Soul Hunger, Eating Disorders and a Historic ED Treatment Center
Residential Eating Disorders Multidisciplinary Team On the Anatomy of Addiction Podcast, I had the opportunity to interview two members of the residential eating disorder team. Dr. Anna Flores and Erin Carrigan, MA, LLPC, LPCC, are both transplants to Michigan. They moved here to help build the residential eating disorder treatment center at Sanford. Sanford […]
Red Wine a Day Keeps Heart Disease Away? A New Study Debunks the Adage
A new study debunks the concept that drinking modestly protects the heart. Instead, its conclusion is that there is no level of drinking that does not present heart disease risk. The risk is minimal if people consume an average of seven drinks per week (as compared to abstaining). But the risk rises dramatically as […]
Prevalence of Alcohol Use Disorders Before/After Bariatric Surgery
There are times on the road to wellness, when the only thing one can say is, “No fair.” I remember thinking no fair when six months sober, a long dormant eating disorder popped up like the head of a Hydra. Just when I had my alcohol use disorder (AUD) licked, another trial presented itself. And at […]
New Detox Center Fills Gaps in Addiction Treatment in Michigan
Filled with light, original artwork, and similar to other Sanford Behavioral Health properties in the Greater Grand Rapids area, Sanford Detox Center is a beautiful space in which to heal. Here comfort is key, as sub-acute detox is the process of safely ridding the body of alcohol/drugs and managing the resultant withdrawal symptoms. […]
New Website Launch for Sanford Behavioral Health!
It’s time for a celebration; we have launched our new website! Sanford Behavioral Health (formerly Sanford House) in Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan has grown since its inception in 2015. And with myriad new programs and the opening of Sanford West Behavioral Health Campus, we were straining the capabilities of the old website. Six months’ […]
Addiction Treatment for Men – Privacy, Comfort, Healing
Beds Available Now! Sanford House at John Street is a residential addiction treatment facility for adult men in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Its massive stone walls and a river rock foundation exemplify strength; the home itself is a metaphor to the life-changing work taking place within its walls. Further, the bedrooms at John Street have […]
Stigma Busting! Education is Key in Family Recovery
In December of 2021, Sanford Founder, Rae Green and I delivered a presentation to Washtenaw Families Against Narcotics (WFAN). One element of that presentation was a discussion related to relapse. We introduced the concept of calling it a recurrence instead of relapse as part of our section on stigma busting addiction and co-occurring disorders […]
Report Shows Insurance Coverage “Falling Short” for Addiction
This week the U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury issued their biennium 2022 Report to Congress on the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA). The MHPAEA is a federal law that requires insurance coverage for mental health conditions/substance use disorders (SUD) to be no more restrictive […]
The Importance of Human Connection. Pandemic’s Silver Lining?
There is no argument – 2021 has been a tough year on our mental health. We have been challenged by the seemingly never-ending COVID pandemic. And in the behavioral health field the increase in overdoses, caused by multiple factors linked with the pandemic, resulted in more than 100,000 deaths. Is Connection the Pandemic’s […]
Mindfulness in Recovery – I’m a Believer!
Mindfulness seems to be “the latest and the greatest” self-help tool in the mental health toolbox. I am reminded of my past take on exercise and physical health. When both concepts, exercise and mindfulness, were first introduced as recovery tools, I was skeptical! Now, I’m a huge believer in the strength of both these […]
