The Phoenix · Threshold to 2022 “Thresholds are dangerous places, neither here nor there, and walking across one is like stepping off the edge of a cliff in the naïve faith that you’ll sprout wings halfway down. You can’t hesitate, or doubt. You can’t fear the in-between.” — Alix E. Harrow We are once again …
The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound impacts on the mental health of people of all ages. In fact, many people who had never experienced mental health challenges have found themselves struggling for the first time. Never has it been more important to take care of ourselves, seek help when needed, and support our friends and …
“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” —From Abraham Lincoln’s first Inaugural address March 4, 1861 …
The Phoenix · Becoming Community “The most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.” – Kurt Vonnegut I miss people. I miss little people, big people, happy people, crabby people. I miss the spontaneity that a safe environment supports. I miss hugging friends and rubbing …
How are you doing? It’s an important question for just about everyone these days. I think it’s an especially important question for those in the recovery community. Way back in May — which seems like 100 years ago — National Institute on Drug Abuse Director Dr. Nora Volkow spoke about the need for social support. …
“You know this is our COVID year. Let’s accept it. It’s not like last year and it’s not, hopefully, going to be like next year.” — Michael Osterholm, University of Minnesota How will we enter holiday season this year? An unwanted guest is at the door—perhaps several. The villainous virus hangs in the air. The …
Time for your treatment group meeting? Plop down in your favorite spot at home, get on Zoom, and you’re there. Virtual counseling for people in non-residential addiction treatment is the current norm and will likely be commonplace even when COVID-19 is tamed. This at-home treatment option has plenty of benefits, according to both patients and …
September is National Recovery Month, a time for us at the Department of Human Services (DHS) to celebrate people’s journey to recovery from substance use disorder and mental illness. There’s a lot for us to celebrate. Most people who enter chemical dependency treatment complete it and show considerable improvement, according to the National Institute on …
“Those who don’t learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” — Carlos Santayana (1863-1952) Like it or not, we’re living in a historic era with all its suffering and promise. And what an era we’re living in! Most of us have feelings of unreality, worry, sadness and disbelief about what is happening, and uncertainty …
We reached out to Minnesota substance disorder providers, treatment centers and mental health professions—as well as people in recovery to hear how COVID-19 has affected them and how it will affect them after the virus has passed. Below are their response with minor edits from our team. We want to thank them for their responses. …
