"Letting go of our ideas about how life should go is a choice that sets life’s magic free.” Melody Beattie Melody Beattie, the woman who brought the term codependency into normal conversation, died on February 27, 2025, at the age of 76. Her story is grounded in Minnesota. She was born in Ramsey, went to| The Phoenix Spirit
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| The Phoenix Spirit
Stop Being Lonely: Three Simple Steps to Developing Close Friendships and Deep Relationships By Kira Asatryan New World Library Wanting to feel close to someone is a universal goal. Not everyone achieves it easily as social media, technology, and myths may actually make it harder to do. The first step is to understand what closeness| The Phoenix Spirit
Addiction and recovery support groups meeting in the Minneapolis and St. Paul metro area.| The Phoenix Spirit
By Kate O’Connell This book is an introduction to the science of epigenetics and how our DNA and environment influence thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. O’Connell uses her own family tree to describe how she was influenced by familial behaviors and patterns. Mental health professionals may find value in this approach to understanding how individuals are| The Phoenix Spirit
Minnesota is facing several complex issues that affect Minnesotans’ ability to get timely, quality, and culturally relevant behavioral health services. Addressing those issues with compassion is the top priority of the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS). Now, for the first time in department history, there is an entire administration dedicated solely to behavioral health.| The Phoenix Spirit
"Every mile is two in winter." George Herbert The cold, dark days of the winter months can be a breeding ground for despair in some of us. I've battled a recurring low grade depression for many years. I never know when it will reappear but it often shows up in the fall when the days| The Phoenix Spirit
Not my typical morning ruminations, but this morning I woke up wondering about people in cars in ditches. Here’s the context: I'm on a trans-continental road trip with my 22-year-old son, destination Los Angeles. We opted for the southern route versus the Rockies to avoid Bad Winter Weather, and somewhere around Faribault, MN we encountered| The Phoenix Spirit
When we think of recovery programs for substance use disorders or addictive behaviors, many of us automatically think of the Twelve Steps. No surprise, since millions of people throughout the world embrace this philosophy that sprung up in the 1930s when the first Twelve Step group, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), was founded. Today there are Twelve| The Phoenix Spirit
This year marks the 25th anniversary of StepUP, Augsburg University’s Collegiate Recovery Program. Twenty-five years ago, it was 1997. It was a remarkable time in many ways. That year, Google.com became registered as a domain name, Princess Diana died, a gallon of gas was $1.22, Bill Clinton was President, and StepUP, one of the nation’s oldest| The Phoenix Spirit
How three leading women in the recovery community handled their first holiday season sober. Holidays aren’t always picture perfect, with families sitting around the dinner table, laughing and joyful. This is especially true of families in recovery, as the effects of addiction weave throughout the family unit: Dysfunction, codependency, stress, and burnout are common themes| The Phoenix Spirit
Recovery is one of the most painful yet transformative processes a person can go through. More often than not, the depths of despair is our catalyst for change: when the weight of being is more painful that the prospect of becoming. Like Rumi says, it is from the bough of our hearts that we find| The Phoenix Spirit