What is a Hangover? Why Aren’t Hangovers a Deterrent to Drinking?
Ahh, the morning after. Those who have overindulged the night before rise like zombies holding coffee cups to their foreheads. They dig in messy purses and junk drawers for painkillers and stomach settlers, piecing the previous evening’s events together like tattered scraps of paper. No one with a hangover wants to see the sunrise or […]
Sanford Library of Virtual Recovery Resources
Sanford Behavioral Health’s use of telehealth to continue providing virtual treatment services and recovery resources receives favorable reviews from many clients, even in the aftermath of the pandemic. Individuals who choose virtual connection express gratitude for the groups and individual services we provide. In addition, our clients say they look forward to telehealth sessions to […]
The Effects of Eating Disorders on the Whole Body – Limelight Interview
At Sanford Behavioral Health, we are proud of the team we have assembled, with some of the brightest minds in the behavioral health field. At Sanford Comprehensive Treatment for Eating Disorders (SCTED), the interdisciplinary team works to treat the whole person. According to our Limelight interviewee, Amy Boshoven, her “welcoming” teammates have an open-door […]
New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Work? Implementing Change with GUSTO
Welcome to 2023! In your social circles, the “buzz” is probably about New Year’s resolutions. Did you make any? I want to share some perspectives with you on how humans make behavioral changes like resolutions or adjustments to our relationships and lives. Resolutions & Change When it comes to a resolution for a […]
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. […]
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 […]
10 Tips for a Sober Holiday
My family has a legend we talk about from my non-sober holidays past. It’s about the time “Mom,” with a bottle of chardonnay coursing through her system, put hot stuffing into a Pyrex bowl. And while the rest of the Thanksgiving meal was sliced, mashed, and dolloped into serving dishes, I attempted to keep […]
The Effects of Alcohol on the Whole Body
Whenever I think of the ill effects of alcohol and drugs on the body, I think of the 1980s Partnership for a Drug-Free America campaign with the egg. This is your brain (hold up a pristine egg). This is drugs (grease bubbling in a frying pan). And this is your brain on drugs (crack […]
Clinical Therapist Advice – Work With a Team Before Going Solo
I started my career as a therapist in the Intern Program at Sanford Behavioral Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was called “Sanford House” in early 2018, and we were managing outpatient addiction treatment in the carriage house at Sanford House at Cherry Street for Women. I was fortunate enough to shadow an amazing […]
