10 Components of a Recovery-Friendly Home
The family programs at Sanford Behavioral Health were created to include our clients’ loved ones during treatment and beyond. The Family Program provides education and support about the disease of addiction, recovery, and how to create a recovery-friendly home. Family involvement is one of the essential components of a healthy long-term recovery. Because of this, […]
Michigan Excursions – Nature Therapy in the Great Outdoors
I work for Sanford Behavioral Health, and as the marketing director, I notice the organization’s communal language. Words have power and we are in the business of stigma busting, so we are mindful about our words when it comes to addiction, eating disorders, and mental health conditions. A few years ago, when we launched […]
Isolation and Addiction – 3 BIG Reasons Folks With SUDs Isolate
I have a friend who tells a story about the final days of his isolation and active addiction. He says he was smoking then, and he was not allowed to light up in the house. So, he would take a bottle of Jack Daniels to the unheated garage behind his house, sit on a […]
Medication-Assisted Treatment – Busting the Myths
When managing addiction, many people fear the judgement of others for their choices about treatment decisions. There are multiple ways to approach recovery. And medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is a viable and appropriate choice for some. You and your treatment team will decide which course of action is best for you. When talking with others you […]
Enabling VS Empathy – It’s a Fine Line – Interacting With Addiction
Even if you aren’t familiar with addiction treatment, you’ve probably heard the term “enabler”. Enabling describes how loved ones interact with a person with a substance use disorder (SUD). And although many of us have heard the word, few of us know what it actually means. Enabling behavior is anything that supports an addict’s […]
A Firsthand View – Art Therapy and the Treatment of Anxiety
In group therapy, I ask members to “keep within their own experience.” No advice giving. No telling others how to feel. This helps create safety within the session. A college mentor of mine once said, “Never assume to understand the experience of someone else. Even if it’s one you’re familiar with, like sadness or […]
Inside Sanford House at John Street for Men – Before and After Pics
MLive’s business reporter James Harger and photographer Cory Morse were two of our first visitors to 221 John Street in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Jim called the house, “hidden in plain sight”, because the former Hazeltine mansion sits far back on a hilly lot. You can miss it if you are not looking carefully. It is one […]
Sanford House at John Street for Men – Grand Opening
It was an evening for friends, family and business colleagues to gather at Sanford House Addiction Treatment Centers’ newest facility. Located at 221 John Street, Grand Rapids, Michigan, the restored mansion will serve as a residential and non-residential addiction treatment center for men. The Green family hosted a party to officially open the […]
Addiction Treatment Alphabet Soup – What Do All Those Letters MEAN?
I remember using acronyms in grade school to help me recall items for upcoming quizzes and tests. One of my favorites was “HOMES”, the names of the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior. When I got to college, I still made up acronyms to help me study and memorize for tests. While […]
Widening the Path in Recovery
I was having a conversation with David Green the other day – we were discussing the things I might get involved in now that I live in Grand Rapids. He mentioned the symphony and I said, “Perhaps this sounds cretinous, but I hate the symphony.” Then I paused and said, “Wait a minute, maybe […]
