Emotional Reasoning

Often feelings regarding substance abuse are disconnected from the facts. While one may FEEL like "everyone is mad at me for drinking" there are people in your life who are not mad at you. These people want to see you get help. Even the people who are "mad" at you want to see you get help! Help can be in the form of 12 step meetings such as Alcoholics Anonymous and residential rehabilitation treatment. Thinking that others are going to treat you a certain way, based on your emotions at the time, is called emotional reasoning. You may actually be basing how you imagine people are thinking about you due to thoughts that you are having about yourself! For example, you may think that people are mad at you for your drinking when, in fact, it is you who is mad at yourself for your drinking. It may have nothing to do with how other people personally view you. In any case, you need to get help. There is help for alcoholics out there that is life-changing.

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.

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!

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.

Private Rehab: What should you expect and not expect

Choosing a private rehab for your alcohol and drug addiction recovery needs is a smart choice. However, there are considerations you should be aware of prior to and upon admission to the program.

1) Be aware of spa programs: Being in early recovery, there is so much to learn and so much to purge in order to move forward with a recovery that is sustaining. To integrate massage, acupuncture, movement therapy, aroma therapy, etc. into your treatment is recommended for a holistic program attending to a mind, body, spirit approach. The program should offer several individual psychotherapy per week, family/loved ones sessions, traditional and complimentary medical staff, and relapse prevention training. These critical services are a MUST, in conjunction with spa services.

2) Be aware of a penitential model: Some programs have a heavy emphasis on being punitive and punishing their clients. Often these programs have "gurus" who have answers for all your recovery needs. You have punished yourself way too much, you don't need someone allegedly in recovery, playing power games with you and pretending to know you and what your needs are in a matter of days. The staff at the private rehab should respect you and attempt to approach your issues with a solution-focus, resiliency approach.

3) Be aware of "The Cure" model: The current scientific literature on addiction is clear that there is no cure for addictions of any kind. However, we have many strategies on managing our illness. We have medications, self-help groups, personal transformation, spiritual support, physical fitness and improved self-esteem is all aids in sustaining a recovery and managing your lifelong illness. Some programs will tell you they have a "cure" with unscientific research findings. Some would say, its unethical.

Overall, you need to interview key staff prior to admitting to a private rehab. If key staff (clinical director, program manager, etc.) are not available to you, then you may want to move on to another program. There are many choices...choose the right one for you!

If you, or a loved one needs rehab services, please contact one of our recovery counselors on our 24 Hour HelpLine at (866) 478-9898.

Always direct your thoughts to those truths that will give you confidence, hope, joy, love, thanksgiving, and turn away your mind from those that inspire you with fear, sadness, depression.
- Bertrand Wilbertforce

Recuperatio Primoris!

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.

Addiction not a personal failure

I read an article recently about a high profile religious figure who admitted he was an alcoholic and sought treatment in a 28-day rehab. He stated, "I've known I had a drinking problem for years, but just felt that I didn't have enough will power to stop myself. I saw it as a personal failure!"

Many people, until they admit they have an addiction, make their addiction a personal battle within themselves. This struggle is lonely, full of conflicts, and is most of all a losing battle! Addiction is complicated, with many core issues, needing professional and peer support to achieve success and sustained recovery. It is not a personal failure, but a disease that requires medical attention. Many diseases have stigmas: AIDS, Cancer, STDs, etc. Addiction is a disease with social stigma. We need not play into the stigma. Instead, seek help and manage the condition with persistence and courage.

Confronting your addiction and adopting an attitude of personal responsibility is the first step in fighting this progressive and deadly disease. Admitting you are an alcoholic, drug addict, sex addict, etc. will hopefully motivate you to seek the help necessary to stop the insanity of conflicts, lies and self-destruction. Making this disease your own and plowing through the issues that help to maintain your addiction will make all the difference. This is NOT failure!

To proceed in this personal battle will only reap self-hatred, loathing and possibly death! The failure would be neglecting the avenues of help in the community for you to address this disease affecting your life and the life of your loved ones. The failure would be doing nothing to stop the progression of this disease and participate in your own death.

Therefore, addiction is not the failure. The choice not to act and remain in denial and distorted in the addiction is the failure. If you, or a loved one has an addiction and needs help, please call our 24-hour HelpLine at (866) 478-9898 today!

Life is difficult. It is a great truth because once we truly see this, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult – once we truly understand and accept it – then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.

M. Scott Peck, M.D., The Road Less Traveled

Binge Drinking: Current Thinking

The definition of binge drinking has shifted in recent years. The previous understanding of binge drinking was high consumption of alcohol over at least a 2-day period. Today, the length of time is not the primary factor, it is the likelihood of high-risk and harm to self or others involved during or after the binge.

The length and amount of the consumption is still considered, but since alcohol tolerance is different in each individual, the focus on related impairment and harm is a smarter way to define "binge drinking". Of course, the beverage industry argues that the threshold for binge consumption should be much higher than medical professionals suggest.

Binge drinking is usually associated with late adolescents or college students. In fact, millions of adult alcoholics binge drink to a point that it is harmful and often engage in high-risk behaviors (e.g. driving while intoxicated, fights, inappropriate and unsafe sexual encounters, gambling, etc.).

The attraction to binge drinking for the alcoholic is similar to the opiate addict who takes several vicodin, more than usual, to achieve a more potent high. However, just like taking more drugs, drinking intense amounts of alcohol will put you in a state where you are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors and certainly harming your body and maybe harming the loved ones around you as well.

If you feel you have a binge drinking problem, please see an addiction specialist today! You can call our HelpLine at (866) 478-9898 to speak with a counselor.

Recuperatio Primoris!

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.

Drug Treatment Centers are not all the same

Private drug or alcohol treatment centers vary vastly in what they offer, treatment philosophy, and treatment milieu. Many centers simply are not private. They are private pay, but there is nothing private about being in a large facility with 100 other people! Those that truly are private, such as Paradise Recovery and some of the treatment programs in Malibu can vary in treatment philosophy.

Sometimes you can tell a little bit about the treatment philosophy by looking at the staffing page. Look at the staff's credentials. Does the program believe in holistic treatment? Part of doing a holistic program means looking at individual core issues that have served to either trigger the addiction or continue to foster it. These issues, given enough time, need to be treated! Make sure that the staffing of the program is equipped from an educational perspective to navigate those delicate waters.

Not all addiction treatment centers are the same. Choose the one that offers you what you really want. If you want privacy, a holistic approach with high level staffing, individualized care, and a beautiful, healing location, there are very few choices out there!

Getting sober in Hawaii

There is no better place to get sober. Hawaii has an intangible spiritual and healing environment that is difficult to describe. You feel it when you get here. I don't know if it is the blue Pacific waters, the lush green mountains, or the purest air and natural water in the world. Something about these Islands is very special. Maybe it's the people. Hawaii is known for its mature recovery community. There are a lot of people active in recovery here in the Islands. They take their recovery to heart and are great people to help you along the way.

No other place on earth can compare with the beauty, spirit and power of healing that Hawaii has to offer. That's why this is the best place on earth to have a drug rehab center. Addiction treatment is a difficult process that is made so much easier when the forces of nature are behind you. Not to mention a lot of beautiful people who are on your side.

Enjoy Paradise.

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.

Addiction Recovery: The Wounded Healer!

Many times when an addict or alcoholic has maintained significant time in recovery, they have strong desires to help others, particularly other alcoholics and addicts hurting. This is a very strong and often effective phenomenon that has touched the lives of many recovering addicts and alcoholics. In an executive drug treatment program or alcohol treatment program, you will find that many of the staff have been personally touched by addiction.

The wounded healer is someone who uses her or his painful life experiences as tools to assist people in need. Often the person in recovery can immediately relate to the suffering of another addict or alcoholic and provide strength and hope through their experiences. Most of the famous healers throughout history were men and women who suffered first, then transformed their suffering into strength to not only help themselves, but others as well.

The smart wounded healer knows when she or he needs to refer to a professional. We need to emphasize the "healing" that needs to take place. We cannot permit our woundedness to direct our actions, it is our experience of healing and strength that acts as support and guidance for the person in need.

Let us all work on our woundedness, so we can become better healers for those of us in need of help and recovery! Together we can make a better and healthier humanity!

Happy Easter from Paradise Recovery!

Recuperatio Primoris,
Dr. Bill Heran

Happy "sober" St. Paddy's Day!

We often associate two words with the March 17th remembrance of the death of a 5th century Roman Catholic missionary to Ireland: green and drunk! We know that green is a symbol of spring and new life, but why drunkenness? I guess we've made alcohol, or more specifically, green beer, a part of St. Patrick's day celebrations for a very long time. Tipping one too many has become as Irish as a four leaf clover or the blarney stone!
So, how can a person in recovery avoid alcohol or any addictive substance on this day where so many people are indulging? The answer: People, Places and Things! First, it's wise to surround yourself with PEOPLE who can celebrate without alcohol or drugs. Yes, it does happen! You will find that hanging out with friends and family who do not drink will help you to stay sober today. If you have no family or friends that don't drink, then get thyself to an AA meeting. This is the PLACE. You can find a meeting in your hometown by searching: www.alcoholics-anonymous.org. There you'll find others who will be emphasizing the "green" association with St. Patrick. The green of spring, of new life...of recovery!
So, what are the THINGS? I often define "things" as what inspires you. For example, instead of a glass pipe, or a cocktail glass..why not try a book, a treadmill at the gym, or even a gift for your spouse or child. The things we surround ourselves with affect our character, hence the way we are in the world.
Thank you for reading our daily Blog at Paradise Recovery! We wish you and yours a very Happy St. Patrick's Day. I want to end with one of my favorite Irish Blessings:

Wishing you a rainbow for sunlight after showers, miles and miles of Irish smiles,for golden happy hours, shamrocks at your doorway for luck and laughter too, and a host of friends that never ends, each day your whole life through!

Have a cup of green tea today in celebration of St. Patrick's Day...believe me, you'll thank me tomorrow!

Recuperatio Primoris,

Dr. Bill Heran