Addiction and Navigating the Holidays – eightWest Interview
Sanford Founder, Rae Green, sat down with eightWest host, Terri DeBoer, to talk about all things addiction, recovery and the holidays. Rae offered tips to welcome (not dread) the upcoming festivities, while maintaining recovery. Tips include establishing sober boundaries and planning ahead. What is the most wonderful time of the year for most people […]
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 […]
Dear Rae: What’s a Dual Diagnosis? Is That What I Have?
Dear Rae: I am researching rehabs for my depression, and I also have a drinking problem. I keep reading about dual diagnosis and co-occurring disorders. Is that what I have? N.K. Dear N.K. “Dual diagnosis” and “co-occurring disorders” are both terms that refer to someone who experiences a mental illness and a substance use […]
Recovery Nutrition – The Rundown on Not Feeling Run Down
When someone begins treatment for a substance use disorder, “recovery nutrition” is not at the top of their priority list. The importance of nutrition often gets lost in the process of attending counseling sessions, finding local meetings, adjusting to new environments, and doing the exhausting work of forming better habits in every area of […]
Angry & DUI – Should I Call the Police?
If you live with someone who drinks or drugs too much, the following scenario should be familiar. The argument begins (as it always does) about mid-way between sobriety and your loved one’s peak inebriation and ends in DUI. It may start because of a missed milestone or unbecoming behavior in public. It may erupt […]
Recovery Kayaking – The Uncomplicated Joy
Sobriety, once you get the hang of it, makes life uncomplicated. Take kayaking for example. In my active addiction, a kayaking trip would have been an elaborate affair. I would leave the sunblock, water and bug spray behind, but stockpile wine in plastic water bottles. My balance was so bad, I would never have been […]
My Drinking Dreams – They’re a Nightmare!
I get so much out of living my life sober. And I am really working towards happiness and fulfillment. I feel like I am on the precipice of something or someone. But I haven’t quite worked out what or who. I suspect this is my spiritual awakening to a new life. And this time it […]
Fostering Feelings of Awe in Group Therapy
Updated 2/15/2025 Michiganders have always been my favorite group of people for many reasons. First, I LOVE the way that Michiganders love their state. From Detroit to Grand Rapids, Traverse City, to the Upper Peninsula – you would be hard-pressed to find a Michigander who did not endorse and thoroughly enjoy the natural beauty of […]
When Loved Ones Enable Addictive Disease
In the world of addiction, to “enable” means to assist the progression of the disease by interfering with the natural consequences of addictive behaviors. As you are reading this, you’re probably thinking, “Why would anyone enable addictive disease? Make the situation worse?” Unfortunately, and often very unintentionally, family members dealing with addictive behaviors, do just […]
Mindfulness, Manageable Stress & Addiction Treatment
When I started gathering information for my graduate degree research project, it was just getting colder in Michigan. We were inching toward the winter months, and my anxiety spiked with each grey day on the horizon. The stress accompanying literature reviews and all things research in graduate school appeared to double each moment I procrastinated. […]
