How to Overcome Addiction

Overcoming addiction. That's what everyone wants to know, right? Well, first of all, you need help. There is help for alcoholics. There is help for drug addiction. You can't do it by yourself. Overcoming addiction is not done by cutting back or limiting use. Surprisingly, it is not overcome just by stopping drinking or using drugs!

The answer to overcoming addiction can be complicated at times (the help of a top drug rehab or alcohol rehab can get you going on the right path), but it essentially boils down to this:

Make Recovery your Numero Uno Priority! That means that nothing else is more important than your own personal recovery. I don't care if your house is on fire, recovery has to be the number one priority. After all, let's say your house is on fire, if you are falling down drunk or stoned out of your mind, you are not going to be helpful putting out the fire. In fact you might find yourself on fire in addition to your house!

The point is this: if recovery is always your number one priority above everything else, you are well on your way to a new and much better life. There is a terrific private drug and alcohol rehab program called Paradise Recovery, located in Hawaii, that can teach you exactly how to make recovery the number one priority in your life. Are you ready for change? Give them a call: 866-478-9898.

How can I Stop Drinking?

The reason that you are asking the question, most likely, is because you have not been able to stop drinking alcohol by yourself. But therein the question, lies the answer. You can't stop drinking. You are trying to control your drinking. Trying to cut back. Limit the number of days that you drink, or maybe the time: "I won't drink before 8pm or after 11pm". "I won't drink on Mondays through Thursdays.

These are all the "control" types of questions that most people with an alcohol addiction go through on their way to finally realizing that they can't stop drinking. Once you stop asking, "how can I stop drinking?" and realize "I can't stop drinking on my own", then you are ready for help. Many times, a person will go into an alcohol rehab as one step in which they are reaching out for help.

To stop drinking alcohol when you are an alcoholic requires more than the cessation of putting a glass or bottle of alcohol to your lips. It is a much, much more than that. It requires a transformative change of your person. Your way of thinking, the lens through which you view the world and yourself, your interactions with people, your leisure activities, all must be revamped. In this case, change is not a negative thing. It ends up being extraordinarily positive and allows you to really start living again. That's a big difference from just not taking a drink anymore!

The best alcohol rehabs can get you started on the path of starting your life anew. They do this by helping you positively transform yourself, both on the inside and on the outside. Find a top alcohol rehab program now to begin your transformation.

Thinking Errors

Loss of sobriety can often be linked to Cognitive Distortions which are also called thinking errors. A cognition is a thought. A distortion is a misrepresentation of an object, situation, or thought. For example, when you stand in front of a mirror in a fun house it reflects a distorted image of yourself. A Cognitive Distortion, or think error, is also a distorted reflection of a situation.
"All or Nothing" thinking is a Cognitive Distortion. An example is when some says: "I am always late" when they arrive after the start time of their work schdeule. They may be late occassionally they may be late frequently; but, it is doubtful they are late every day and still have a job.
Recognizing thinking errors is often part of the treatment for addiction in the best alcohol rehabs and the best drug rehabs.

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.

Gay and alcoholic: Beauty and the Beast

The gay communtiy struggles with significant alcohol and drug abuse. The allure of a gay club is strong. The need to look, and more importantly, to "feel" a certain way in the clubs are extremely common. In comes alcohol! Alcohol looks attractive at 8 pm, but have you ever seen a drunken queen at last call? It's not pretty!Alcohol is a depressant drug that also works on social inhibitions. Taken in moderation, alcohol is not necessarily an abuse drug. The combination of alcohol and alcoholic however is necessarily abusive and could even be deadly!

The following are signs to watch for when you ask yourself whether you are an alcoholic:

1) Cravings - A strong need, or urge to drink. For example, drinking BEFORE you head out to the clubs.

2) Loss of control - Not able to stop drinking once you start. You often say to yourself "this is my last one --- NOT!"

3) Physical Dependence - Withdrawal symptoms (e.g. sweating, nausea, vomiting, tremors, and experiencing anxiety, or elevated fears, after drinking binge

4) Tolerance - The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol to gain the same "buzz".

5) Problems related to drinking - losing a job, a relationship, friends, physical health, etc.

The alcohol industry has for too long exploited the problem of alcoholism in the gay community. The gay community needs to back gay-affirming rehabs and treatment cetners to help all of us affected by drugs and alcohol. If you, your partner, or a loved one is experiencing some of the above symptoms of alcoholism, please call our recovery counselors at (866) 478-9898. We offer an extrememly effective alcohol detox program and treatment. Don't hesitate, call today!

Recuperatio Primoris! (Recovery above all else!)

Fun In Recovery

Some folk have a difficult time getting into recovery because of their concerns that "I don't know if I can have fun in recovery." Strange thought but not totally foreign. After all, when addicts first start using and drinkers first start drinking, the alcohol or drug feels good. It's fun to get stoned, baked, high, or drunk. And part of the denial in addiction is to hold on to the idea that fun can only be had when using.

It's largely not until later, when the physical pain begins, when the losses occur, when the finances are threatened, when family members are distraught, when jobs are lost, when friends disappear, when the arrests lead to incarceration, that the addict or alcoholic experiences the consequences of use and the fun stops.

But still even after all this, the addict continues to feel, "I can't have fun if I'm sober.

But recovery is fun. Ask anyone in recovery. Friendships formed in recovery lead to a great deal of joy and laughter. Previous activities take on the same gleam of positivity they had when first tried. The world takes on a polish and shine that has been missing, or at least clouded over by use.

This is not to say that recovery is easy. It's not. But it can be fun. It should be fun. And you won't know this unless you try.

Denial in the Family

If denial is a hallmark of the disease of addiction of the addict, it's presence in those around the addict or alcoholic is of marked interest. It seems that a little understanding of psychology is necessary to understand how someone who is drinking during the work day or spending the rent money on cocaine or ignoring their children might, out of pure self-defense, turn a blind eye to their addictive and self-destructive behavior. But for those around the addict to ignore the suffering and self-destruction, it seems more difficult to grasp.

After all, if any of us had a family member who developed a sore on their leg that they seemed oblivious to, wouldn't we at some point take them aside and say "You seem unaware, but there's this cut on your leg you might want to tend to." And if this same cut became infected and swollen and red, wouldn't we, in great haste, point it out? And if the limb attached began to blacken with gangrene and emit the odor of decay, and the person attached to the limb remained unaware, wouldn't we do anything in our power to make it clear to them that they need treatment?

This is not always the case with alcoholism and addiction. Family members living in the same household with a person dying in front of them seem incapable to act in any meaningful way to save their loved one. Not because the love is not there; not because they wish the addict's demise; and not because they're stupid. It's because of denial, this shared blind spot that has grown in relation to the disease process.

When the drinking first starts, the family thinks "oh, it's not really too bad." And as the drinking continues, families change in their perception of what defines "too bad" so that it's not until the disease is fully out of control (until the limb is blackened and putrid and horrid) that some families get the strength to speak up.

Recovery is possible of course, even in the worst and most life threatening cases. But recovery is never limited to the addict alone. The family will need to examine its own views on addiction and alcoholism. The best drug treatment centers make this a natural part of their program. So that if relapse occurs, it can be arrested by those around the addict before the sore gets fully infected.

The Emotional Life of the Newly Sober

Individuals new to sobriety often find their early days in alcohol and addiction treatment centers marked by significant swings in experienced emotions. Early in rehab, the alcoholic/addict may be plagued by a variety of uncomfortable and challenging feelings that can overwhelm their ability to cope. This is certainly not surprising given that most folks in drug rehab are experiencing for the first time release from the anesthetizing effects of their drug of choice, be it alcohol, cocaine, heroin, or whatever.

Early in recovery, as the mind re-awakens, the newly sober may find themselves gripped with marked anxiety, a tremendous sense of fear--sometimes about the things that have occurred in the past, sometimes of the consequences of their use, sometimes of an uncertain future. And sometimes they experience marked fear for no identifiable reason. In many instances, underlying anxiety disorders, undiagnosed and self-medicated for years surface to trouble the alcoholic/addict.

For others, early sobriety can lead to the re-emergence of painful memories of trauma in childhood which can spill out in the form of deep and penetrating sadness, hostile and aggressive feelings of anger, or inordinate shame. And as is regularly discussed in alcoholics anonymous meetings and associated literature, newly sober alcoholic/addicts in the early stages of recovery are particularly prone to resentment--the sense of focussed and bitter anger based on perceived past slights or harms that can lead directly to relapse.

Not all emotions in the newly sober are negative. Frequently in the early days of alcohol and drug rehabilitation and treatment, the alcoholic/addict experiences tremendous feeling of joy. They often describe a "pink cloud' or feeling of prolonged euphoria that can serve to reinforce new found sobriety.

With time, continued treatment, a recovery based lifestyle and supportive environment, the alcoholic addict can develop those skills that allows him/her to modulate his/her emotions, to achieve a sense of balance to his/her internal affective life, and to find appropriate releases when emotions pass individual "critical levels". Even after years of chemical numbing, the alcoholic/addict can redevelop the capacity to feel.

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.

Recovery from Drug Addiction and Alcohol Addiction

There are many ways people seek treatment for drug addiction and alcohol addiction. Many seek treatment through drug rehabs and alcohol rehabs, while others may find it helps working with their Psychologist, Psychiatrist or Doctor. Still others may find relief through spirituality or religion to relieve them of their drug abuse and alcohol abuse. All are great ways to get started on your road to recovery. When combined with the knowledge of being powerless over drug addiction and alcohol addiction, as taken from Step One in Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, you then have an even greater chance of sustained recovery.

Step One -

We admitted that we were powerless over our alcohol addiction and/or drug addiction, that our lives had become unmanageable.

The First Step is the start of the recovery process...the freedom from drug addiction and alcohol addiction starts with Step One.

What Feels Good Until It Doesn't

One of the major risks for alcohol/addicts in early recovery is the tendency towards substitution. Once the addict is able to acknowledge that they have a problem and enter into addiction treatment, they can, with effort learn the strategies that may allow them to remain abstinent. And with proper addiction treatment and natural supports, many alcoholics and addicts are able to stop the use that was destroying their lives. Of course the most blatant aspects of the disease can be arrested: the drinker can stop drinking, the cocaine smoker can stop smoking, the iv heroin user can stop using.

But simply stopping the use of the a particular substance is not necessarily complete sobriety. The addicted mind has the uncanny ability to shift its focus. Obviously the first shift would be between different substances. The alcoholic after an ultimatum from his boss, may move over to the use of marijuana. Hard drug users may find themselves shifting to alcohol after a particular scare, say an overdose. Many addicts come into addiction treatment with multiple addictions.

Many addicts discover that their addicted selves remain troubled even after they've stopped using. The addictive mind doesn't simply turn off once the addict stops using. Instead, addicts in recovery often discover that the behavior patterns associated with addiction remain intact. Even in recovery after drug rehab, alcoholic/addicts can find themselves stuck in destructive behavioral cycles. Their addictions shift. They find themselves engaged in unhealthy but obsessive relationships. They begin to buy unnecessary things and credit card bills begin to pile up. They turn to promiscuity, placing their physical bodies at risk. They find themselves eating . . .and eating . . and eating.

The addicted person suffers from a tendency towards excess. In everything. The alcoholic/addict is a creature of excess, not simply in the use of substances, but in behaviors that in moderation are quite healthy and normative. Take, for example, the alcoholic who once sober begins a fanatical work schedule, putting in 12 - 14 hour days. Or the cocaine addict who begins to spend 4 - 5 hours at the gym each evening. Without full and comprehensive addiction treatment, the addict will continue to maintain addictive patterns Many will habitually use whatever feels good to excess. It seems to be the very nature of the disease. This feels good, I think I'll do it until it kills me. Regardless of what the IT is.

Thankfully, with addiction rehabilitation, this process can be halted, the disease arrested. The alcoholic addict can learn some semblance of moderation. With proper alcohol detoxification and drug rehab, sanity and balance can be obtained.

The Disease that says it's Not a Disease

One of the most curious phenomena of people in need of alcohol or drug rehabilitation is the defense of denial. Denial serves to prevent the sufferer from fully comprehending the extent to which their alcoholism or drug dependence is affecting their physical health, their relationships, their employment, their entire lives. Despite lives that are falling apart or in disrepair, alcoholics and drug abusers are notorious at their ability to turn a blind eye to reality, to what is actually happening. They suffer from a disease that can actually say to them, "You're not really sick. This is all to be expected. You don't need addiction treatment." Alcoholics and drug addicts are uniquely able to trick themselves into thinking they don't need addiction treatment or drug rehabilitation. Despite the deadly consequences of this thinking. When people are diagnosed with cancer, they often will actively seek to find an appropriate treatment. The light goes on quickly and they jump into pursuit of saving their own lives.

Not so with alcohol rehab and drug rehab. Alcoholics and addicts often do the exact opposite--they go to great ends to avoid treatment, to avoid taking the medicine that will save their lives.

The problem is very real. The need for treatment quite obvious. Curious that the patient is the last to recognize this.

Making treatment your own!

Entering an addiction rehab center is, well, a sobering experience! You will experience a number of emotions as you go through the experience. It is not easy. But it can be life-saving!

Drug rehab or alcohol rehab is a highly personal experience. At least it should be. There are many elements that brought you down the road that you are on. Those elements, some healthy, some not, are uniquely your own. That's why the treatment you should receive is going to be individualized according to your individual needs.

Keep in mind, you are unique. The disease of addiction, however, is not unique. The treatment, therefore, is a delicate balance between treating the non-unique disease with the unique issues that you brought with you. You will not be asked to just "go through the motions" of treatment. You will not be a passive participant in your own treatment. You are going to be an active participant in making the addiction treatment experience your own. This will require a lot of hard work on your part, but with the proper guidance, it will all be very much worth it.

Drug Rehab Success

In our experience, the most successful drug rehab experiences have one thing in common: Recuperatio Primoris.

What the heck does that mean? Dr. Bill is always using that phrase.... and for good reason! Recuperatio Primoris means to put recovery first. Recovery above all else! Your life now needs to be centered around your recovery. As soon as other things in life begin to take priority over recovery, relapses are going to happen. It is simply a matter of time at that point.

So, there you have it. The number one key to a successful drug rehab experience is making recovery the number one priority. And keeping it that way!! Don't let anything or anyone else stand in your way of recovery.

Sounds simple, right?


John Neuhaus, M.D.

"Pharm Parties".... prescription drugs and college students

The Wall Street Journal reported this morning on a trendy but disturbing phenomenon called "Pharm Parties" at college campuses across the U.S. Instead of the traditional "kegger" (or in addition to the keg of beer), the students b.y.o.p. (bring your own pharmaceuticals) to the party and mix them in a big bowl and eat them like candy. Tragically, it is not surprising that there has been an increase in fatal unintentional overdoses recently that is 4 to 5 times that of what was seen in the black tar heroin epidemic of the 1970's!

There has been an alarming increase in narcotic drug use among college students of late. The annual prevelance of narcotic drug use among college students now stands at 8.8% according to the University of Michigan study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Specifically, the annual prevelance of OxyContin use doubled to 3%; the use of Vicodin rose to 7.6%.

What makes these drugs so available? Teens and young adults may be prescribed pain killers at one time or another and have saved them up. Mom and Dad's medicine cabinet or from a friend are other sources. Narcotics are much more widely available, in part, due to the soaring rates at which narcotics have been prescribed. Online pharmacies have sprung up by the thousands and offer additional impersonal access to narcotics.

Not only do you not know what you are taking when you reach into a bowl of narcotics, but people generally don't realize how addictive these pharmaceuticals can be. Repeated use by students, in particular those who may already have a genetic predisposition to addiction, can quickly lead to addiction.

What to watch for if you suspect something with a friend or with your child? Obviously, disappearing medications from the home medicine cabinet. A quickly disappearing bank account or going through money unusually quickly. A drop in grades, loss of interest in activities that used to interest them, a change in friends, unusual mood swings, lying behaviors, stealing, and personality changes.

If your friend or family member is suffering from any of these behavior changes, it is important to get help for them. Addiction and other mood disorders are very common and can have lethal consequences if they are not treated. Best to go with your gut instinct and err on the side of getting an evaluation with a mental health professional than doing nothing and risk losing a loved one.

John Neuhaus, M.D.

How do I know if I am an alcoholic?

That is a good question. In fact, most doctors will not pick up a diagnosis of alcoholism in their patients, despite all of their medical training! There are a number of signs and symptoms associated with alcoholism and many different types of tests that can be done.

Without getting too complicated, here is a very simple 4 question test called the CAGE Questionnaire that is fairly good at picking up if you have an alcohol problem. The CAGE (C-A-G-E is an acronym) questionnaire was developed by Dr. John Ewing in 1970, founding director of the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Even though it was developed a long time ago, CAGE is still one of the best internationally used assessment instruments for identifying problems with alcohol. Here is the test.... just answer yes or no to the following 4 questions:

1. Have you ever felt you should Cut down on your drinking?
2. Have people Annoyed you by criticising your drinking?
3. Have you ever felt bad or Guilty about your drinking?
4. Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady
nerves or get rid of a hangover (Eye-opener)?

If you answered "yes" to two or more of these four questions, it is very likely that you are a problem drinker.

One of the most important questions that a counselor can ask when assessing whether a person has an alcohol problem, is "how has the use of alcohol impacted your life?" If alcohol has had a negative overall impact on you as a person, some soul-searching must be done, regardless of how you scored on the CAGE.

John Neuhaus, M.D.

Strike while the iron is hot...call a rehab today!

The decision to enter into a drug rehab and begin the all important work of recovery is fearful for most people! Aloha and thank you for taking the time to read our daily blog at Paradise Recovery. We often here from our HelpLine operator that people will desperately need help and describing an all too familiar story about personal and interpersonal tragedy and how addiction has destroyed all that is important in their lives.

However, a percentage of the callers will then want to "schedule" their rehab until a later day...one, two or even three months in the future. Why do you think this is not helpful? Well, just so you know, all, yes I said ALL, of these callers do not end up in rehab at the time they desired. The misunderstanding that attacking this disease of addiction is like scheduling a spa appointment is a gross underestimation of the control that the disease has over you.

The First of the Twelve Steps say, "We admit we are powerless over our addiction and our lives have become unmanageable." To deny this, is to hand over the power to the disease and in many cases, ending in death!

If you, or someone you know needs help, then please respond to your intuition and make the call immediately, or arrange for help and act quickly. Our experience is when you act quickly, you have a greater chance for transformation, hence a sustaining recovery from drugs and alcohol or any other type of addiction! In "taking control" over getting help, you are "surrendering" to the recovery process away from a life of addiction.


Recuperatio Primoris,

Dr. Bill Heran

Welcome to Paradise Recovery

We are a licensed, private drug & alcohol rehab center providing addiction recovery and health rejuvenation on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. We treat all kinds of addictions with effective traditional and complimentary interventions supporting you with the insight and strategies for a sustained recovery. We accept individuals with co-occurring depression, anxiety, traumatic loss and other stressful emotional difficulties making life hard to manage. Additionally, we offer effective and specialized staff and programming to treat: Attorneys & Judges, Clergy, Physicians, persons with sexual addictions and disordered eating.
Designed with exclusivity and privacy in mind, anyone requiring a strictly confidential environment and treatment experience will find Paradise Recovery a dream come true. Unlike other treatment programs, we believe in customized, high quality care that addresses all aspects of an individual's need for a transformative and sustained recovery to achieve a life that is prosperous and flourishing!