What Men Want (from their Addiction Treatment)
What do men want when they check in at an addiction treatment center? According to Rae Rabideau, Sanford Manager of Clinical Operations, most men enter treatment to “learn how not to relapse”. The details of their stay are not something they’ve really thought about, and the continuum of care and the future is unknown. […]
Nurse Practitioner in Addiction Treatment: Limelight Interview
Nurse Practitioner Amy Bukala (with Medical Director Dr. Dosanjh above) is not easy to pin down for an interview. She’s busy. And mobile – moving from Sanford Outpatient Center to the residential Sanford Houses, the back of her white coat flapping. As a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Amy works autonomously as well as […]
Gracefully Welcoming Change: Recovery in an Ever-Changing World
Change. Many of us struggle to navigate it gracefully. To create meaningful change, we have to do things differently. We must engage in some self-reflection. And practice self-awareness. And admit our shortcomings… It’s a lot of work. I could draw a metaphor, here, about the changing seasons (it’s finally starting to feel like spring […]
Dear Rae: Why Can My Boyfriend Drink More Than Me?
Dear Rae: I am a currently a Junior and I have been drinking heavily for my entire time at college. Mostly beer, but we also do shots. Lately, after a night of partying, my hangovers seem to be getting worse. If I’m honest, I don’t feel that great most of the time… but it […]
Coping with Life’s Ordinary Moments in Recovery…
Are things honestly ever “just fine” in early recovery? At Sanford House , we begin group therapy sessions with a check-in. Clients are asked to identify how they’re feeling today. (Sure, sometimes therapy is just as on-the-nose as one may imagine.) I challenge my clients to reframe answers like “fine,” “good,” or “I don’t […]
Honoring the Unique – The Life Story Project at Sanford
I visited Seattle recently, and stayed in a hostel for the first time. When I got home, I struggled to describe my trip. “My perspective is a little different now,” I said. Different names for the same place… honoring the unique, dynamic, peculiar, and predictable In truth, all of our experiences shift our worldview […]
Thoughtful Connections from the Family Program – The Forest & the Trees
Suppose you have 100 acres full of sick trees who want to get well. If each tree leaves the forest to find wellness and then returns to the forest, they get sick again from the infection of the rest of the trees. The Elders taught us that to treat sick trees you must treat […]
Dear Rae: What Level of Care is Best for My Wife?
Dear Rae: I feel completely helpless. My wife has been drinking heavily for years, but she has a good job and is very active. She runs three times a week and we have a pretty big social life. Here’s the problem – lately, she seems to be drinking more and it is impacting her quality […]
Spend the Holidays in Rehab? I’ll Think About That Tomorrow
When Scarlett O’Hara said I’ll think about that tomorrow, she was putting aside a difficult decision for a more convenient time. That’s the problem with procrastinating about something painful, like addressing a substance use disorder (SUD). There is never a good time, but there’s always a good excuse. No excuses to put off […]
Dear Rae: Is My 15-Year Old Using Alcohol & Drugs?
Dear Rae: My teenage son has begun to worry my husband and me. He is sullen and non-communicative – which is very new behavior in our house. We are a close family and he is our only child. In the past, John was open about school, friends and outside activities. But recently, he has been […]
