Easy Ways to Stop Drinking Alcohol

If you are looking for easy ways to stop drinking, it indicates that you have a problem. If you didn't have a problem, stopping drinking would be easy and you would not have to hunt for "easy" ways out of the problem.

If you can't easily stop drinking on your own, then there are ways in which you will be able to stop as well as get yourself into recovery. Even though there are solutions, they are not easy. Like most things, they take work. The first thing to recognize is that you need help. You can't do it on your own. You have already tried to control your drinking. That's what everyone tries at first. It didn't work. The best help is going to be found in a top alcohol rehab program. The best alcohol rehab programs are going to help jump start your recovery and put you on the right path. They can also do alcohol detox, so you don't have to worry about dangerous or uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms.

Most things worth having take work. Addiction recovery is one of the most valuable things you could ever have. Be willing to put in some hard work in order to get it.

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.

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!

Alcohol Detox in Rehab

There are several different types of alcohol detox that you will encounter as you are looking for an alcohol rehab program. They can be classified into several categories:

1. None
2. Almost none
3. Medically supervised detox

Let's start with the first. The vast majority of alcohol and drug rehabs do not offer detox, period. You have to go off site to another center which is most likely a hospital-like, cold environment for your detox. However, this is generally a safe option if the detox center is good.

The second category is "almost none". I refer to social detox centers as "almost none". That's where the center says "sure, we offer detox", but in reality the detox is mostly in the form of encouragement and support from others who survived the experience. There is no medication given which would ensure your safe detox from alcohol. (Some people die from alcohol detox. It is one of the most dangerous detoxifications out there). This is not a safe form of alcohol detox and is not at all recommended. In this category I also place alcohol rehab centers where medications are used for alcohol withdrawal but on an extremely conservative basis. Hopefully the detox is medically monitored, so you would presume it is safe. However, you have to be in extremely rough shape in order to receive medication to make you more comfortable. So, you go through the detox feeling extremely ill, tremulous, and miserable.

The third category is that of alcohol rehab programs who offer alcohol detoxification which is medically monitored and provided in residence. Staff are trained to measure your alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Medications are given to slow the withdrawal, so that it is much more comfortable and safe for you. You are able to do some treatment work often times during the detox period. The psychiatrist and internist work closely with the staff to provide a detox protocol that meets your safety and comfort needs.

Take the time to find the alcohol rehab and alcohol detox program that is best-suited for you. You might just save yourself a lot of misery by chosing wisely.

Alcohol Detox - Careful Considerations

Did you know that alcohol detox (detoxification) can be one of the potentially deadliest detox's that you can undergo? It is certainly much more dangerous than even herion. Alcohol detox and benzodiazepine detox are the particular detox's that require careful monitoring and expertise.

Alcohol detox is not something that you want to undertake on your own. It is dangerous in the wrong hands. I can not over-emphasize this. The detox requires particular medications and monitoring of vital signs that are overseen by a qualified physician. The great care is taken in order to prevent the occurance of a syndrome called D.T.'s or delerium tremens. It is fatal a large percentage of the time when it is untreated. The hallmark of D.T.'s is seizures, but the worst outcome is death.

Don't try to detox off of alcohol or benzodiazepines on your own. It is far too dangerous to do so. Seek proper treatment, preferably with an alcohol rehab center that offers a medical alcohol detox.

John Neuhaus, M.D.

Eastern medical treatments for Addiction

East meets West. Or is it the other way around? There is research showing that acupuncture could help cocaine addicts to quit, as reported by Reuters. According to a Yale University study, more than half of the cocaine addicts participating in the research tested free of cocaine at the end of acupuncture treatment, more than double the quitting rate of a control group. In this particular study, addicts were treated with acupuncture needles in their ears five days a week for eight weeks.

"Our study supports the use of acupuncture for cocaine addiction and shows that alternative therapies can be combined with the arsenal of Western treatments for fighting addiction," said Arthur Margolin, a Yale psychiatrist and principal investigator. Margolin said this was the first study of its kind, so additional research is needed.

Part of a holistic approach to addiction treatment involves a multi-pronged attack against the disease of addiction. That's what the best drug rehabs and best alcohol rehabs offer.

Auricular acupuncture has been shown to be beneficial in alcohol detox as well. I suspect that as more and more Eastern medicine practices are studied in a "western" scientific way, that we will find out that many Eastern practices are effective in ways that we had never imagined. The East has known it for thousands of years. We're a little slower.

Nutritional Problems in Alcoholism

Alcoholism or heavy alcohol consumption causes a constellation of physical problems for the alcoholic. I am going to address some of these problems in a general way right now. Later, I will address some of the more specific body systems that are altered and damaged due to the alcohol.

Alcoholics that are admitted to alcohol rehab are often surprised to hear of the high percentage of daily calories they are getting from their alcohol use. Sometimes, a person is consuming 70-80% of their calories through alcohol consumption! Obviously, alcohol is not like consuming V-8. It is not a very nutritious drink! It is generally what nutritionists call "empty calories", devoid of protein, vitamins, and minerals.

So one way that the alcoholic becomes nutritionally deficient is by consuming less calories through nutritious food and more empty calories through alcohol. That's the easy part to understand. As you look deeper, you see that alcohol damages the lining of the small intestine and stomach. These damaged cells can not absorb nutrients as well. Next, alcohol inhibits the breakdown of nutrients by decreasing the secretion of important digestive enzymes from the pancreas. So, even when the alcoholic is eating good food, they are less able to absorb the nutrients from it.

One of the nutritional deficiencies that occurs is with a B-complex vitamin called Folic Acid (Folate). As folate levels decrease, it alters further the cells of the small intestine such that even less folate can be absorbed along with other nutrients.

As you can see, one facet of alcohol addiction treatment and alcohol detox involves a nutritional re-feeding and vitamin supplementation. Any good holistic addiction treatment program will address nutritional deficiencies seen in alcoholism with a good dietary evaluation and treatment plan. There will be much more detailed information to follow in future posts!

John Neuhaus, M.D.

The Joys of Alcohol Detox

We once had a gentleman that called who had made a recent trip to the emergency room, hoping to get detox'ed off of alcohol. He had had enough. It was time to finally get help and get his life back on track.

The helpful treatment providers in the emergency room told him to go home and just sweat it out, cold turkey, so to speak.

The real turkeys were the "treatment providers" in the emergency room. They failed to recognize someone in need with a disease that was ripe for treatment. They had a chance to make a difference, possibly save a life. However, addiction is a disease that is often looked on as a problem of individual weakness, not a disease at all. Don't get me started on this. It's another blog topic!

The other disservice they did was that alcohol should not be stopped cold turkey. It is dangerous to do so. A percentage of people who stop alcohol cold turkey will develop delerium tremens (DT's). DT's are fatal about a third of the time if it is not treated. Basically, your body goes into a hyper-autonomic state in which your blood pressure and heart rate skyrockets. You can begin hallucinating. The hallmark symptom is the development of seizures.

With proper medical alcohol detoxification with the appropriate medications, not only does the alcohol detox proceed safely, but you are much more comfortable as well. There is no need to suffer through a horrible detox. It is not a time for punishment. Alcohol treatment is hard enough without adding to your suffering, believe me.

Remember, addiction is not a disease that you can just "will" away. Alcohol detox is just the first step in the treatment process. There is much more work ahead!

John Neuhaus, M.D.

The Many Faces of Addiction

The definition for addiction:

"The state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma."

The word addiction embodies so many different habits that can be formed, sometimes they can be minimal, where a particular habit doesn't interfere with any aspect of your life, other times the habit may consume you to the degree where it affects one or more aspects of your life.

There is an array of addictions that are out there, some of which are:

1. Sex Addiction
2. Cocaine Addiction
3. Heroin Addiction
4. Alcohol Addiction or Alcoholism
5. Opiate Addiction
6. Vicodin Addiction
7. Benzodiazapene Addiction

If any of the above have become a habit and have affected one or more aspects of your life, and you feel that stopping it may cause severe trauma in your life, you may want to seek out a treatment center or rehab that specializes in the different forms of addictions out there.

Preferably a treament center or rehab that offers a detox program. Whether it be cocaine detox, opiate detox, vicodin detox, alcohol detox, heroin detox, benzodiazapene detox, or a combination of any above. At Paradise Recovery we offer detox for all of the above, in our medically monitored detox program.

If you or a loved one needs help for drug addiction or alcoholism, there is help out there!

Blessings to you...

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 Natural Order of Things

One can't live on the planet without observing some of the standard overarching laws by which everything must exist. Some very basic principles guide the planet and it's ability to sustain life: gravity, for example. If the planet wasn't stuck in it's orbit, there might be no life. If the planet didn't exert it's own gravity, everything would float off. The simple physics of gravity keeps us bound to the earth--it's the natural order. An inescapable truth.

Yet we have found over the last century that we can overcome gravity. We can launch massive barrels of steel into the air, filled with thousands of tons of equipment and humans, and bring it all down on the other side of the globe. We can thrust building sized rockets into outer space, and hold building sized spacecraft in orbit around our planet.

Of course this takes a monumental effort. But the natural order of some things can be surmounted.

The natural order for the alcoholic/addict is as clear as the law of gravity. The natural state--the most comfortable state of being--for the alcoholic/addict is to be using, high, or drunk. Anything else for someone suffering from untreated alcoholism or drug addiction is an unnatural state. Strange as this may sound, it is a truth; until the disease is arrested or the person dies, an alcoholic/addict must use and will.

But just as with the law of gravity, this natural order can be overcome. Alcohol treatment and drug treatment is available, support can be found. The diseases of alcoholism and addiction can be arrested. The person need not die.

We can fly massive planes. We can launch and construct space stations. And with the right kind of effort, with appropriate detoxification, with alcohol and drug rehabilitation, with caring and nurturing support, the natural order can be reversed.

What we might consider Trading so we can Continue Using

Raymond Carver, author, poet and alcoholic, concluded the poem "Luck" with the lines: "years later, I still wanted to trade friends, lovers, starry skies for a house where no one was home, no one coming back and all I could drink."

Prior to entering into alcohol rehab or drug rehab, alcoholics and addicts are gripped by a disease that, in nearly all cases, will rob the sufferer of all they hold dear. Those active in their addiction will indeed trade nearly everything in order to be able to maintain their use, in order to stay high. Addicts and alcoholics are able to ignore the financial hardship, the pain to their friends and families, even their physical deterioration as long as doing so allows them to continue to drink and drug. The trade off never seems quite balanced, never quite fair.

Entering into recovery begins with detoxification from substances. Once the physical body is clean and clear of unnatural toxins, the mind can also begin to clear. Real rehabilitation means taking into account what the alcoholic/addict has been willing to give up in order to maintain the addictive lifestyle. With sober eyes, the alcoholic/addict can take realistic stock of what they've been willing to trade. Examination of what's been lost can be a real motivator towards change.

. . and years later, with continued recovery, sober alcoholic/addicts can begin to trade up . . .towards fulfilling and meaningful lives.

Alcohol Rehab Made Simple

The start of a good alcohol rehab experience always begins with a medical detox that is comfortable and safe. Actually, alcohol detox and benzodiazepine detox (things like Xanax, Valium, etc) are very similar. Since stopping alcohol or benzos "cold turkey" can be dangerous, or even fatal, a safe detox is in order.

Alcohol rehab may not be so simple because even after the detox, you are highly likely to be affected by a syndrome called PAWS (post-acute withdrawal syndrome). I will talk about this more in a future post. Basically, PAWS makes you feel out of sorts, you are unable to think as clearly as normal, you are moody, have trouble remembering things, and many other symptoms. PAWS can last for months, but usualy the first 30-45 days is the worst part. This is another reason why it is good to be in a structured environment with a daily routine and the support of professional people around you. That is the kind of support that a best drug and alcohol rehab will offer.

You need to be able to think clearly and make good decisions in order to be successful with your alcohol rehab. Obviously, this can take time due to the natural syndrome of PAWS that develops as your brain and body works on physically healing itself. Give yourself some time. Be patient. When recovery comes above all else, there is no reason to rush it.

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.