Mental Health Awareness: What is a Mental Health Crisis?
Our world continues to be ever-changing and for a lot of us, it can feel out of our control and more overwhelming than ever. More individuals than ever will experience a mental health crisis. But what exactly is a mental health crisis? What can we do if we see someone experiencin
Spring 2021
Our Spring 2021 newsletter dives into the north sound region expansion, upcoming events, inspiring stories and much more! Click here to download and read the full version of the Spring 2021 newsletter.
Thankful Thursday: What It means to be a Nurse
National Nurses Day 2021 Today, May 6, 2021 across the world we express our gratitude for all of the hard working nurses and celebrate what it means to be a nurse. There is no shortage of the varying fields nurses work. How to become a nurse Nurses attend school anywhere from two
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and has been observed in the United States since 1949. It is a time to come together and promote treatment and understand how common mental health disorders are. During times of crisis, like with the continuing COVID-19, it is even more import
Ways to Support Your Loved One in Recovery
How can you support your loved one in recovery? If you have a loved one in recovery you can do many things to show them you are in their corner and ready to provide support. Even something that seems as simple as asking about their experiences and what made them decide to enter r
Tips to Avoid Alcohol Triggers with Google Ad Filters
What are your alcohol triggers? Search engines can cause alcohol triggers. When you’re new to recovery it’s helpful to avoid a lot of things that are triggers in the beginning. These can begin the cycle of relapse and entice you to drink or use again. Do you use Google? Most
Kathy’s Recovery Story
A powerful recovery story We are proud to share a recovery story from one of our patients. It can help other’s remain on their recovery journey, or it can help someone else begin. Kathy’s recovery story I was about 13 or 14 when I began to experiment with pills. At ab
Tips for Early Alcohol Use Disorder (Alcoholism) Recovery
What tips do you need in early alcohol use disorder (alcoholism) recovery? It’s important in early alcohol use disorder (alcoholism) recovery to have tools and a plan to prevent relapse. Relapse prevention describes skills and habits to continue healthy behaviors and avoid fall
Recovery House Coming to Bellingham
A new recovery house in coming to Bellingham Lifeline Connections is excited to announce that we will soon have a recovery house open to serve those in the Bellingham, WA area! This inpatient treatment facility will provide a safe, stable home for up to 16 men while they receive
Tips to Talk to Your Teen about Alcohol
How do you talk to your teen about alcohol? Some parents find serious conversations like talking to your teen about alcohol awkward or uncomfortable so they avoid them. However, if you plan out what you want to say it can help keep you on track. Here are a few tips when it comes
How A Parent’s Alcohol Use Disorder Affects Kids
In a time where many people are using alcohol to cope with added stress and anxiety it’s a fair question to ask how alcohol use disorder affects these kids at home. Over the past year more people are at home and experience an exponential amount of stress. Before COVID at least
Tips to Prevent Relapse
In order to best understand tips to prevent relapse, you need to know how relapse occurs. Relapse prevention is vital for anyone that has had substance use treatment. How does relapse happen? There are many signs of someone who may relapse. It doesn’t always start with using ag
Alcohol Awareness Month: The Effects of Alcohol
How did Alcohol Awareness Month start? April is Alcohol Awareness Month and we will explore the effects of alcohol. Many years ago it was created to help reduce the stigma around alcoholism and to encourage those with a substance use disorder to consider treatment. In spite of mo
Teens and Substance Use: What Can You Do?
Teens and Substance Use Did you know that regardless of alcohol being illegal for adults under 21, people from 12 to 20 years of age consume about one-tenth of all alcohol in the US? This accounts for so many teens and substance use disorder they face each year. How does it begin
Sleep and Your Mental Health
There’s a strong connections to sleep and your mental health. It’s well known that everyone needs to get enough sleep and the recommended hours are seven to nine hours a night. But the majority of adults don’t get this basic need filled. It could be long hours at wo
Spring Clean for Mental Health
For many people spring is a time to begin work in the garden and to spring clean the home. Meaning that curtains are washed, carpets are shampooed and planting begins. Spring is a time for regrowth and renewal. But how do you spring clean for mental health? Spring is a great time
Alcoholism (Alcohol Use Disorder): Everything You Need to Know to Heal
Alcoholism (alcohol use disorder) is one of the most common substance use disorders. Drinking on occasion is not necessarily a sign of a problem, but habitual binge drinking can lead to mental and physical problems. Each case of alcohol use disorder is unique, but there are many
3 Tips for Seasonal Allergies
There are many natural ways to address seasonal allergies. With spring right around the corner the trees will be in bloom, lawns get cut and many other plants wake up and begin to produce pollen. Symptoms of seasonal allergies Generally most people begin to sneeze, have watery or
Supported Employment Success: Freddie Bazan
Lifeline Connections’ Supported Employment program helps people find competitive employment. That means a real job in the community at a prevailing wage. Then, once a person becomes employed, individual follow-along supports continue for as long as the person wants and needs it
Symptoms of Addiction (Substance Use Disorder) & How to Get Treatment
What are the symptoms of addiction (substance use disorder) and how can a person receive treatment? Addiction (substance use disorder) is a disease that affects a person’s behavior and brain and leads to the inability to control the use of a legal or illegal drug, medication or
How to Reduce Stigma: Why Our Words Matter
In recent years there is a growing amount of conversation about how to reduce stigma and why it’s important when it comes to both substance use and mental health conditions. The biggest misconceptions about substance use disorders are that they are a choice or a character flaw.
Problem Gambling: When Is Treatment Necessary?
Problem Gambling There is a fine line between gambling just a few times and being overwhelmed with the need to gamble. Gambling has become more acceptable and accessible in our modern society, especially with access to apps on phones. Gambling just like alcohol and other drugs, p
Black History Month: Black Role Models in Recovery
During the month of February we celebrate Black history month and we would like to celebrate those Black role models in recovery. People of color have many barriers when it comes to medical treatment but even more for substance use treatment. There’s the stigma that surrounds i
Mark Schilling: A Supported Employment Success Story
Mark’s journey in Supported Employment Everyone’s experienced some unexpected twists and turns in 2020 with the pandemic. Including record unemployment rates and state issued mandatory stay-at-home orders. Additionally, some had pre-existing challenges finding employment.
