Resolutions and Changes – Making Them Stick
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 of Hope series, we give you […]
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, studies, marketing campaigns, and warnings abound about excessive smartphone scrolling, but many of us reach for our phones the moment our eyes open in the morning or a beep alerts us to a new message. Grabbing the phone can be practical for checking the schedule, weather, and time. However, according to the former […]
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, […]
Worried About a Loved One’s Drinking During the Holidays? 7 Ways You Can Help
Updated 11/19/ 2025 At Sanford Behavioral Health, we get feedback from the loved ones of previous clients this time of year. They tell us about the difference between holidays in recovery versus the years prior when their loved ones were in active addiction. We hear, “It is such a relief. I used to get so […]
The Holiday Season is Upon Us! Recovery Plans and Tips
The 2024 Holiday Season is upon us! No matter whether and what you celebrate, the season is enjoyable and stressful. The stress comes along with the disruption of our usual day-to-day routines and the added tasks related to the celebrations of the season. Odd isn’t it that the very enjoyment we crave and anticipate, one […]
How Can We Establish Family Boundaries in Recovery?
Let’s face it: family members can push every button. When a person is in recovery from a substance use disorder, the entire family is involved in the delicate process of transitioning beliefs, feelings, and actions. How can we establish family boundaries in recovery? In an upcoming webinar with the Mental Health Association in Michigan, […]
