Warning Signs of Relapse: Early Recovery and Beyond
In my most recent article, Understanding Relapse – A Family Guide, we reviewed some of the realities of addiction relapse. We also looked at individual recovery plans designed to provide support and accountability towards family recovery. Now we will look at the bigger picture of relapse in addictive disease and the warning signs in […]
Demi Lovato, Diet Culture & Eating Disorders
Demi Lovato spoke out recently on social media about eating disorders. They have long been open about their personal struggles. Demi said it could be dangerous to comment on a person’s weight, even as a compliment. In the fast-paced world of Instagram stories, the post has likely disappeared from Demi’s feed. But at Sanford, […]
Ongoing Recovery Support for Family & Friends!
Sanford’s Family Education Program has just completed its first year of virtual service to the family and friends of our clients! Ongoing Recovery Support – A Look Back… At Sanford Addiction Treatment Centers, we have always acknowledged the significant role family and friends can play in the treatment of and recovery from addiction. Family […]
New Year’s Resolutions? Think Resiliency in 2021!
Welcome to 2021! I wish to start the year off with some resiliency focused thoughts: You are only in control of yourself. You do not and cannot control any other person or situation. Only you are responsible for your beliefs, emotions, and actions. Resiliency in the New Year Being in control of yourself […]
Principles of Resilience in Recovery 2020
COVID-19 has brought significant upheaval and challenges to millions of families in our country and throughout the rest of the world. In your life situation, as you are reading this article, it’s likely that on top of COVID-19, you have a special person in your life with a substance use disorder. Or you are […]
Holidays Past & Time-Honored Tips – Best of Excursions
We’ve all made it through a pared down Thanksgiving 2020. And we’re on to December’s festivities. One good thing about the holidays this year, is that we are dealing with smaller, more intimate groups. For those in recovery, new or long-term, it takes the worry out of attending a large gathering. Or having to “explain” […]
Manipulation – The Fourth Defense of Addiction
This is the fourth and final article in a series on understanding and dealing with the primary defenses of addictive disease. Please notice my choice of words, “the defenses of addictive disease”. Not, “the defenses of the person you love”. There is a difference between the person you love and the disease process in […]
Deception as a Defense in Addiction – Third Stage of Change
This article is the 3rd in our series of 4 articles on the primary defenses of addiction. In this article we will focus on deception as a defense in addiction. Families and loved ones are the brunt of deception by those developing a substance use disorder (SUD). This defense is not only acted out […]
Justification of Addiction – The Second Stage of Change
This is the second article in our series on the defenses of addictive disease. There has been an unintended distance between our first article and this one, so please go back and review the article Denial of Addiction – the First Step of Acceptance to refresh your thoughts. This will put your head in […]
Humor as Therapy – The Limelight Interview
Addiction treatment has been impacted by the uncertainty and isolation of the past few months. During this time, we learned that group therapy can be conducted, with positive outcomes, via telehealth. And we also learned that glimpses of the lives and living environments of our clients and therapists during virtual treatment creates a new intimacy. […]
