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 […]
Addicted Michigan – the WWMT Channel3 News Interview
Sanford House and Founder/Spokesperson Rae Green are in the news again. This time in response to WWMT Channel 3 News’ series on Addicted Michigan. Click the link or photo below for the newscast and full interview by Alexis Berdine. One in 10 Americans are going to become addicted to drugs or alcohol…The feature of […]
What is Early Recovery? And When Do I Graduate?
I was hiking with a group of people who are new to recovery. And out of the blue, one of them asked, “What’s early recovery?” Before I could answer, someone else said, “Yeah. What is early recovery and how do I get out of it?” Still a third said, “I have a friend […]
The Restorative Health Benefits of a Michigan Summer
Michigan summer… It’s finally Michigan summer. Last weekend I was mired in a rather “snakey” looking bog on the edge of Big Seven Lake. I could hear, but not see, the frogs with their burping, throaty chirps. There were tiny dragon-flies hovering over the water lilies and my inflatable kayak was listing to starboard. […]
WHO is Your Addiction Treatment Experience?
In the past two weeks I have spent more time than I would like in a hospital. In fact, any time spent in a hospital is too much for me. But I have an ailing mother and there is something so sad about a hospital inhabitant without a plethora of primrose toting visitors. So I […]
Shame – Being VS Doing Something Wrong …
I struggle to facilitate conversations about shame. And I’m transparent about that with my clients. This is for a few reasons: shame is difficult to conceptualize. Unlike “coping skills” or “aftercare planning,” shame is nebulous. Open for discourse. Dependent on our unique perspectives and past experiences. Additionally, I’ve yet to master managing shame in my […]
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. […]
Social Drinking, Social Anxiety and the Open Bar
What is it about an open bar at a lively party? Friendly wait staff in bow ties and damask draped folding tables.The inevitable lineup of soon to be new best friends. And for anyone like me, with social anxiety, the open bar is the ultimate event ice-breaker. New Friends, Open Bar….No Social Anxiety […]
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 […]
