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Women’s Mental Health 2021 – Best of Excursions

  Sleep problems, depression and anxiety are more common in women than in men according to a recent report by Frontiers in Global Women’s Health. What’s more, as isolation extended during the pandemic, women’s symptoms worsened.   Perhaps not surprisingly, women also reported higher scores on a scale measuring empathy in the report. Empathy is […]

Surge in Overdose Deaths Increased by Pandemic

  Preliminary data released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  show the highest overdose death toll since the 1990s, when the opioid epidemic began. According to preliminary federal data, there was a 29 percent increase in deaths from overdoses during the period between October 2019 to September 2020, compared with […]

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Here’s Why Women Can’t “Drink Like Men”

Women and Alcohol – Drink Like a Man I spent time in The Bahamas a few years ago. The collective, benign tolerance to extreme drinking was undoubtedly a factor in the misuse of alcohol by the locals (myself included). But even I was often shocked by the drunken antics of women at the local Yacht […]

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Women’s Addiction – “Pink Flags” for Moms Who Need Wine

  I met with a thirty-something therapist last week who said she was concerned about her peers and their drinking habits. The “Moms who Need Wine” crowd, Starbucks cups filled with iced KJ at the soccer games. Play dates replete with chardonnay and imported cheese. Even baby-carriage walking groups with iced wine in the cup […]

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Meijer Brain Health Minute with Sanford Founder, David Green

  April is National Alcohol Awareness Month. The National Council for Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) sponsors Alcohol Awareness Month each year to increase understanding of the causes and treatment of alcohol use disorders. Alcoholism is a significant public health problem in the United States.   The theme this year is “Changing Attitudes: It’s not […]

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The Wellbeing Trifecta: Sleep, Social Interaction and Exercise

  I’ve been watching Philip K. Dick’s, Electric Dreams on Amazon. Based on his science fiction short stories, Season 1 is a star-studded dystopian watch-athon. The marketing blurb says, “…the anthology will question what it means to be human in uniquely ambitious, grounded, yet fantastical worlds.” Which seems to me like a marketing blurb for […]

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Anatomy of Addiction Episode 1: Brain Science (101)

  We are inundated with information about the rise in alcohol sales during the pandemic. The opioid epidemic and drug overdose deaths are headline news. Likewise, there is breaking news daily about the co-occurrence of substance use disorders and anxiety.   Brain Science 101 But what exactly is addiction? How do you know if you […]

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Announcing! Sanford Comprehensive Treatment for Eating Disorders

  Announcing Sanford Comprehensive Treatment for Eating Disorders! Sanford Addiction Treatment Centers has taken the next logical step in expanding treatment services in West Michigan by partnering with Gail Hall, LMSW, DCSW, CEDS-S, and her talented team at Comprehensive Treatment for Eating Disorders (CTED).   When somebody is ready to engage in treatment and get […]

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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 […]

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Announcing Anatomy of Addiction Podcast!

  It seems like everyone is creating a podcast these days. But that’s because podcasting is a wonderful way to provide information, education, and entertainment while folks are on the go. At Sanford, we take educating the community about mental health seriously. In fact, Founder, Rae Green, and other Sanford staff members are often “on […]

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