Alcoholism and Drug Addiction: Lessons Learned

Most people have difficulty taking a meta-perspective to their addictions and figuring out what and why they are doing while addicted. However, I've treated both women and men in recovery who often say "I thank my addiction. I wouldn't be the person I am today without it!" It sounds strange. Why would you want to thank your addiction? It causes much pain and isolation. It appears that when a person can discern meaning in their life's narrative, they are more likely not to return to these behaviors, since they have learned what they needed to learn and moving on to the next phase of their lives.

What can a person "learn" from their addiction? Well, the learning usually occurs in contrast to the recovery they practice secondary to their addiction. For example, a client recently shared with me "without my addiction I would not have learned to have empathy for those struggling with addiction and other dark forces in their lives". This person is a physician who travels the world assisting poor countries with outbreaks of epidemics and their health care needs. He has become empathic secondary to his addiction to alcohol and pain medications. He came to understand the "meaning" of his addiction and replaced it (with the help of professionals and the 12-Steps)with a life of giving kindness without counting the cost!

Addiction is not to be glorified. However, once you begin the contemplative journey towards recovery, don't necessarily reject your experiences as an addict, but bring them along with you into your recovery. If you, or a loved one is struggling with addiction and trying desperately to be sober, please call our 24-Hour HelpLine at (866)478-9898.
"There is no coming to consciousness without pain"
Carl Jung

Recuperatio Primoris! (Recovery above all else)

Dr. Bill Heran

Why Private Drug Rehab?

Because it works. Let's say you wanted to take a painting class. Do you think you would learn more effectively in a class with 80 people or in a class with 8 people? How much individual attention would you get from the professor in the class with 80 people vs. 8? How much would your individual needs and talents be recognized in the class of 80?

Now consider a life-threatening condition like drug or alcohol addiction. Intuitively, a smaller, private drug rehab or alcohol rehab with highly trained therapists is going to allow for more individualized attention and care. Your needs are going to be met. If your "brush strokes" are incorrect, someone is going to notice right away and be able to gently nudge you back on track.

The answer is obvious. Most people get lost in the sea of people in a large drug rehab. They go along with the herd, receiving cookie-cutter treatment. If they are off track, it is difficult to notice because of the number of people involved.

You are only in drug or alcohol rehab for a very short time. Make the most of it and give yourself the best shot at addiction recovery in one of the best drug rehabs. A private one.

Crystal Meth addiction treatment

The treatment for crystal meth (crystal methamphetamine, "ice", "batu", or "Tina") addiction is not a lot different than other forms of addiction. There are, however, some promising medications that look like they may have some benefit in terms of reducing craving and risk of relapse. Crystal meth addiction is highly treatable.

Hawaii, unfortunately, was the gateway to the rest of the US for crystal meth. This is true because crystal meth had been an asian drug before it came to the US. When I came to Hawaii in the early 90's, I was seeing patients who had been addicted to crystal meth for 10 years or more! Most of the patients that we saw were men who were experiencing fairly severe paranoia and psychosis. We were also involved in some of the first studies with brain PET scanning in long-standing crystal meth addicts. Crystal meth has unfortunately evolved to become a problem across the US and through all age and socio-economic classes, including young women who use crystal meth as a weight loss drug.

The crystal meth addicted brain looks like Swiss cheese on the PET scans. No joke. Crystal meth is a horrible substance. It is made from a conglomeration of horrible household and over the counter products that cause serious brain damage. It is highly addictive and it is cheap. Not a good combination! However, with abstinence and treatment, the brain has the possibility of recovering its function.

I strongly recommend a good, holistic drug rehab for those suffering from crystal meth addiction. One that has experience in the treatment of crystal meth addiction. With the right addiction treatment, you or a loved one can get much better. You can have your life back again.

John Neuhaus, M.D.

Addiction Recovery from the Ocean?

Well, yes. The ocean can be part of your recovery. The ocean waves are powerful, yet can be gentle and calming. The ocean represents a force outside of yourself. A force that you can't control, but you can accept. Your environment is part of your recovery. The location of the drug rehab or alcohol rehab. Is it located in a spiritual place, a place of healing? Is it a peaceful environment that is conducive to internal change? Can you hear the ocean waves as you drift off to sleep at night?

At Paradise Recovery, you can hear the waves gently lapping against the white sand beach, just steps away from your bedroom, as you drift off to sleep. The program is located in a very spiritual place regarded by the ancient Hawaiians as a powerful place of healing. You feel the healing power as you walk in the front doors. You also feel the sense of calm and peace.

Environment. It is part of the healing process going from the outside in. It is the easiest part of treatment because you don't have to do anything except experience it.

Drug Rehab from the Inside Out?

The best drug rehab and alcohol rehab centers are those that take a holistic approach to drug and alcohol treatment. Most say that healing takes place from "the inside out". Basically, this means that you are making internal changes in your thinking and behavior that leads down a path of sobriety.

I want to point out that a truly holistic drug or alcohol treatment program also promotes healing from the outside in. Like we have talked about before, addiction recovery involves a multi-faceted but integrated treatment approach. The treatment approach does not focus solely on what's inside. Sometimes, things need to change on the outside before the inside can begin to change. For example, there are certain nutritional needs that you are going to have in early recovery. The provision of food and the food being seen as medicine is an outside change that will begin to affect the inside of your body and allow it to heal. Acupuncture is an external process that literally goes from outside in, and works to promote internal healing as well. Physical exercise and your physical environment certainly play a role in the healing process.

So, when drug rehabs promote healing from the inside out, they are missing a big part of the best treatment that can be used for addiction recovery.

Steve Tyler goes to Rehab: Recovery from addiction

Aerosmith's Steve Tyler has gone back into drug rehab. He apparently had a long period of sobriety dating back to the 1980's before presumably relapsing.

This is a good opportunity to talk about why we don't say you have "recovered" from addiction. That's because no one is ever really "recovered". However, there are many people in "recovery". Recovery is a constant process. You spend the rest of your life working on your recovery. It is a day to day process. Addiction is a disease that can be managed. If you begin to believe you have "recovered" from addiction, that is the time that you are likely to stop working on recovery. Your life no longer focuses on recovery. It is the time that you are most likely to relapse.

I am not saying that this is what happened with Steve Tyler. I don't know why he relapsed. Only he can tell us that information. But it goes to show that no matter how long you are in recovery, you have never really recovered from the disease of addiction.

Don't be too depressed over this fact of life. Many diseases are quite manageable but require daily attention. If you don't manage it, the disease recurs. If you do manage it, the disease is much less likely to recur. I frequently compare addiction to the disease of diabetes because it helps people better understand addiction in a more concrete way. If a person is diagnosed with type II diabetes, they will hopefully begin to manage it. Ideally, they will make lifestyle changes. They change what they eat, maybe where they eat, how often they eat, what time they eat, and how much they eat. They see a dietician for consultation, begin to exercise on a regular basis, start a weight loss plan, become educated about the disease, enlist the support of friends and family, start on medication, etc. As the weight comes off and the diet improves, many type II diabetics are able to "recover" from the disease. As such, there blood sugar comes back down into the normal range and they no longer require medication.

But think about it for a second.... this person had to make tremendous lifestyle changes in order to get themselves into recovery from the diabetes. They had to give daily attention to the management of the disease. Let me ask you this: What if the diabetic who now has a normal blood sugar stops managing the disease? They stop with the special diet and frequent small meals. They are no longer careful with what they eat, don't check their blood sugars, skip the appointments with the dietician, etc. Well, it does not take a rocket scientist to figure this one out.... the diabetes relapses! Addiction is absolutely no different. It is a disease that continually needs to be managed. It takes work, focus, and priority.

We salute Steve Tyler for the life changes that he made in the face of tremendous temptation in order to get into recovery and stay in recovery for many years. He should rightly be proud of his years of sobriety, as well as his decision to recognize the need for treatment for himself again. We all wish him many, many more years of sobriety and recovery in the future.

The Importance of Place: Choosing the right Rehab

It's been quite a ride! Dealing with the personal, interpersonal, emotional and spiritual fall out of alcohol and/or drug addiction. There's been a lot of judgment, blaming, attacks, and loss!

Now, you need a place that provides you with both the right healing environment and treatment philosophy that fits your goals and provides you with the education and tools to move forward in your life without altering your mood with alcohol and drugs. When choosing a rehab you need to remember a few things.

1) Location. Not all rehabs have taken the time, effort and resources to make sure that your rehab experience is linked with locations in the world that are rejuvenating! Some feel that all rehabs should be on Skid Row. That addicts should suffer! Well, to be honest. There's been enough suffering had by the addict and their loved ones. Now it's time for healing, big time!

2) Positive Psychology. Make sure when you are shopping around for rehabs that you ask the admissions personnel about their treatment philosophy. This is critical. Their staff have been trained by people who have a certain bias, or philosophy. The program that focuses on resiliency, protective traits and development of character (Positive Psychology) seems to be best practice in private run rehabs. However, watch out for, what I call, "the Penitential Model" programs. The philosophy of these programs is to make you feel terrible before you feel better. It is kind of like the old Quaker tradition of incarceration...we called them Penitentiaries.

3) Holistic Approach. Alcohol and drugs attacks the whole person. As an addict, you have been totally focused on your addiction. Now, in rehab you need to totally focus on recovery and health! It is important that the rehab you choose offers a multi-disciplinary, traditional and non-traditional forms of healing. For example, in a holistic rehab your day may include: morning meditation, acupuncture, massage, group therapy, individual therapy, personal fitness session, nutritional meals and community AA/NA 12-Step meetings.

4)Aftercare and follow-up. It is critical that you continue your goals and life-changing strategies after you leave rehab. Choose a rehab that provides at least a comprehensive aftercare program and follow-up with your primary therapist from the rehab. Accountability and dedication to your recovery plan will ensure greater success and sustained recovery!

I hope this has been helpful. If you have any questions, please call our 24-Hour HelpLine at (866) 478-9898 and speak with one of our recovery counselors today!


Recuperatio Primoris,
Dr. Bill

"Sorrow looks down, Worry looks around, Faith looks up." Anonymous

Calming the Waters: The importance of a stable mood in addiction recovery

Have you ever been on a small boat away from shore during a storm? The tides and strength of the ocean is overwhelming and scary. You know there is a force much stronger than you and the boat. You're unsure if you'll be able to manage the boat into safety. Sometimes dealing with emotional instability can feel very similar.

Many people who suffer with mood disorders such as: major depression, anxiety, mania, bi-polar illness, severe irritability, etc. often will describe a life that is not their own. They feel hopeless and helpless in their efforts to bring control and calm into their chaotic and painful emotional worlds. Often, women and men dealing with strong emotional pulls and tugs will try alcohol, drugs, sex and other forms of addition to suppress or alter the emotional state that is causing them stress and discomfort.

When treating an alcohol or drug addiction, a major task of the treatment team is to treat the mood disorder from many different perspectives and disciplines. Often a person needs: a psychiatric evaluation, psychological testing, dietary assessment, physical fitness evaluation, family and spiritual histories. Some of the more effective treatments are: medication, diet changes, exercise, meditation practice and much more. It takes your full attention to manage and change a mood disorder that is complicated by an addiction issue.

Without a stable mood for any significant period of time, it makes recovery almost impossible! The cognitive and learned behaviors associated with the mood issue often makes sobriety a less effective option. The alcohol and/or drugs will be immediately gratifying and will lure you into thinking it is helping you with your problem.

Read the weather reports and know your nautical mapping before you go on your next boating trip! Making significant and conscious transformations are required to attend to these life-threatening illnesses.

If you or someone you love is suffering from a mood disorder and addiction, please call us today on our 24-Hour HelpLine at (866) 478-9898 and speak with one of our trained recovery counselors.

Recuperatio Primoris,
Dr. Bill

"After half a century in psychiatric practice, I know without a doubt that the source of addiction is spiritual deficiency. Irrespective of whether we are religious or atheist, all human beings are spiritual by nature and spirituality is the cornerstone of our recovery.” Abraham Twerski, M.D.

Double Trouble: A few considerations when treating Dual Diagnosis

When an addict is struggling with a mental illness (e.g. Major Depressive Disorder, Anxiety, PTSD, psychosis, schizophrenia) and a co-morbid addiction disease process, we call this DUAL DIAGNOSIS. Only a small percentage of treatment centers are designed to treat persons with dual diagnosis. It presents a challenge for programs that believe you need to treat the addiction before you treat the mental illness.

When you focus on the addiction treatment the mental illness reminds you its around, and when you only focus on the mental illness, the addiction feels "neglected and alone" and will remind you that it is a force working against health and recovery. Both are considered detox and causes insanity and death!

Recovery requires full attention on both: the mental illness and the addiction disease. A person cannot be full alive when their mental illness is not stable. The same applies with addiction: you are not in recovery when you are continuing to use and further create insanity and chaos in your life and the lives around you.

If you or a loved one has a dual diagnosis, call our 24-Hour HelpLine at (866) 478-9898 and speak with one of our recovery counselors. Don't delay...both of these diseases require your full attention today!

Recuperatio Primoris,
Dr. Bill

"Personal transformation can and does have global effects. As we go, so goes the world, for the world is us. The revolution that will save the world is ultimately a personal one" Marianne Williamson

The Addicted Brain: Breaking free and training your Brain to Coherence and Recovery

We know from recent nuclear medical technology, that addiction clearly changes the brain and is often resistent to reverse. PET Scans, FMRIs, Neuro- and Biofeedback have shown how the brain responds to toxic substances, or even "toxic", addictive behavioral patterns in our personalities.

When you choose a high quality rehab today, you need to ask them if they pay attention to any diagnositc interventions that offer detailed evidence as to how your particular brain may have been responding to your addiction(s). After a thorough assessment, the clinician usually begins a series of sessions that attempt to train the brain away from cravings and towards more coherence and increased functionality in the key centers of your brain.

Clients at Paradise Recovery have testified to the efficacy of the treatments. It not only identifies areas that may be under-functioning, but also assists with higher levels of performance, which many of our clients desire in their high performing jobs and career choices.

The brain’s reward system (Harvard Medical School Newsletter)

Addictive drugs provide a shortcut to the brain’s reward system by flooding the nucleus accumbens with dopamine (the neurotransmitter focusing on pleasure). The hippocampus lays down memories of this rapid sense of satisfaction, and the amygdala creates a conditioned response to certain stimuli. Stressors or something associated with substance use can trip the mental machinery of relapse.

Without the substance, you can see how detox and treatment needs to begin to reward the brain with non-toxic substances, and practice healthy ways to affect pleasure and manage pain without drugs, alcohol or other self-destructive, mood altering substances and behaviors.

If you or someone you know is addicted to a substance or behavior, you should call our 24- Hour HelpLine at (866) 478-9898 today! We have a trained recovery counselor waiting to assist you and your loved ones.

Recuperatio Primoris! (Recovery above all else)

Dr. Bill

Extreme vs. Restraint: The Path towards Addiction Recovery

I have often met people who say they are in recovery from alcohol, drug or any other type of addiction. Sometimes people in recovery go from being addicted to a substance or process (e.g. sex, work, love, etc.) to being addicted to recovery!

You've met them. They've SEEN THE LIGHT! They are apostles for the Gospel of clean and sober living. They have memorized the Big Book and carry the message like a zealous apostle. They may have the same intensity and desire as they had when they were using. True, being addicted to AA/NA meetings, strictly adhering to a clean and sober life will not kill you, but you may end up with very few friends and missing out on what it means to be in recovery in the first place. Are they truly in recovery? Have they truly transformed?

You don't have to be a "Meeting Nazi" to experience the transforming effects of recovery!Recovery usually occurs from the inside-out. We transform as individuals seeking to thrive and experiencing life...FULLY ALIVE!

Restraint is a much better virtue to practice than the extreme practices of an addict. The recovering addict needs to transform that extreme energy into a practice of questioning, examination and prudent decision-making. It takes a while to consistently make the right choices for yourself. Relapse is a too often element of this disease, but if you embrace recovery and prioritize your recovery "above all else", then you are more likely to have healthy and sober options when stressed, triggered or tempted to act in an "extreme" manner.

If you or anyone you love has an addiction problem, please call our 24-Hour HelpLine at (866) 478-9898 and speak with one of our recovery counselors.

Recuperatio Primoris! (Recovery above all else)
Dr. Bill

There are limits to self-indulgence, none to restraint!
Mahatma Ghandi

Fight or Flight: Common Responses to Addiction Recovery

When making a decision about seeking treatment for an alcohol or drug addiction, often there's a primal response to either confront the situation or flee and never stop running. We call this the fight-or-flight response. Animals clearly react to acute stress in one of two ways: they will attack (confront), or they will flee (flight) and take shelter in a safe place. This response is an automated response that goes back to pre-historic behavior to protect oneself against lions and tigers on the prowl!

As humans, we too, react in similar ways when we are confronted with stress. Even though this response is more physiological, it also has psychological and emotional consequences.

Often, the "tiger" we're either attacking or avoiding is inside our minds. Whether it be a childhood learned response, or supported by parents and loved ones, your response to stress is significant and requires attention. Especially, if your response is creating problems in your life!

Addiction is often a response to stress and chaos in our lives. Ironically, we may think that alcohol, drug, sex or gambling are ways to reduce stress, but you just have to ask millions of people in recovery...it isn't! The illusion is that when I am high and have adjusted my mood, then I'm in control and all is well in the world. Sorry to burst your bubble, but when you think you have control, while addicted to a substance or a process, then that is when you are precisely "out of control" and most likely "out of your mind!"

Turning to trusted friends, loved ones and letting them know of your stress and permitting them to support you and maybe even "lighten" the load, would be a MUCH better way to cope with stress.

If you or a loved one is seeking help for addiction treatment, please call our 24-Hour HelpLine at (866) 478-9898 today!

Recuperatio Primoris, (Recovery above all else!)
Dr. Bill

The Benefits of an Exclusive Drug Rehab

There are numerous drug rehab centers out there. However not too many compare to Paradise Recovery. Offering the drug addict or alcoholic a private, serene atmosphere, we are only an eight bed treatment program. Being in an exclusive drug rehab, the alcoholic or drug addict need not worry about being mixed up in the crowd. We offer personalized, individual and group therapy, along with Acupuncture, Qi Gong, Personal Fitness Training, Yoga, Therapeutic Massage. Your meals are prepared fresh daily by our Executive Chef.

When privacy and individualized therapy are important factors to you or a loved ones recovery, we are it! Paradise Recovery. Please call our 24 hour help line at
1-866-478-9898.

Narcotics Anonymous - Why Are We Here?

For many drug addicts, they find lasting recovery with the program of Narcotics Anonymous. Many drug addicts will in some way or another, identify with the excerpt below, taken from the Basic Text of Narcotics Anonymous.

Chapter Three
Why Are We Here?
"Before coming to the Fellowship of N.A., we could not manage our own lives. We could not live and enjoy life as other people do. We had to have something different and we thought we had found it in drugs. We placed their use ahead of the welfare of our families, our wives, husbands, and our children. We had to have drugs at all costs. We did many people great harm, but most of all we harmed ourselves. Through our inability to accept personal responsibilities we were actually creating our own problems. We seemed to be incapable of facing life on its own terms.
Most of us realized that in our addiction we were slowly committing suicide, but addiction is such a cunning enemy of life that we had lost the power to do anything about it. Many of us ended up in jail, or sought help through medicine, religion and psychiatry. None of these methods was sufficient for us. Our disease always resurfaced or continued to progress until in desperation, we sought help from each other in Narcotics Anonymous.
After coming to N.A. we realized we were sick people. We suffered from a disease from which there is no known cure. It can, however, be arrested at some point, and recovery is then possible."

If you or a loved one suffers from drug addiction, there is hope. Please call our 24 hour help line at 1-866-478-9898.

The Best Drug Rehab Experience

The drug addict who has chosen to go through drug rehab has a choice. They can choose to be resistant, closing themselves off to a valuable life experience and most likely relapse OR the drug addict can choose to surrender and take part in one of the most enriching life experiences. To the drug addict, the word "surrender" may be translated as being "weak" or "cowardly", when in actuality, the word "surrender" simply can be translated as moving to the "winning" side.

To truly have the best drug rehab experience the drug addict has to be ready and willing to change.

If you or a loved one wants to experience the best drug rehab, please call us, we are Paradise Recovery and we are here to help! Please call our 24 hour help line at
1-866-478-9898.

The Best Alcohol Rehab Experience

The alcoholic who has chosen to go through alcohol rehab has a choice. They can choose to be resistant, closing themselves off to a valuable life experience and most likely relapse OR the alcoholic can choose to surrender and take part in one of the most enriching life experiences. To the alcoholic, the word "surrender" may be translated as being "weak" or "cowardly", when in actuality, the word "surrender" simply can be translated as moving to the "winning" side.

To truly have the best alcohol rehab experience the alcoholic has to be ready and willing to change.

If you or a loved one wants to experience the best alcohol rehab, please call us, we are Paradise Recovery and we are here to help! Please call our 24 hour help line at
1-866-478-9898.

Owning up to Alcoholism

Although alcoholism is a disease, it is very important for the alcoholic to "own up" to their part of the disease. Oftentimes when the alcoholic is in alcohol rehab, they are taught that although they have a disease, they are responsible for allowing the disease to continue. How so, you may ask? Let's look at the alcoholic that continues to blame others for their misfortune, if they continue to place blame on others, they are not taking responsibility of the part of the disease that wants the alcoholic to place blame. If the alcoholic were to assume responsibility, they are then allowed to look within themselves, understand the disease of alcoholism and move forward in a healthier way. And as a result are more likely not to relapse. Taking responsibility for the disease of alcoholism is an integral part of sustained recovery!

To find out more about the best alcohol rehab, please call our 24 hour help line at
1-866-478-9898.

Owning up to Drug Addiction

Although drug addiction is a disease, it is very important for the drug addict to "own up" to their part of the disease. Oftentimes when the drug addict is in drug rehab, they are taught that although they have a disease, they are responsible for allowing the disease to continue. How so, you may ask? Let's look at the drug addict that continues to blame others for their misfortune, if they continue to place blame on others, they are not taking responsibility of the part of the disease that wants the addict to place blame. If the drug addict were to assume responsibility, they are then allowed to look within themselves, understand the disease of drug addiction and move forward in a healthier way. And as a result are more likely not to relapse. Taking responsibility for the disease of drug addiction is an integral part of sustained recovery!

To find out more about the best drug rehabs, please call our 24 hour help line at
1-866-478-9898.

Dual Diagnosis. The importance of Treatment

Dual Diagnosis, also known as co-occurring disorders, is usually referred to mean a combination of an addiction and some other psychological difficulty. Most commonly, the things that occur along with addiction are anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder and various personality disorders.

In order to have the best chance of success against addiction, the co-occurring illness needs to be treated as well. This means that you need individualized treatment in order to correctly diagnose and treat the co-occurring illness. Group treatment alone is not going to cut it. You will need a comprehensive psychiatric assessment along with intensive individual therapy by a skilled therapist in order to have success in recovery.

Be thankful that there are a few places that are skilled at recognizing and treating dual diagnosis. You will be happy that you chose one for your drug rehab or alcohol rehab needs.

Cocaine treatment and detox

Cocaine addiction is one of the most devastating experiences that anyone can go through, not to mention the havoc it wreaks on family, friends, and loved ones. Not only is cocaine expensive in real cost, with users going through tens or hundreds of thousands or dollars in drug, but it is expensive in the toll that it takes on the addict and everyone around them.

Cocaine addicts rarely experience the addiction in isolation from deeper core issues. There is usually a lot of "other stuff" going on psychologically with the cocaine addict. That "other stuff" needs to be treated in a comprehensive way. To treat the addiction without treating the individual core issues behind the addiction means you have missed the boat. The person will soon be on their way to relapse.

Paradise Recovery offers an intensive, private cocaine treatment and detox program that is comprehensive in nature. Core issues, individual work, and family work are all part and parcel to the program. Give our HelpLine a call today for more information: 866-478-9898.

Do you have to Hit Rock Bottom for Rehab?

It is a good question. Most people say that an addict has to hit "rock bottom" before they can really be helped. This may not always be true. Also, keep in mind that rock bottom means something different for each of us. For some, the loss of a job or a relationship is rock bottom. For others, it might be the loss of family, house, car, job, and living homeless. Most people don't need to experience that kind of rock bottom in order to seek help! To lose everything, you have to be either incredibly stubborn or incredibly stupid. Or both!

The purpose of hitting rock bottom, if there is one, is that at that point you are able to admit that you are powerless over your addiction and you will do anything you can to try to treat it. (Which, not coincidentally, is the First Step of AA). If it takes the loss of everything and everyone around you, then that's what it takes. For some, the simple threat of a loss of important things in their life is enough for them to realise that it is time to get help. For others, the loss of a job or loss of a relationship with a loved one is rock bottome enough to realize that "this is serious and I need to get help".

If you are thinking about getting help, or a loved one is in need of help for their addiction, haven't they hit rock bottom enough? Maybe they are not at the point of admitting they have a serious problem and they need a little "push" in the right direction. Getting an intervention could be the little push (or big push) that they need to realize that they have hit rock bottom enough to get help. Give our HelpLine a call at 866-478-9898. We can help with an intervention referral and also work with you to get your loved one into treatment.

The "doing" part of Drug Rehab

The best drug rehabs are about "doing". When you come to a drug rehab, it is to begin the "doing" of recovery. It is not just the rehab that is "doing". Mostly, it is you. It is an active process for the addict! Recovery is not something that just happens while you passively sit by and wait for the things to be "done" to you so that you can have recovery. The recovery process takes work.

The critical part of a drug or alcohol rehab is the process whereby you are guided in your "doing". The best drug rehabs and best alcohol rehabs privide you with expert guidance and direction so that your work is meaningful and efficient as it leads you on the path to recovery. A recovery "map" is provided to you so that you can quickly get your bearings and move forward in a meaningful way.

Please be careful in selecting a rehab. Most that are out there do not provide a sound recovery map. You don't want to spend time and money gambling with your life, only to find that you are floundering because a sound recovery map was not provided. With great directions, the "doing" part of recovery becomes much easier!

Does Rehab have to be painful? A New Generation of Drug Rehab

The treatment philosophy is important when choosing an alcohol/drug rehab. There appears to be a lingering bias from families, mental health professionals, family physicians, etc. that checking into an alcohol and drug rehab needs to be a painful and demoralizing experience. Lets talk about what NEEDS to happen in rehab, some of which may be painful, but the program should not take a sadistic, self-righteous approach towards treatment.

We often say, at Paradise Recovery, that we wouldn't treat cancer patients, persons with diabetes, or AIDS patients with this level of blame and medieval penitential attitude that some practitioners and treatment centers still advocate. I'll say, that many individuals who feel that the addict has to "hurt" before they can bask in the light of a clean and sober life, often experienced this type of rehab themselves, and want to "share the wealth".

What needs to happen in rehab is the following:

1) Disclose - be able to speak about your life as an alcoholic or addict. Particularly, how your abuse of substances, sex, gambling, etc. has increased chaos in your life and the life of loved ones around you.

2) Detach - be able to detach from the chaos and "calm and stay" with yourself in this process of self-discovery and transformation.

3) Deliver - be committed to a life of recovery and use your own awareness of yourself to make the daily decision to stop the chaos and insanity and move towards health and rejuvenation!

This is what you need in alcohol and drug treatment...the basics! We, at Paradise Recovery do not advocate a medieval, penitential, self-righteous approach. That just makes addicts either angry, or converts them to become self-absorbed and self-righteous clean and sober persons. THIS IS NOT RECOVERY!

Recovery humbly discloses, detaches and delivers! If you, or a loved one needs professional, caring private rehab services call our 24-Hour HelpLine at (866) 478-9898 for more information and admission details.

Recuperatio Primoris! (Recovery above all else!)

Dr. Bill Heran