How a Winter in Michigan Can Help You
We have had a gloomy start to the year in Michigan. The sun shined for five minutes in the first eight days of January 2023. Since then, it has been all grey skies and puddles threatening to turn to black ice. So why, you ask, is this woman writing an article about the health […]
Supportive Living – When It’s Not Safe to Go Home
Around recovery meetings, folks always say you need to change people, places, and things to manage an addiction. But what happens if you don’t have the option to change your current situation? If you live at home with parents or siblings who use, for example. It makes long-term recovery look daunting and can keep an […]
Dry January – What are the Lessons We Learn?
During the holidays, I was extolling (as one does when loved ones gather) about the relative ease of my recovery from an acute alcohol use disorder. I am nine years sober, and at this stage of the game, not drinking has become as much of an affectation as my omnipresent wine glass used to be. […]
Deadly Combination – DO NOT Mix Alcohol and Cannabis on the Road
Highlights from a new study by researchers at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health show an increase in simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use among adults 21+ in the U.S. from 2008 to 2019. Researchers examined data and responses from more than 800,000 participants. They found that simultaneous use was almost twice as prevalent […]
New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Work? Implementing Change with GUSTO
Updated 12/30/24 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. Resolutions & Change When it comes to a resolution for […]
Family Guide to Understanding Addiction Relapse
For family recovery to become a reality, each household member must have an accurate perspective on addiction relapse and their recovery plan. Any situation that stimulates old addictive pathways can lead to relapse in the person with an addictive condition, likewise, to family members. The most important thing is what the individual with a substance […]
How to Set Boundaries in Addiction Recovery
As the family program facilitator at Sanford Behavioral Health, I spend a lot of time helping loved ones establish boundaries. Establishing healthy boundaries is possible in family recovery. Establishing boundaries is essential to effectively work with a loved one with a substance use disorder (SUD). Healthy boundaries are at the heart of any positive relationship […]
A Toast to Brain Health – 10 Strategies to Embrace the Holiday Season
If you or a loved one are experiencing your first sober holiday season, I’ll bet I can predict the questions you are noodling. I can also assure you (nine years after my first dry yuletide) that most of your concerns are unfounded. I quit drinking in July, so I had time to get used […]
What is the One Gift Your Family Will Not Return?
The Season of Hope and Family Recovery This is the season of hope, joy, and the giving of gifts to honor that hope and joy. A season of this type applies to all people who practice traditions of their culture or faith. I am the Family Program for Addiction Treatment facilitator at Sanford Behavioral Health. […]
Introducing Michigan’s One-Stop Shop Behavioral Health Campus
One-Stop Shop for Behavioral Health Scroll down to 2-minute video What does it mean when we say Sanford Behavioral Health is a one-stop shop? It means we treat the whole person. Our integrative programs treat addiction, eating disorders, and related mental health conditions at the same time. Sanford’s multi-disciplinary team of experts communicates minute […]
