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Mindfulness, Eat, Spring, Dogs – the Best of Excursions Magazine!

We’re not going to lie, spring has sprung here in Michigan, but it’s tough to appreciate when cloistered inside. The challenge is to find the beauty in the season even when it’s not easy to be in the season. Open the windows and listen to birdsong (they are still singing). Go for an early morning […]

Relapse! Does Addiction Treatment Work?

Family members in the Sanford Family Program often ask, “Why is there so much relapse with addiction?”  Right along with the first question, I hear, “My loved one went to treatment and we all participated in the programs. Why did this relapse happen? Doesn’t treatment work?”   Relapse! Does Addiction Treatment Work? The truth of […]

relapse man on cliff

Sanford’s David Green on the Wood Radio CEO Spotlight

Sanford Founder and CEO, David Green, sat down with Wood Radio’s, Justin Barclay, yesterday in the CEO Spotlight. They talked about the tough “business” of addiction treatment, what it takes to assess and treat someone seeking help and how the disease of addiction impacts the entire family system. They also touched on the challenges and […]

CEO spotlight

Family Support Group at Sanford – Making a Connection

Here are the facts about the Sanford Family Support Group: The group is for family members and friends (F&F) of clients or former clients of Sanford. It does not matter what level of care the family member has been treated in.   Any F&F who has been through our 4-session Family Program or a previous […]

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Establishing Healthy Boundaries in Family Recovery

In this article we will look at how to establish healthy boundaries in family recovery. Over the past several weeks, my articles have been focused on elements behind the formation of healthy boundaries. But establishing healthy boundaries is essential to becoming effective in working with a loved one with a substance use disorder (SUD). Healthy […]

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Families and SUDs – Are You Care Taking or Care Giving?

You are a family member of someone with a substance use disorder (SUD). And that special person has finally entered treatment for their SUD. You have been following all the recommended steps for family members of folks with SUDs. You’re even feeling pretty good about things now. When suddenly, it hits you. Do I really […]

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Judy Garland & the Pervasive Stigma of Addiction

I went to see the movie Judy recently. There was a moment toward the end of the film when I thought to myself, Oh for God’s sake – why doesn’t she just get her act together? While a thousand ticket holders waited at a venue in London to hear her sing, Judy Garland was drinking […]

michigan summer

Powerful Allies in the Recovering Family

  In their book, STAYING SOBER, Gorski & Miller, state, “Family members can be powerful allies in preventing relapse …”  To that end, Sanford Addiction Treatment Centers offers psycho-education groups for family and friends of our clients with substance use disorders (SUDs). These groups help loved ones become powerful allies and open the door to […]

allies in family recovery

The Legacy of Inter-Generational Addiction and Recovery

I was re-reading my last article on controlling behaviors, and thoughts about the inter-generational aspects of addiction kept coming to mind. Because so many people raised in families where there is addiction present, grow into adulthood and connect with people who have substance use disorders (SUDs).   Inter-Generational Addiction and Recovery According to the National […]

addiction and recovery in generations of family

Control Your Controlling Behavior! Family Recovery …

  When most of us think of controlling behaviors or people who are controlling, we think of people who bully others. Folks who yell commands, behave in an overbearing manner or are just plain rude. We think of the obvious behaviors that catch our attention. In this article we focus on controlling behaviors that are […]

controlling behavior puppet