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, […]
Happiness in Recovery – Reset Your Day!
It has been a long winter, and some of us may be feeling a bit down lately. To be sure, there’s nothing wrong with feeling down. Happiness is not a prerequisite of recovery for our clients at Sanford Behavioral Health. However, we do teach coping skills to help our clients move through the rough patches: […]
10 Recovery Slogans – Why They Work
Updated 1/2/25 Much of my writing is intense (e.g., Family Guide to Understanding Relapse). So, I’m ready to try something a little lighter yet equally informative. For example, a part of the recovery dialogue that I’ve learned over the years is the use of slogans in recovery. At first, I thought they were silly. I […]
Women’s Binge Drinking Outpaces Men’s After Pandemic
During the pandemic in 2020, binge drinking among college-age students declined. The decline was attributed to the lack of gatherings and the isolation as classes went online. However, in the wake of the pandemic, overall drinking for young adults is on the rise. And in a Washington Examiner interview with Dr. George F. Koob, director […]
A New Look at 10 Addiction Relapse Triggers
You are new to recovery and innocently pushing your cart down the aisle at the local Fresh Market. Let’s say it’s a gloomy Sunday afternoon. You round the corner, and there in front of you is the alcohol aisle. Aisles more like it, all shapes and sizes of beer and wine stacked and displayed artfully. […]
Real Life Recovery: Day Treatment for Addiction
A standard directive in 12-step or addiction recovery meetings is, “Go to 90 meetings in 90 days.” They say this to encourage anyone new to recovery to immerse themselves in recovery in the same way they immersed themselves in their addiction. Recovery is the most important thing a person can do. But what if […]
Shame and the Self-Conscious Emotions
You are walking down a busy street and trip on an uneven sidewalk. Or you are looking at old photographs and unearth one from when you were in active addiction, wearing a party hat that says, KISS ME, I’M IRISH. Or, as an adult, your mother says something about your lack of progress at work, […]
Michigan Alcohol Abuse Statistics [2023]
The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics (NCDAS) has published current Alcohol Use Statistics [2023]. Not surprisingly, 60% of adults in the U.S. say that their alcohol consumption increased during the pandemic. 34% admit binge drinking, and 7% report extreme binge drinking. Men still comprise 62% of those diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder, 35% […]
Sanford West Behavioral Health Campus – the Wood TV Interview
Our seasoned team has fully functioned at Sanford West Behavioral Health Campus since January 2022. Our signature addiction treatment centers in Grand Rapids, Michigan, have been operational since 2015; however, Sanford West is still a relatively new facility, with programs rolling out regularly. We want to thank Rachael Ruiz and eightWest Wood TV for their […]
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 […]
