moms

Mothers of Addiction – Women Influence Treatment Outcomes

  According to the U.S. Department of Labor, women make 80 percent of health care decisions in the United States. I’m not surprised. As a mother of grown children, I can attest to the fact they never really leave the nest. And women still take on the primary role of caregiver in families, even if […]

What is Brainspotting? Innovations in Addiction Treatment

  Brainspotting is a brain-based psychotherapy approach that uses the field of vision to find where a person is holding, not only trauma, but any negative experience in their brain. We say with Brainspotting, where you look is how you feel…  Brainspotting developer, David Grand, Ph.D.   What is Brainspotting? The optic nerve connects and […]

brainspotting

Adults (Especially Women), Alcohol Consumption & COVID-19

  We’ve been under the thumb of COVID-19 long enough now, that the statistics are beginning to come in. There has been a more than 50% increase in national sales of alcohol in 2020. And a new survey by RAND Corporation shows that those over the age of 30 increased alcohol consumption 14% during May […]

woman bench

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 […]

chess

Figuring Out the Formula for Long-Term Recovery

  I’ve been in recovery for eight and a half years. During that time, I have evolved into a completely different person: I lead an intentional and healthful life with a sense of purpose and meaning. I have never felt so alive and so empowered. My journey wasn’t easy, but it absolutely was worth it. […]

formula for recovery cooks watching pot

Childhood Experience and Addiction – Hole in the Soul

Childhood Experience and Addiction – Hole in the Soul I grew up in a family where my dad died when I was only 6 months old. My mum re-married and because of that, my brothers and I had a different surname than she and my stepdad. We wanted to keep our father’s name. All this […]

childhood experience and addiction kids on tilt a whirl

Intentional Clinician Podcast – Addiction Treatment 2020

  Thanks to Paul Krauss and The Intentional Clinician podcast  for his in-depth interview. During this episode, Paul got three different perspectives on the impact of the pandemic on addiction treatment and substance use from three  Sanford professionals. The conversation covered anxiety and distancing in recovery, the rise in drug/alcohol use, how Sanford is addressing […]

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Healing After Suicide – i understand Book Interview

What better time than National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month to speak to Vonnie Woodrick about her new book? Vonnie and her children created the nonprofit organization, i understand in 2014 to change the way we talk about suicide. And to address the stigma and language surrounding what is the terminal effect of a mental illness. […]

suicide prevention sunset

Saturday Programming, Addiction Treatment – Limelight Interview

  Sanford House at John Street for Men is quiet on a Saturday. After a long week, the men in residential treatment embrace the weekend and Saturday programming with a more casual vibe. This is not to say we set aside the evidence-based practices we employ during the week, but the work is more relaxed […]

Saturday programming - group room sunny

Dear Rae: Should We Delay Treatment for Our Son?

Dear Rae: Should we delay treatment for our son? Since March, our 21-year old son has been showing signs of alcohol and marijuana addiction. He is always sneaking off in our back yard, and there have been many times when he has been staggeringly drunk or high. I guess we are seeing it now that […]

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