Addiction Defenses: Denial, Justification, Deception, Manipulation
I wrote the complete series on people’s dynamics and defenses as they develop a substance use disorder (SUD) for the Sanford Behavioral Health Family Program. The primary defenses used as addiction progresses are denial, justification, deception, and manipulation. Denial, Justification, Deception, Manipulation For the family members of an individual developing an SUD, these defenses […]
Toxic Masculinity, Trauma and the Elusive Emotions of Men
Toxic masculinity refers to masculine norms emphasizing toughness and discouraging vulnerable emotions in boys and men. It is correlated with increased mental health conditions (e.g., substance use disorders, depression, and stress). The residential programs at Sanford House at John Street for Men address these conditions in an atmosphere of camaraderie and trust. Clinicians specialize in […]
Trauma and Eating Disorders with Dr. Anna Flores
How are trauma and eating disorders related, and how does trauma-informed care integrate into eating disorder treatment? Dr. Anna Flores sat down with Sanford Comprehensive Treatment for Eating Disorders (SCTED) clinical manager Justyne Ortquist to discuss this in a new episode of The Recovery Tea podcast. The 55-minute podcast covers topics such as: […]
High-Risk Recovery Situations – What Should I DO?
The National Council of Drug Abuse (NIDA) defines high-risk recovery situations as “those that threaten your recovery or trigger a strong craving to use substances.” One of the easiest ways to identify risk is by categorizing situations as people, places, or things. People, Places, or Things People may be those you have used […]
Addressing Trauma with Alternative Therapy
Trauma is an event or circumstance that results in emotional, physical, and life threatening harm. It is important to note that trauma is highly individualized. This means, we all respond to events differently. How we respond is largely based on prior experience. For this reason, one person may demonstrate resilience after an event while another […]
Happiness in Recovery – Reset Your Day!
It has been a long winter, and some of us may be feeling a bit down lately. To be sure, there’s nothing wrong with feeling down. Happiness is not a prerequisite of recovery for our clients at Sanford Behavioral Health. However, we do teach coping skills to help our clients move through the rough patches: […]
A New Look at 10 Addiction Relapse Triggers
You are new to recovery and innocently pushing your cart down the aisle at the local Fresh Market. Let’s say it’s a gloomy Sunday afternoon. You round the corner, and there in front of you is the alcohol aisle. Aisles more like it, all shapes and sizes of beer and wine stacked and displayed artfully. […]
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 […]
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 […]
