Young Betsy Hodges’ choice: Alcohol and chronic misery — or a life of possibility?
Mayor Betsy Hodges reflects on the choice she made, at just 19, to stop drinking. It was a bet with herself that has paid off, she said.
Sarah T. Williams
A longtime reporter and editor at the Star Tribune, Sarah T. Williams later worked in communications for Planned Parenthood and the Hazelden Foundation.
To treat gambling disorder, you must dig a little deeper
Mike Schiks, executive director and CEO of Project Turnabout in Granite Falls, Minnesota, shares his take on gambling dirorder.
A toxic mix for legal professionals: pressure and perfectionism
Kevin Chandler, a lawyer and former Minnesota state senator, talks about his new book of daily meditations and the unique challenges of legal professionals in recovery.
When should a student’s writing raise red flags?
U of M creative writing professor Julie Schumacher tells of the day she had to ask a student: “Do you plan to harm yourself or anyone else?”
After the sheriff’s chaplain rings at 5 a.m., a family is changed forever
Jon Cummings, the founder of Minnesotans for Safe Driving, has delivered the talk about his son’s death more than 2,800 times.
‘Lucky to be alive,’ Brodkorb campaigns against drunken driving
An alcohol-related, single-car accident in January 2013 left the former GOP firestarter so badly injured that he had to relearn things — “a lot of things,” including the colors of the rainbow.
One mother’s fraught journey through Minnesota’s mental health system
Kathleen Bischel Beddow tells of her son’s journey from the halls of Capitol Hill Magnet School to a county group home and Unit 800 of Minnesota Security Hospital in St. Peter.
What happened when this runner’s high became a running nightmare
Marathon legend Dick Beardsley tells the story of his recovery from addiction to painkillers and the farm accident that started it all.
Nurses and addiction: He knows how and why it’s possible to cross the line
Michael Humphrey, director of the new nurses treatment track program at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation in Center City, speaks from experience.
One woman’s effort to understand the problem of nursing and addiction
Marie Manthey, a pioneer in the Primary Nursing model, explores the relationships between nursing, addiction and recovery.
St. David’s and the boy who wouldn’t play: A tale of transformation
As St. David’s Center prepares to expand the reach of its children’s mental-health services, one mother expresses her gratitude.
Minnesota’s medical cannabis law: Variations on a national theme
Mayo Clinic psychiatrist J. Michael Bostwick revisits his research on medical cannabis, and takes a hard look at the many inconsistencies across the landscape.
‘My dream job’: Helping college students in recovery get their wings
Patrice Salmeri, director of the StepUP recovery program at Augsburg College, reflects on her work with students and the barriers she herself had to overcome.
‘Rev. Bev’ and her gut-wrenching yet rewarding wet-house ministry
Beverly Lonsbury’s ministerial approach to late-stage alcoholics is simple and powerful: The men tell their stories, and she listens.
Meeting the needs of traumatized refugees: What to ask, what not to ask
The Minnesota Health Department’s Refugee Health Program is about to pilot a new mental-health assessment tool — one that eases the way for provider and patient alike.
Untangling the relationship (if any) between mental illness and crime
A study led by Normandale instructor Jillian Peterson looks at 150 Hennepin County Mental Health Court parolees and the 429 crimes they committed.
Criminalizing pregnant women who use illegal drugs: ‘Throwing a lit match’
University of Minnesota Professor Michele Bratcher Goodwin takes on Tennessee’s bill to criminalize pregnant women who use illegal drugs.
Legislative path to preventing heroin deaths paved with tears
Raw moments in the debate over a bill to make the heroin antidote naloxone more widely available and to provide immunity for those who call 911.
Most helpful thing this voice-hearer heard: ‘The voices are real’
Ron Coleman, a voice-hearer diagnosed with schizophrenia, offers others an alternative path to institutionalization and medication.
Steve Smith: The troubled life and lonely death of the legislator from Mound
“We knew it was coming,” said Dennis Virden, Rep. Steve Smith’s longtime friend, legislative committee administrator and AA sponsor.
