The Rise of Older Women Seeking Addiction Treatment
As the Clinical Director of Sanford House, one of my duties is to collect data and put it together in an annual Performance Management Report. Age ranges of the persons served are among the statistics collected. I have found it interesting to note the increasing number of older women entering addiction treatment. The Older Woman in […]
Rapid Growth for Sanford House at John Street
As our newest project continues, we are committed to keeping you in the loop. Have you heard? Sanford House Addiction Treatment Centers is restoring another one of Grand Rapids’ iconic mansions. This time it will serve as a men’s treatment facility. We will open in June 2017. Rapid Growth And in case you didn’t see […]
Why Is Group Therapy an Important Part of Addiction Treatment?
Why is group therapy so prevalent in the treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs)? As demonstrated by self-help groups, and particularly as stated in 12 Step groups, members “share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problems and help others to recover.” Groups allow those in treatment opportunity to […]
Powerful Allies in Recovery – Educating the Family About Addiction
Why is it important to include family in recovery? At Sanford, we believe family involvement is one of the most important components for a healthy, long term recovery. Family members can be powerful allies in the recovery process. And while a person is in treatment, it is the perfect time to involve family members. […]
Brave, Big, Bold and Bawdy…
I know for a lot of people their sober journey can begin in a bit of a stop-start fashion. They have periods of not drinking, then periods of drinking, then back to not drinking. .. until eventually recovery sticks. For me I never did that. I made the firm decision that I was […]
Blue Monday (Tuesday, Wednesday…) Beating the New Year’s Blues…
This week started with “Blue Monday”. Blue Monday – January 16th. It’s known as the most depressing day of the year. It is when the post-holiday blues set in, when New Year’s resolutions have typically failed, and when the weather is at its worst. But it doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom, […]
Every Therapy Dog Has His Day – Addiction Treatment
Therapy Dog … I’m not exactly a dog person. In fact Santino, the Sanford therapy dog, and I have an unwritten “hands off” policy. In other words, I don’t pat his belly or give him full body hugs. He doesn’t lick my face. We usually just ignore each other companionably. But last week, Santino […]
Sanford’s Top Self-Care Picks (Holidays are stressful)
Sanford House Art Therapist, Jess Kimmel gives us her top picks for finding some peace and quiet this holiday season…. Jess says, “Amidst the chaos of the holiday season, unwind with three of my favorite Sanford House posts about recharging and refocusing…Written when the weather was much less blustery, I hope Paul Silva’s “Getting Self-Esteem,” […]
Spirited Sober Gifts! Alcohol-Free Cocktails! 100 Fun Ideas! The Best of Excursions Magazine
The holidays are a wonderful time of year to be with family and friends. The holidays are also a time for emotional triggers, pushed buttons and stress. It’s common for those in recovery to find the “most wonderful time of the year” to be challenging. So, when you need a lift, the following articles have ideas for winter sober activities and […]
A Recipe for Anxiety (Hint – It Includes Dark Chocolate…)
Many of us in recovery suffer with anxiety. It comes as part of the package of feelings we experience. It also waxes and wanes as we experience different moments and milestones in our recovery. Today, I am in the waxing phase. I’ll share with you how I am coping and my top tips to […]
