Recovery Expectations vs Reality – I’m Sober, What Now?
We have a nasty habit of glamorizing “getting well.” Our recovery expectations envision peak health… how our lives will look (perfect) and bodies will feel (also perfect)… The thoughts we’ll have and the ones we won’t. Sometimes, we use the idealized and far-off future to excuse our behavior. Once I’m not using, then I’ll […]
8 Reasons Lake Michigan is Good for your Health
Why do we gravitate toward water? Why is it so hypnotic to watch the waves? There is a reason every stretch of waterfront is laden with houses and parks – it’s where we want to be. Those who live near the ocean swear by the healing powers of the salty sea. And there is […]
Synthetic Opioids – Increases in Overdose Deaths 2020
A December Health Alert from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), says overdose deaths accelerated in 2020. The largest increases were from March to May, which coincides with widespread measures taken to slow the spread of COVID-19. Approximately 81,230 drug overdose deaths occurred in the US from May 2019 to May 2020. […]
“Rehabbing Rehab” – David Green in the GRBJ Interview
David Green, the Founder and CEO of Sanford Addiction Treatment Centers, is in the news again. Thanks to Grand Rapids Business Journal and Ehren Wynder for this informed interview in “Inside Track” on rehabbing rehab for substance use disorders. We feel one of the great contributions we [Sanford] can make to West Michigan is […]
Establishing Healthy Boundaries in Family Recovery
In this article we will look at how to establish healthy boundaries in family recovery. Over the past several weeks, my articles have been focused on elements behind the formation of healthy boundaries. But establishing healthy boundaries is essential to becoming effective in working with a loved one with a substance use disorder (SUD). Healthy […]
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 […]
The Gift of Desperation in Addiction Recovery
You feel utterly weird when you first quit drinking. I certainly did. I felt like a sober alien who had been beamed down onto a boozy planet. Like a foreigner in my own life, completely out of context and uncomfortable to say the least. It’s a rough transition… I’d go to social gatherings […]
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 […]
Who Do You Trust? The Passion and Power of the Mental Health Profession
On Monday, I was at a dinner with a cool dozen mental health professionals. I am still reeling from the wealth of talent, housed in our private dining room. The dinner was sponsored by our friends at Alta Mira Recovery Programs and Bridges to Recovery and their Clinical Outreach Representative Carla Chludzinski. Egos and diets were […]
Getting Self-Esteem (I’m Not Much, But I’m All I Think About)
Mirrors I used to love looking in mirrors. As a child, I’d frown, make funny faces and would see just how far I could cross my eyes. I inspected myself—the gap in my two front chompers, the length of my hair, the way my eyebrows almost met. As I grew up, I found […]