Opioid Overdoses in Michigan – Bridge Interview
Thank you to Bridge Michigan, and reporter, Robin Erb, for including Sanford in her informed article on the state of opioid overdoes 2020. The article provides state data and reports from county medical examiners, showing a rise in opioid-related overdoses and deaths in Michigan. Why the Rise in Opioid-Related Overdoses? It is understandable that […]
Thinking vs Acting – the First Steps to Recovery
Making changes to your alcohol habits is a massive undertaking. It can take months – years even – to get to the point where you actually stop drinking. And that’s okay, because transformation is a long process and it starts from deep within. Often things can be moving well along in the direction of change […]
Out of Sight, Out of Mind? The Opioid Epidemic 2020
As we all process the torrent of information about COVID-19 and its tangents, it seems there is a scarcity of information about the Opioid Epidemic 2020. And when things are out of sight, they tend to be out of mind in this fast-paced world. But according to a new article in The New York […]
Anxiety Disorder 2020 – What are the Signs?
During a family Zoom meeting last week, my son asked us a question his boss had posed in another Zoom meeting. The question was, “What new thing have you learned during the pandemic?” My son, who is clever as well as handsome, answered, “I built a table from scratch.” Another person said, “I learned to […]
Looking Back at Summer Joy 2019 – The Best of Excursions
What a difference a year makes. We went back to our articles from last year at this time, when summer was a little simpler to navigate. Interestingly, summer joy and our recovery advice stood the test of time. In 2020, we still seek happiness, connection to nature, and fostering feelings of awe. And in Michigan, […]
Sober Curious: Does Moderation Management Work?
I promise I am not researching moderation management for myself. It’s been a while since the little guy in the red jumpsuit on my shoulder has whispered, “Who would it hurt if you had one glass of red wine with dinner?” In fact, he’s been too busy the past three months to bother me, convincing […]
Gratitude Therapy – Finding Happiness in Recovery/Life
I keep a file, with a pink and orange leaf motif, labeled “HAPPINESS”. The file contains articles, post-it notes, clippings, and odds and ends on positive psychology. I am fascinated by the concept of gratitude as a therapeutic intervention (in these times it seems even more germane). And how gratitude groups in the treatment […]
Update: Sanford Outpatient and Virtual Treatment
The Governor issued Executive Order 2020-21, requiring all people in Michigan to “stay home and stay safe” three months ago. Since that time, Sanford has worked to provide addiction treatment for our clients under these extenuating circumstances. Our Residential Programs are available with testing, increased policies and response protocols. And we were able to pivot […]
Denial of Addiction – the First Stage of Acceptance
In our last article, we reviewed what it feels like to be a person developing a substance use disorder (SUD). We are now beginning a series discussing the dynamics and defenses used by people as they develop an SUD. The primary defenses used as addictive disease progresses are denial, justification, deception, and manipulation. Denial, […]
A Thank You Note to My Sobriety in Uncertain Times
Many years ago, I co-owned an art gallery. Art is a business characterized by booze-laced openings. And if the truth be known, I kept a bottle of plonk in my desk drawer in our distressed-brick communal office for the “down times”. When I look back on the genesis of my active addiction, Spiller Vincenty Gallery […]
