In many cases, substance use disorder is a disease suffered in isolation, as people often avoid treatment or health care due to stigma and other barriers. Preventing overdoses and providing paths to recovery requires resources – but perhaps the most important resource is human connection. This year, the Minnesota Legislature authorized the creation of Safe| The Phoenix Spirit
“Pain is mandatory--suffering optional” goes one of the many folksy sayings woven through the 12-Step fabric. This has some basis in literal fact. Neurologists have long known that the sensation of pain and our experience of that sensation as something awful are generated in different structures of the forebrain. However, since being alive requires that| The Phoenix Spirit
Month: January 2023| thephoenixspirit.com
As I prepared to write this article, I was seeking to find a word that speaks about how I see the impact that stress has upon us and our recovery. The word that came to me was “tricky.” There can be too much stress in our lives that can lead to distress, and there can| The Phoenix Spirit
It was the fall our eldest started college. Once we had heard the parent pep talk and were summarily dismissed, I could hardly tear myself away – the excitement of choosing classes from endless possibilities, the beauty of the autumn campus, the opportunity to form fast friendships. I came right home and registered for The| The Phoenix Spirit
We feature an expert in the mental health and substance use disorder field to answer questions. This issue we talk to Katie Richard of Vinland National Center about helping those with problem gambling. What is your role at Vinland National Center and what inspired / led you to work with compulsive gamblers? Currently I am Vinland’s| The Phoenix Spirit
A Personal Reflection on Ethics, Growth, and Hard Lessons In 2019, Minnesota faced a mounting public health crisis. Substance use was rising, overdose deaths were climbing, and the state’s treatment systems were overwhelmed. Traditional healthcare struggled to keep up. Amid this chaos, one solution began gaining momentum: Peer recovery support offering guidance and encouragement from| The Phoenix Spirit
It was May and I had just passed through the most painful period of my life. I was 51 years old and living alone in the same city I had lived with my family for the past twenty years. On warm evenings, I sat in a lawn chair and enjoyed the setting sun. One evening,| The Phoenix Spirit