Do I Drink Too Much?
I used to live in The Bahamas, where drinking in the morning is called (somewhat facetiously) “Bahamian breakfast.” It was not shocking to see someone walking on the Government Dock at 7:00 a.m. with a beer in one hand and a power tool in the other. No one looked askance when a tipsy tourist slurred, […]
Sleep-Friendly Environments & Mental Health
One of the hallmarks of active addiction and other mental health conditions is insomnia. When you wake at 3 a.m. (blood sugar dropping) and rise like a vampire for a glass of cold water, it might be the worst time of day to be wide-eyed. Every problem seems insurmountable, rehashing regrettable behavior on an endless […]
Real-Life Recovery with Outpatient Clinical Manager, Ali Kitchin, LMSW
Outpatient addiction treatment at Sanford Behavioral Health gives individuals the support they need while maintaining work, childcare, school, and other responsibilities and routines. Sanford West Behavioral Health Campus Outpatient Center offers individualized addiction recovery programs that work with “real-life” situations. When entering Sanford addiction treatment, each person is assessed to determine their appropriate placement; our […]
Recovery Awareness Month 2023 – No One is Alone in Recovery
September is Recovery Awareness Month, and at Sanford Behavioral Health, recovery is a word that is near and dear to our hearts. One of the tenets of our mission is to support and educate those in recovery, their families, and communities, but what does recovery awareness mean? The dictionary defines recovery as a return to a […]
Suicide Prevention – Resources for Loved Ones & Professionals
September is Suicide Prevention Month, and we sat down with Sanford Clinical Liaison Lisa (Murphy) Rector, MA-LPC, NCC, for the Limelight Interview. Lisa has worked in the mental health field since 1997. She is the Co-chair of the Macomb County Suicide Prevention Coalition. Lisa’s career began on the Wayne County Crisis Line, answering crisis/suicide […]
Insatiable Hunger – Eating + Substance Use Disorders
According to the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA), up to 50% of those with eating disorders also use drugs or alcohol. This is a rate five times higher than the general public. For those with an alcohol or drug dependency, up to 35% also have an eating disorder, a rate 11 times greater than the […]
The Psychology Behind the Sunday Blues – Wood TV Interview
Why does weekend frivolity make Sunday afternoons feel so foreboding? The term “Sunday Blues’, or “Sunday Scaries” refers to the anxiety 80% of American workers experience as the weekend winds down on Sunday afternoon. Wood TV 8 noon anchor/reporter Emily Linnert and Sanford Behavioral Health Founder Rae Green, JD, LPC, CAADA, discuss the psychology behind […]
5 Questions to Support Veterans’ Mental Health
September is suicide awareness month, and I sat down with my colleagues at Detroit VA to ask five questions about Veterans’ mental health resources, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and the prevention of Veteran suicides and other accidental deaths. Thanks to Katrina BeShears, LMSW, CAADC, and Christina Mariani, LMSW, CAADC Detroit VA Community Engagement […]
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 […]
5 Ways to Beat the End of Summer Blues
Michiganders feel a hint of melancholy during the Labor Day holiday each year. This is when we dry dock the boats, close up cabins, and buy back-to-school supplies. It is also the last big blowout of the summer, and picnics, waterskiing, tubing, hiking, and camping excursions abound. But for those in recovery, looking ahead to […]
