Study Shows Too Much Drinking Shrinks Your Brain

Do you polish off this much alcohol each week?

Debating on whether or not to have that last drink for the night? A new study at the Wellesley College in Massachusetts has found that the more alcohol you consume, the more your brain shrinks.

The brain will normally shrink with age, but researchers have found that drinking more than 14 alcoholic drinks per week will speed up this process of brain shrinkage.

Memory problems, along with the beginnings of dementia have been linked to shrinkage of the brain.

A study was done on 1,839 men and women over two years, asking them how much alcohol they drank on a regular basis. Most people reported drinking one to seven alcoholic beverages a week, which is considered low intake. Men were more likely to report drinking higher amounts of alcohol – more than 14 drinks per week.

Brain scans were performed and researchers found that the more a person drank, the more their brain volume diminished.

While women tend to be lighter drinkers, the study showed a greater effect of this with women. Researchers state that this difference in gender could be the result of women generally being smaller in size and their higher susceptibility to the effects of alcohol.

Carol Ann Paul, from Wellesley College, who led the study, warned: "The public health effect of this study gives a clear message about the possible dangers of drinking alcohol."

"There was a significant negative linear relationship between alcohol consumption and total ... brain volume."

"I don't know about you but I will need all the brain power that I can muster to be able to negotiate these tough economic times".

Problem Drinking Is Treatable.

Looking honestly at your own drinking can be difficult.

This is called “denial” and is part of the problem.

Many treatment options for alcohol abuse are available.

For help and information follow the Nike Slogan "Just Do it".

Call us at Paradise Recovery now for the best alcohol treatment and addiction services!

Don’t give up!

People can and do get better, every day.

Recovery is possible.
P.L. Wong
Labels: alcohol rehab, alcohol treatment center, alcohol treatment program, best alcohol rehab, Paradise Recovery

Best Alcohol Treatment

When searching for an alcohol treatment program, there are many choices out there. Everyone is probably saying they have a great program. It is up to you to be able to figure out which ones really are the best alcohol treatment programs.

Some things to consider are whether you want a more private alcohol treatment program or one that is public, whether you want a cookie cutter, group-only approach, or if you want individualized therapy as part of your treatment, do you want to be in a peaceful setting or a hospital-like setting, do they do detox, and how much do you want to pay.

If you want an alcohol treatment program that costs about as much as many of the famous hospital-like environments with many beds, that provides treatment for you as an individual, does alcohol detox, in a beautiful beachfront setting, then Paradise Recovery is for you. Give them a call today: 1-866-478-9898. A counselor will be there to help you.

Hawaii Alcohol Rehab

There is only one licensed and accredited private alcohol rehab in Hawaii: Paradise Recovery. Located on Oahu, Paradise Recovery is limited to 8 beds, ensuring the ultimate in individualized treatment with some of the best addiction treatment professionals in Hawaii. Paradise Recovery takes a holistic approach to addiction recovery and alcohol rehab. However, the treatment itself utilizes scientifically proven methods to help put you on the road to recovery. Give Paradise Recovery a call today to speak to a counselor at their toll-free number: 866-478-9898.

Rehab Centers in Hawaii

There is only one private, licensed addiction treatment and dual diagnosis center in Hawaii. The name of the program is Paradise Recovery, located on Oahu. It is a highly private program, in a beachfront location. They do best-practice treatment for addiction (alcohol, drugs, plus other addictions) and dual diagnosis in a setting in which there is never more than 8 people at a time. If you are looking for a place that is comfortable, private, and where the quality of treatment is outstanding, Paradise Recovery is the place to be.

Great Alcohol Detox

Many people are afraid of alcohol detox because they are afraid of feeling sick and having all of the withdrawal symptoms that go along with it. Paradise Recovery, though, has a great alcohol detox program that is very easy on the body. They combine medications, really good food, and a new process called auricular acupuncture (which is optional if you want it) that makes your alcohol detox very comfortable. You are able to start participating in your treatment usually within a day. In other words, you start to feel "human" again very quickly. The transformation that people experience early on is truly amazing.

You can call them and get more information about alcohol detoxification. They have a toll-free number and they are located on a beautiful beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. What better place to get recovery both on the inside and the outside? Here is their number: 866-478-9898. If you make the call, you'll be happy that you did!

Kauai Addiction Treatment/Rehab

Finally there is one of the best drug rehabs and alcohol rehabs in the country able to cater to the residents of Kauai and all of the Hawaiian Islands. Paradise Recovery is an addiction treatment center that also treats the psychiatric conditions that also happen very commonly with addiction (co-occurring disorders or dual diagnosis).

Kauai residents now have a choice to get private addiction treatment with individualized care. Paradise Recovery can also do detox if that's what you need. But detox is only the beginning. Paradise Recovery will teach you how to live a new life. A life of sobriety. They have a HelpLine that you can call to get more information about the program. It is toll-free: 866-478-9898. They can also help you if you are looking for treatment for a loved one, but your loved one refuses to come in to treatment.

Best of luck to you and your search for sobriety. Hopefully, the search has now ended and you can start acting on a plan to get well.

Rules in Drug Rehab

The best drug rehabs and best alcohol rehabs have a structure within which the staff and clients go about their business of achieving recovery. Why are rules so important? Because rules are a major component of the structure. OK, so why is structure important?

Structure = Recovery. Got it? Structure is the essential foundation for building a lasting recovery. The rules, adherence to the rules, and enforcement of the rules promotes addiction recovery. Addiction loves chaos and confusion. Addiction hates structure and rules. The lack of rules and structure promotes chaos. Addiction loves that!! If you want to get well in rehab, there has to be a structure rooted in personal and house rules.

Rules and structure may seem a bit painful or bothersome at first glance. However, they are the foundation to your beginning journey on the road to addiction recovery. Call Paradise Recovery at 866-478-9898 to learn more about what it takes to get on the recovery path.

Attorneys and Addiction

Rates of addiction are particularly high with certain associated jobs. Attorneys, unfortunately, suffer from rates of addiction that are much higher than the national average. Addiction afflicts about 10% of all Americans, but the rate approaches 20% with attorneys.

I don't have that answer as to why there is a higher prevelance of addiction with attorneys. I could guess that people who go into law, medicine, and other "exacting" fields are generally Type A personalities. They have to be Type A in order to be great at their line of work. After all, would you want an attorney who did not pay attention to detail working on your case, or a careless surgeon operating on you? Of course not!

However, the character type that makes for successful attorneys, doctors, pilots, etc., probably comes at a price. Of course, attorneys tend to be difficult to treat. Why? For many of the same reasons that they are successful attorneys. You have to be willing to let go to some extent and trust in the expertise of others in order to begin to get well from addiction. This is quite challenging for many. Paradise Recovery is a drug rehab and alcohol rehab that has a lot of success treating attorneys. It takes a special group of people to understand and treat the unique needs that attorneys present. They have a HelpLine that can give you more information: 866-241-7463.

Independence Day

Here we are at the early days of July and, like the rest of the nation, we turn our eyes towards fireworks and flags, hot coals and park activities. All this celebration and it centers on freedom. An opportunity for all Americans to celebrate the vision of our founding fathers who knew that all people yearn to be free--out from under the yoke of tyranny, able to make their own decisions about their lives and beliefs, able to do what they want.

Statistically at least one in ten Americans suffers from a drug or alcohol problem. This is a population that has little reason to celebrate (although in all likelihood they will be taking the three day weekend as an opportunity to celebrate with a vengeance).

Alcoholism and addiction are the opposite of freedom. Once under the spell of substances, addicts lose any independence they might have had. Drugs and alcohol begin to shape their decisions. They no longer have the ability to direct their lives. They have to do what the substance wants them to do. Addiction becomes the tyrant, the substance king. The addict becomes the slave.

With treatment however, freedom is possible. If you or a loved one are enslaved by alcohol or drugs, know that support is available. Paradise recovery offers premier addiction treatment, we can help remove the yoke and begin a path with you towards true Independence. Please contact us at 1-866-478-9898

Drug Rehab Fees

If you are looking for a drug rehab or alcohol rehab, be sure to ask what is included in the fees. I know of people who were admitted to drug rehab programs in California, paid very substantial fees, and then were shocked to get a huge doctor bill after they discharged!

Many programs do not want you to know up front that a lot of their costs are not included in the price. They offer a price that you may think is all-inclusive but really it is not.

At Paradise Recovery, we give you an agreement that details exactly what is included in the price. Bills after discharge will not be "sprung" on you. All of the information is supplied ahead of time. With everything except the Akamai Track, the price includes the doctor visits, psychiatric evaluation and psychiatric follow-up costs.

It's just one more reason to choose Paradise Recovery.

Paradise Recovery I

Paradise Recovery is a licensed primary addiction treatment program in Hawaii. It is a private, highly effective treatment experience unlike any other addiction treatment program in Hawaii. In fact, Paradise Recovery is one of the finest drug rehab centers in the country. They offer a unique blend of holistic drug rehab programming which is expertly and seamlessly integrated into a highly effective rehab for drugs, alcohol and other addictions. The Paradise Recovery staff are wonderful!

Paradise Recovery is always able to help. They have a 24-hour HelpLine with a counselor standing by. They can make sure that you get the treatment that you or your loved one needs. Their toll-free number is 866-478-9898

Changing Everything

In some addiction circles, the adage has developed,"Recovery is easy, I just need to change everything about myself."

Seems strange to say, but it carries with it some truth. By everything (what needs to get changed), people think about what makes them an alcoholic or addict. And what makes a person an alcoholic or an addict is how they think, feel and act. So if a person truly wants to recover, they have to change how they think, feel, and act--that is they have to change everything.

The best rehabs focus on helping an addict take those initial steps in changing these areas. therapies are designed to assist the addict in better understanding their own emotional life and to develop those skills that will allow them to better manage their emotional displays. Group work is often dedicated to exposing to the addict the errors they may have in their thinking, defenses they've developed (like denial) that might make them think that their drinking is still okay. And recreational opportunities help the addict learn new and different behaviors that might help replace the old using standard.

Of course, a great deal of recovery focuses on developing or reestablishing a spiritual life as well. And to a large extent this is a shift in thinking, feeling, and doing as well. Connecting with a higher power involves a shift in thought processes, general feelings, and how we behave in displaying new faith patterns.

The best rehabs take a very holistic approach to recovery. It's true that the addict, to recover, has to change everything.

It can sound overwhelming. But it starts simply. Ask for some help. Make a single call. We're here at Paradise Recovery to help you begin these changes. And you can reach us at 1-866-478-9898.

Meditation and Recovery, Part 2

Many of those who are in the earliest stages of recovery have a horrible time simply slowing their thoughts; moreover they find that their addictive minds are constantly on the go. Addiction is at its core suggestive of discomfort with oneself--sitting still is difficult enough, and most addicts don't like the company they have when left alone with their own thoughts. despite this really solid and meaningful recovery has at its core the developed capacity to meditate with regularity. The reasons are multiple--some feel that by slowing we have more of an opportunity to identify our core selves, that deeper issues arise when we are still. Others feel the practice is part of the discipline of the twelve steps, a piece that brings us closer to God. Some find that the only reprieve they get from their overactive minds is through meditation.

Mindful breathing is one of the most basic forms of meditation and is easily accessible to the new practitioner. Hence it is one of the first taught to the newly sober.

But there are other forms that help slow one's experience. For example, once a week at Paradise Recovery, everyone sits together and experiences a silent meal. On occasion this is accompanied by some quiet background music. Rarely there is a CD of an AA speaker. But the clients are not supposed to speak to one another. the purpose is to experience Communion with one another in silence. To attend only to food being eaten

When is the last time you had a meal in silence? Have you ever? You might want to try it. Think, as you eat, only of the sensation of eating. Attend to the smells of the food, the sensation as each bite glides across the tongue as your mouth reduces it to a fine grade, as it descends your throat. If you can work to slow your experience, you may find that for a very short period, your thinking stops.

For the addict and alcoholic, these moments can be bliss.

If you are currently suffering from an addiction, please seek help for yourself (and all those around you). thinks can be better. You can be taught how to live a different life. You can achieve these moments of bliss.

Paradise Recovery is here to help. Call 1-866-478-9898.

Private Drug Rehab

Paradise Recovery offers private, oceanfront accommodations for those who seek recovery from drugs. The drug addict seeking recovery will find many benefits in the close, intimate setting at Paradise Recovery, located on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.

Hawaiians believe in the healing benefits of the ocean. They see it as a way to "cleanse" your body and spirit. Letting go of the "old" and making way for all that is new, which after all, is the essence of recovery. At Paradise Recovery, we welcome all to take part in the healing elements our islands provide so abundantly.

Not only are there benefits from the healing elements of the ocean, the fact that we are only an eight bed drug rehab, provides the drug addict seeking recovery with individualized attention and therapy. Allowing the drug addict to focus deeply into their particular core issues that have allowed the disease to continue to manifest in their lives.

These are only a couple of the benefits in choosing a private drug rehab. If you or a loved one needs help, don't get lost in the shuffle of larger rehabs...choose a private drug rehab, choose Paradise Recovery!

Please call our 24 hour HelpLine at 866-478-9898, we are here to help!

International Drug Rehab Treatment Program

Paradise Recovery is truly an international drug rehab located in an international destination location: Hawaii. Hawaii is the gateway from the East to the West. Likewise, Paradise Recovery uses an integrative, holistic approach to drug and alcohol treatment. We utilize a unique blend of Eastern and Western approaches in giving cutting-edge, best-practice addiction treatment.
There is only one Hawaii. And there is only one place like Paradise Recovery. Receive the best in addiction treatment with us. Our HelpLine operators are standing by: 001-714-925-9102.

Meditation and Recovery

On of the most difficult aspects of developing a program of long term sobriety is to develop a practice of meditation. Despite this meditation is integral to most addiction treatment and certainly to a meaningful 12-step program. The purpose of mediation is quite clear--the alcoholic/addict in early (and sustained recovery) has a tricky and ever active mind. The discipline of meditation (and it is a discipline)allows for the addict mind to be still, quiet, and contemplative. And it is this stillness that some relief can be obtained--perhaps some peace.

And what addict wants to know some sense of peace--isn't that what the galloping after a substance is all about?

Over the course of the last decades, a wide variety of meditation practices have become westernized and are readily available to those that seek. The most common method is to simply sit still and attend to one's breath. This form of mindfulness--focusing only on the air coming into one's lungs and then attending to each exhale is a simple method of centering one's attention, focusing one's mind, and increasing awareness of a simple bodily function.

If you're so inclined, try a few simple breaths right now. Go ahead, close your eyes and simply feel your breath. It's easy to start, but hard to sustain.

With practice, most can expand this practice to more than a few breaths, some can do it for minutes, even large portions of an hour.

At Paradise Recovery, we work to help the addict learn simple tools that can help them in recovery. Mindful breathing is simply one method of meditation we strive to impart to the newly sober. It's one way we try to help the undisciplined addict learn discipline

Watch here for further discussion of other methods.

A California Drug Rehab Alternative

California is famous for many things, including the Malibu-style drug rehabs and alcohol rehabs. Some are good, some are not so good. If you are looking for an alternative to the California rehabs, consider this: there is a drug, alcohol and addiction treatment program located in one of the most beautiful places on earth: beachfront Hawaii.

Not only is this program in Hawaii, it is one of the best drug and alcohol rehabs in the country. With a holistic, integrated treatment philosophy, Paradise Recovery offers an addiction treatment program that is highly private and individualized.

Hawaii has always been known as a spiritual, healing place. Experience the healing of addiction first-hand. Give us a call on our toll-free HelpLine. We can help.

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.

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

Resistance to Alcohol Rehab

For many practicing alcoholics, the last thing on their mind is going to alcohol rehab. The disease tells the alcoholic, "You don't need help! You're not the problem, they are!" They, meaning the significant other, co-worker, employer, children, parents, society, the list goes on and on.

After all who wants to go to alcohol rehab to admit that they are, through their drinking, the main source of the problem? Checking into an alcohol rehab is a BIG step, oftentimes, the hardest step to make. Humility and surrender are key components to recovery, one's that the disease of alcoholism is very resistant to.

Once that BIG step is taken, however, the transformation will begin. Recovery is an inside job and being admitted to an alcohol rehab will assist in healing from within.

At Paradise Recovery, we help the alcoholic in the transformation process to a healthier, spirited soul. Not only do we offer top-notch therapy, we also introduce you to an array of healing techniques, which include Yoga, Acupuncture, Qi Gong (Movement Therapy), Fitness Training, Meditation. We are the New Generation of Rehabs, combining traditional with new age techniques to be able to offer the best an alcohol rehab can offer.

If you or a loved one needs help, please contact us, Paradise Recovery on our 24 hour help line at
1-866-478-9898.

Resistance to Drug Rehab

For many practicing drug addicts, the last thing on their mind is going to drug rehab. The disease tells the drug addict, "You don't need help! You're not the problem, they are!" They, meaning the significant other, co-worker, employer, children, parents, society, the list goes on and on. After all who wants to go to drug rehab to admit that they are, through drugging, the main source of the problem? Checking into a drug rehab is a BIG step, oftentimes, the hardest step to make. Humility and surrender are key components to recovery, one's that the disease of drug addiction is very resistant to.Once that BIG step is taken, however, the transformation will begin. Recovery is an inside job and being admitted to a drug rehab will assist in healing from within. At Paradise Recovery, we help the drug addict in the transformation process to a healthier, spirited soul. Not only do we offer top-notch therapy, we also introduce you to an array of healing techniques, which include Yoga, Acupuncture, Qi Gong (Movement Therapy), Fitness Training, Meditation. We are the New Generation of Rehabs, combining traditional with new age techniques to be able to offer the best a drug rehab can offer.If you or a loved one needs help, please contact us on our 24 hour HelpLine at 1-866-478-9898.

What is Dual Diagnosis?

Dual Diagnosis refers to someone who has two or more "psychiatric" conditions at the same time. Generally, one diagnosis is addiction related, although it does not necessarily have to be so.

Why treatment of dual diagnosis is important as it relates to overall addiction treatment is that both conditions need to be treated concurrently. Common co-occuring conditions include depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

All of the recent studies show that you need treatment for both the addiction as well as the co-occuring diagnosis at the same time for your treatment to have the best chance of success. The best drug rehabs and best alcohol rehabs are able to correctly diagnose and treat dual diagnosis conditions effectively. Paradise Recovery's staff are adept at diagnosing and treating individuals with dual disorders. We are here for you.

John Neuhaus, M.D.

How to Get Help for an Addict

Probably the best way to help a loved one you know or suspect is suffering from addiction is to reach out. Don't try to help on your own! You need a coach. Someone who has been down this road before. Someone who already knows how to help.

Don't worry! You don't have to re-invent the wheel. Paradise Recovery is one of the best addiction treatment centers who offers a HelpLine for people who need advice on what to do next. You can call toll-free at 1-866-478-9898.

Addiction is a disease of isolation. Don't you feel like you are isolated when you try to help! Give them a call.

The Family and Alcohol or Drug Treatment

Getting a loved one into alcohol and drug rehabilitation can be the most difficult gesture of caring a loved one can do. In their addiction, the alcoholic/addict my be fully blind to the destruction their addictive behavior is wreaking on those around them. Family members often find that direct reasoning is insufficient if not entirely futile. Denial runs deep with he active drinker or drug user; and when approached they may very well turn on the messenger often with counter accusations and open hostility.

As a result, many wives and husbands, sons and daughters, fathers and mothers will look the other way and ignore the problem. They will allow the use to continue, joining with the addict in minimizing the reality they face. Many families work hard to adapt to the alcoholic, creating a family structure that looks as if it supports the drinking. Family members begin to adopt specified strategies that allow them to adapt to the admittedly crazy behavior of the alcoholic/addict. Family members can often begin to look crazy themselves.

For the alcoholic/addict to heal, the family must also heal with them. Beginning with the simple step of getting their loved one into a detoxification and alcohol rehabilitation center, family members can start to address those behaviors they have developed over the years of substance use. They can begin to mend the tattered relationships, heal past wounds, and reestablish the family on the sounder footing of sobriety and recover together.

Paradise Recovery, like other substance abuse rehabilitation centers, focuses a great deal time and attention on the family as a whole. Family therapy, family week, and directed visitation all serve to keep the family unit together as the healing continues. The adage indicates that it takes a village to raise a child. And sometimes it takes a family to heal an alcoholic/addict.

The Ways In Which Alcoholism Kills

Ever hear this expression: alcoholism is a chronic, progressive, and lethal disease. It's bandied about in addiction circles, drug rehab centers, and in 12-step meetings with great regularity. And it's entirely true.

Alcoholism is chronic: once diagnosed, once the disease is manifest, the alcoholic must spend the rest of his or her life managing the illness.

Alcoholism is progressive: an untreated alcoholic will continue to get worse and worse as time goes on. Even if he stops for a while, once an alcoholic begins drinking again, he will rapidly find himself worse off than when he stopped.

Alcoholism is lethal: eventually the disease will kill the alcoholic.

But the lethality of alcoholism can take many forms. The most obvious form is that of physical death. Alcoholism is a slow physical killer in most cases, however. Over time, the alcoholic finds his or her organs slowly atrophied and it can take decades before the body finally succumbs.

Along the way, there can be many other deaths. Alcoholism is known to kill off marriages. Alcohol has led to death of many careers. It murders dignity and self-respect. It can slaughter family relations. Alcoholism is so lethal, that eventually it will kill off everything you hold dear.

The saddest thing about these fatalities is that they need not occur. Proper alcoholism treatment is available. In a suitable drug rehab, this process of death can be halted.

Although alcoholism is a fatal disease, alcohol treatment can lead to a whole new life. Seek help if you think you have a problem. It will be a slow tortuous series of smaller deaths before the body eventually gives in. At Paradise Recovery, we are committed to helping all manner of addicted people halt the process of self-destruction and to live to their fullest potential.

Beating Up The Addict

It is the nature of addiction treatment that the addict must be forced to confront his or her true self in order to crack through th