Recovery guides

One topic, start to finish. In the order you need it.

Each guide walks through a single subject in short chapters, clinically reviewed by our team. Read one chapter or the whole thing. For shorter reads, visit our recovery library.

01Signs of an Alcoholic: How to Recognize Alcohol Use Disorder and a Return to Drinking
02What Are Benzodiazepines, and How Do You Know When Use Has Become a Problem?

Featured guide

Signs of an Alcoholic: How to Recognize Alcohol Use Disorder and a Return to Drinking

Alcohol use disorder, sometimes called alcoholism or alcohol addiction, is the substance use disorder behind the word alcoholic. Older terms split it into alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence.

8 chapters · Reviewed by Neal Schmidt, BS, LADC-S

Guide 02

19 chapters · 173 min total · Reviewed October 2026

What Are Benzodiazepines, and How Do You Know When Use Has Become a Problem?

Benzodiazepines are prescription sedatives that slow the central nervous system and produce a calming effect within minutes to an hour. Xanax, Ativan, Valium, and Klonopin are familiar, and they sit among the most commonly prescribed medications: an estimated 92 million…

In their words

We can have goals in life again that we believe we can achieve.

Your team

Meet the counselors who answer the phone and guide your treatment.

Neal Schmidt, BS, LADC-S

Clinical Director

A substance use counselor since 2012. Tailors counseling to the person in front of him, not the diagnosis.

Emily Hongslo, BS, LADC

Counselor

Works with people at every stage of change, with an emphasis on client-centered care.

Mari Anderson Fairchild, MA, LPCC, LADC

Substance Use Counselor

Believes every client deserves to feel seen and heard, and that autonomy is part of the treatment.

Getting started

How to get started: four steps, no waiting eleven days.

Reaching out doesn’t commit you to anything. It means you asked a question, and we answered it.

Call

We listen to what’s going on and where you are in the process. No script, no pressure.

Chemical use assessment

A comprehensive assessment to determine diagnosis and the level of care that fits.

Referral to the right care

Ideally with us. If another program fits you better, we’ll connect you to it.

Intake

Programming starts immediately after intake. Already have an assessment? Send it over and we’ll review it.

Northwoods Haven Recovery exists to make treatment accessible quickly to those that need it, from personal experience of having to wait to help a loved one.

It once took eleven days to get one person into treatment. He only made it because someone put him up in a hotel. That wait is the reason this program exists, and the reason we answer the phone.

Take the first step

When you're ready, we're here.

Reaching out doesn’t mean you’ve committed to anything. It means you’re asking a question, and we’ll answer it honestly, even if the answer points somewhere else.

100% confidential

Insurance verified fast

No commitment to ask

Outpatient only

Referring professionals

Send a comprehensive assessment, plus treatment plan reviews, discharge summary, med list, and insurance information if applicable. A list, not a portal.

Visit us in Hopkins

Northwoods Haven Recovery

5900 Green Oak Drive, Ste 306
Hopkins, MN 55343