Sanford Founder Rae Green On Our Most-Read Articles of 2024
12 Days of Hope Series #5 Every year at this time, we look back at our best articles and discuss why people want to read what we have written. “Best” means most website clicks and social media shares, and a couple of these articles (with regular updates) have been going strong for years. Looking at […]
Ask Rae: Is My Recovery at Risk When I Help an Addicted Person?
Dear Rae: I have been in recovery for more than ten years, and I recently had a strange experience that makes me wonder if I have put my recovery at risk. One of the tenets of recovery is to help others, and I am a recovery advocate. Over the years, I have been open about […]
How Do I Talk To My Partner About Their Drinking?
One of the questions I get as an addiction counselor with an advice column (Ask Rae) is, “How do I talk to my partner about their drinking?” In fact, some of Sanford Behavioral Health’s most viral articles are about the subject of alcohol ruining relationships. When someone in the household is misusing alcohol, it […]
Dear Rae, Now That I’m Sober, Can I Get a Puppy?
Dear Rae, After many years of starting and stopping drinking alcohol, I have been sober for six months! I am thinking about getting a puppy to celebrate. Do you have any advice as to whether that is a good idea or not? SJV Dear SJV: Congratulations on six months of sobriety; that is a benchmark […]
Ask Rae: My Real Life is a Mess and I’m Too Busy for Rehab!
Dear Rae: I saw one of Sanford Behavioral Health‘s posts on social media for real-life recovery, and I have to admit it got me thinking. My “real life” is a mess. I have a problem with alcohol for sure, but I can’t go away to some rehab for 30 days. I promised my partner I […]
Ask Rae: Alcohol-Free Holidays? That’s Not Fair
Dear Rae: I just got an email from my aunt saying our cousin (we’ll call him Bill) is in early recovery from addiction. She is imposing an alcohol-free holiday season starting with Halloween to support him. She is not allowing any alcohol in her house for the holidays. I have to admit it makes me […]
What Real-Life Recovery Means to Me
(first published in The Sanford – internal newsletter) Years ago, when Sanford Behavioral Health was a 10-bed women’s facility, we had an alumni event. These days, we have robust alumni programs for eating disorders and addiction, but in 2017, it was the first time our clients had the opportunity to return to the place where […]
Ask Rae: College Student with Family History of Alcoholism
Dear Rae: I am starting college this month and have been worrying about whether I am genetically more likely to become addicted to drugs and alcohol. I have been vaping weed most mornings this summer and drink hard seltzer. There is a family history of alcoholism, and I worry I might be susceptible to addiction […]
Dear Rae: How Do I Talk to My Spouse About Their Drinking?
Updated 1/2/25 Dear Rae: I’ll get right to the point. Lately, my husband has been using alcohol as a crutch. In other words, he drinks to reduce his stress, but it adds to the stress in our home. He drinks every evening (sometimes starting at lunchtime). It definitely impacts our relationship because when he drinks, […]
Ask Rae: Adult Children of Alcoholics Breaking the Cycle
Dear Rae: I am an adult child of an alcoholic (ACA), and I am in a relationship with someone who drinks too much and is abusive when he does so. I keep trying to “fix” the situation and drink more to make myself less anxious. This is not my first time falling for someone with […]
