Sobriety Makes You Pretty – It’s Better than Botox!
I work for Sanford Behavioral Health in Greater Grand Rapids. Michigan, my job gives me a bird’s eye overview of our patients in recovery. Everyone knows that addictive substance use can wreak havoc on our physical health. However, I’d like to address what it does to our physical appearance as well. I don’t see […]
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 […]
Benefits of Art Therapy for Mental Health
At Sanford Behavioral Health, we are always asking patients to “show me.” Show me where in the image you are feeling a conflict. Show me how you would change that. Of course, when we ask someone to show us something, we ask them to show themselves. In Sanford’s mental health treatment, patients participate in […]
Could Parenting Styles Cause Eating Disorders?
Research has shown that children and youth who diet are much more likely to develop eating disorders. In fact, the earlier that dieting begins, the more likely a significant eating disorder can occur. Body positivity begins at home; parenting styles can help to develop body positivity naturally. It is normal and expected that […]
These 10 Excuses are the Enemy to Your Recovery. Do Any Apply to You?
It’s the holidays—the time for pageants at church and school, office parties, and family responsibilities. As a person in recovery, I can remember this time of year while in active addiction. On top of the crushing TO DO list of everyday holiday tasks, there was the exhausting schedule of drinking, planning to drink, and […]
Letting Go in Family Recovery (Happy Thanksgiving!)
Once again, it’s the holiday season with a tradition of gathering and gift-giving to folks you care about! And Thanksgiving is the time we count our blessings and express gratitude – all part of the recovery process! At Sanford Behavioral Health, we care about our clients and Excursions readers and have a little practical […]
Avoiding the Whack-a-Mole Eating Disorder Game
I’ve never liked the carnival game whack-a-mole. Bashing heads with a cartoon hammer while an endless succession of new rodents appears. It is too stressful and unpredictable. But I could relate when a friend in recovery said they thought eating disorders, popping up during addiction treatment, reminded them of playing whack-a-mole. Because just when […]
Anorexia in Larger Bodies? Busting Misdiagnosis and Stigma
When you think of anorexia, what is the mental picture you have? Images of an emaciated individual come to mind: a whisp of a young woman, clothes hanging off a skeletal frame. In reality, serious eating disorders can occur in individuals of all body sizes, any gender, and most ethnic groups. Only 7% of […]
Body Acceptance & Diet Culture – A Parent’s Guide
In October, we celebrate Body Acceptance Week (National Eating Disorders Association) and at Sanford Behavioral Health we support NEDA. In fact, eating disorder programming has shaped the way the entire organization looks at body acceptance and meals. We know that body dissatisfaction is a risk factor in the development of an eating disorder. But […]
Focus: First Responders – New Podcast for Sanford
How do first responders manage the stress of the job? In a new podcast, Focus: First Responders, host Matthew VanLiere explores the mental health issues associated with being first on the scene to face challenging, dangerous, and exhausting situations. Matt comes by the subject naturally, as a 29-year veteran of the Ottaway County, Michigan […]
