Days […]
Ideas to Bolster Your Mental Health – 12 Days of Hope Series
12 Days of Hope Series #1 Last year, we published a series of hopeful ideas for improving mental health during the winter holidays and beyond. (Even playing in the snow can be good for mental health!) We’re doing it again this year, beginning with the best ideas from last year. As we head into 2025, […]
Excuses? Our Admissions Team Has Heard Them All
It’s that time of year when families gather. Pageants at spiritual centers and schools and an array of events herald holidays and the coming of the new year. The admissions specialists at Sanford Behavioral Health have probably heard every excuse for putting off the inevitable treatment for addiction, especially this time of year. We have […]
Hope for Creating Personal Boundaries in the Addicted Home
Recently, Sanford Behavioral Health Founder Rae Green and I presented an educational in-service for the Mental Health Association of Michigan. Our focus was on boundaries (personal or external) for recovering families. After the presentation, I began thinking deeply about boundaries and recovery. I became even stronger in my belief that families dealing with addiction have […]
Dopamine Rush – 27 Things to Do Instead of Scroll
These days, there are studies, marketing campaigns, and warnings about excessive scrolling on smartphones, but many of us reach for our phones the moment our eyes open in the morning or a beep tells us we have a message. Grabbing the phone can be practical, such as checking the schedule, weather, and time. However, according […]
Mocktail Recipes to Toast the Holidays
It’s party time, and the good news for those who are in early recovery or alcohol-free is the trend toward the damp/dry lifestyle and the growth of sober bars and mocktails on the menu. In Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan, many establishments serve non-alcoholic drinks, and Chartreuse Sisters serves homemade sweet treats and mocktails with enticing […]
10 Sober Holiday Traditions at Sanford Behavioral Health
It’s December 1st, and for those in recovery, the holidays may loom as a stressor, not the stuff of storybooks. At Sanford Behavioral Health, our sober holiday traditions have stood the test of time through gloomy days and a pandemic. Remember staying sober through that holiday season? Along with the customs of tinsel, candles, dreidels, […]
