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.

Alcohol and Drug Addiction: Issues of Self-Esteem

When a person struggles with chemical, alcohol or behavioral addictions, self worth often suffers and in a strange manner, it perpetuates the addictive process.

Self esteem means the appraised and felt "self worth" of an individual at any given time. We all suffer with periodic poor self-esteem. For example, when we lose a competition, or making mistakes that hurt others, etc. However, many people have fixed, chronic low self-worth.

In the early days, weeks and months of substance abuse the effect is euphoria, "top of the world". However, this is a false, delusional reality. You've done nothing to earn such a euphoria. That is the drug's allure! Later, when you cannot stop the addiction, you begin to realize how the drug, alcohol, sex, etc. has caused you tremendous personal, interpersonal, vocational and economic crises.

How to sustain a healthy self-worth? First, to understand you are vulnerable and permit others in to assist you. Later, you may be one of those people and help others. Once you gain your self-worth back you will feel no greater, no lesser than anyone. You are able to thrive...being FULLY ALIVE!

NO DRUG ADDICT OR ALCOHOLIC CAN TRULY ATTEST TO BEING FULLY ALIVE! If you, or someone is suffering with drug/alcohol addiction please call us at our 24/7 Call Center at (866) 478-9898 and speak with one of our recovery counselors.

Recuperatio Primoris,

Dr. Bill

Gratitude as a tool for recovery: Wisdom from the Rehab

Today, we often hear in recovery circles how we should develop an "attitude of gratitude". I wonder if many people know what that is, let alone putting it into practice on a daily basis to fight the spiritual ravages of addiction. Gratitude comes from the Latin grates, or habere, meaning to feel gratitude. When people think of gratitude, they think of thankfulness, or the response when you receive something of value from someone. However, it is much, much more.

Practicing gratitude is acknowledging that you are vulnerable and able to receive and be aware, intimately, of the person giving or exchanging with you. You may just have a thought of gratitude, while not receiving anything other than the overwhelming sense of gratitude for living, breathing, loving, etc. A person in this state most likely seeks what is good and right for themselves and others.

If you, or someone you love is struggling with an addiction. Please call our Call Center and speak with one of our recovery counselors at (866) 478-9898.

Primoris,
Dr. Bill Heran

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by the spark of another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. Albert Schweitzer

Drug Rehab in Hawaii: Rejuvenating in Paradise

When choosing a rehab for your alcohol, drug, sex, gambling, or any other addiction, you may want to look towards the tropical island chain in the Pacific...The Hawaiian Islands. Thousands of tourists come to the sun-drenched destination to replenish their hearts and souls! What a great place to receive treatment for addiction and emotional instability.

Stop the chaos and the insanity! Treatment has been proven to assist alcoholics and addicts with the sober time and space needed to return to their families and loved ones.

Paradise Recovery offers a private, best-practice, medically monitored 30-90 day program in Honolulu! We are the first private rehab of its kind in Hawaii. We have treated dozens of individual and their families, introducing them to the tools needed for sustained recovery. We focus on the individuals core issues, while offering excellent group therapies, family therapy and psychiatric consultations.

If you, or a loved one needs a private, high quality rehab in one of the best destinations in the world, then call one of our recovery counselors on our 24/7 HelpLine (866) 478-9898 and arrange for a consultation and admission to our facility.

Recuperatio Primoris!

Dr. Bill
CEO

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

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

Help for Alcoholics

The internet is abundant with self-help articles, recommendations, treatment groups, therapies, etc. for alcoholics and drug addicts.

The truth is, alcoholism and drug addiction are diseases of isolation. Human nature being what it is, we usually try to find the "easiest" solution to our problems. It would be great if we could just stop drinking on our own or if we could just read a book that would make us stop. Maybe there is a pill or something we could take that would make us stop.

Well, unfortunately, it is not that easy. However, there is help for alcoholics and drug addicts out there. Isolation is not the answer. Addiction treatment does work. If you are thinking about inpatient treatment (and you should be.... this is a deadly disease!), the best alcohol rehabs and drug rehabs are those that take a holistic approach to the treatment of the disease. That is to say, they take a treatment approach that hits the disease from multiple angles, but in a carefully coordinated and integrated way.

If you are looking for alcohol or drug treatment, just know that treatment works. It takes time and effort on your part. But it is well worth every single thing that you put into it.

The True Cure of Addiction

A rehab in Malibu, California, falsely advertises they have a "cure" for addiction. Their processes and interventions, most people would agree, are helpful and would aid someone with an authentic desire to stay clean and sober from addictions of any kind. However, their program does NOT offer a cure. I know this. I've treated individuals who have completed this particular program, and they were far from "cured!"

What is the cure from addiction? The cure, in my opinion, is your daily surrender that you are not in control of your addiction and when you relapse you and your life becomes chaotic and unmanageable. Ever heard that logic in the past? I hope so. It is the First Step of Alcoholics Anonymous. You don't have to subscribe to AA or NA to benefit from its wisdom.

To surrender, submit, make humble yourself and believe that if you do not drink, pop pills, snort, or shoot up today then you life will be less chaotic and more manageable. Now, for the addict that is a BIG STEP, since the drug of choice has "helped" them through some tough times. Believe me, I've been to too many funerals of addicts and alcoholics, including my 42 year-old brother's, to deny the effects of prolonged addictive behaviors.

What is the TRUE cure of addiction? Transformation. Addiction requires your full attention and wants nothing less than your total destruction and death (whatever that means and looks like in your life). In turn, recovery requires nothing less than your full attention towards health and recovery! So, there is a cure, but its not in some book or in some "passage" in Malibu.

If you, or someone you know is in need of quality private rehab services, then please call our 24-Hour HelpLine and speak with one of our recovery counselors today. Call (866) 478-9898 today!


Recuperatio Primoris!

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.

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.

Tropical Alcohol and Drug Rehab: Whats the importance of location when choosing a rehab?

When choosing a rehab for your recovery needs, there are dozens of high quality programs in the U.S. Some of these programs are located in cold, harsh climates with environments that resemble a hospital or institutional setting.

We at Paradise Recovery capture the importance of "location" and "environment" when designing our program here in Hawaii. Many of our clients have commented that our location has helped them tremendously in this early phase of treatment!Imagine if your environment was rejuvenating how that could affect your recovery in the early phases of your work. Often, at best we are ambivalent about changing our lives, but if the environment and location is ideal, then you may find yourself benefiting from the climate, floral smells, or the soft, feelings of "Aloha" in a tropical rehab setting.

Paradise offers a sun-drenched, tropical and comfortable environment. However, we also offer best-practice, medical and psychological interventions and support for you to move from an addictive state to a clean and sober life...being FULLY ALIVE!

If you, or anyone you love are experiencing struggle with addiction, please call our 24-Hour HelpLine at (866) 478-9898 and speak with one of our recovery counselors. Make sure you factor in location when you are choosing a rehab for your recovery needs.


Recuperatio Primoris!

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.

Oahu Drug Rehabilitation

There is a choice for people from the State of Hawaii who want to stay in the islands for holistic, private addiction treatment, including drugs and alcohol. Several years ago, the people of Hawaii had to turn to the mainland if they wanted private, quality help for alcoholics, drug rehab, or treatment for addiction of all types. This is no longer true. We have one of the best drug and alcohol rehabs in the entire country, located right here in our home state!

Give our HelpLine a call, today: 866-478-9898. We will help you get the help that you need.

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.

Maui Drug Rehab Center

There is a choice for people from the State of Hawaii who want to stay in the islands for holistic, private addiction treatment, including drugs and alcohol. Several years ago, the people of Hawaii had to turn to the mainland if they wanted private, quality help for alcoholics, drug rehab, or treatment for addiction of all types. This is no longer true. We have one of the best drug and alcohol rehabs in the entire country, located right here in our home state!

Give our HelpLine a call, today: 866-478-9898. We will help you get the help that you need.

Is Drug Rehab for me?

Allow me to ask, "do you want to save your life? Do you want to stop the suffering that your addiction has caused and begin to turn that suffering into joy?" If the answer is "yes" to either of those questions, then drug rehab or alcohol rehab is for you.

If you truly want recovery, going to one of the best drug treatment centers offers you a chance at recovery that no other level of treatment can provide. The integrated, holistic approach of the best drug or alcohol rehabs is going to be one of the keys to your success. You are the other key to success.

Make the call today for help.

Dual Diagnosis Treatment: Not to be Overlooked!

Dual diagnosis (co-occurring illness) is often overlooked in primary treatment. Dually diagnosed individuals, those who have both an addiction and a co-occurring psychiatric disorder, don't fit neatly in the "program" for most rehabs. That's because they use a cookie-cutter treatment approach that does not lend itself to looking at individual issues that are important in the treatment of that person.

Fact is, most people with addiction have significant issues besides their addiction. Many of them have a bona fide anxiety disorder, depression, or history of trauma that warrants specific treatment in conjunction with the addiction. To overlook the individual issues dooms the person to a much higher risk of relapse when they leave treatment.

The best drug rehabs and best alcohol rehabs treat the individual. This means treating the dually diagnosed as well. Trouble is, many programs say that they treat dual diagnosis, but in reality, they don't. The best way to see if a program is set up to treat dually diagnosed people is to first see if they say they do, then look at their staffing page. Is the staffing page filled mostly with therapists that have Master's level education and below? If so, they are not likely going to be a place that is going to have the skillset necessary to effectively diagnose and treat dual diagnosis. Look for programs that are more heavily weighted with PhD and MD level treatment providers. That's the best place to start.

"Physician, don't heal thyself" The impaired physician in treatment

In recent surveys, physicians are being asked about their colleagues and how they would respond if a physician they knew was addicted to alcohol or drugs and their judgment was impaired. Surprisingly, only 65% of the physicians responded said they would report a colleague to the state medical board or hospital administration.

No one wants to imagine that their physician's judgment may be impaired by drugs or alcohol. However, the disease of addiction cuts across all professions, ages, socio-economic classes, races, sexual identities and religious affiliations. Doctors have an advantage and a disadvantage, most people assume that their doctor is healthy and is not addicted to substances or processes. The socialization of physicians as "the elite" and their training experiences, do not lend itself to immediate acknowledgement of their disease and seeking help.

There are committees in each state medical boards that work with Doctors needing treatment and monitoring secondary to an addiction problem. A physician often is required by the board to seek treatment and begin a process of accountability. Their recovery is important not only for themselves, but for all the patients whose lives depend on their sound analytical skills and judgment. Of course, when you are in the throws of your addiction, most cognitive abilities are not performing well.

The physician needs to seek out a residential program that is both respectful to her or him and also provides the difficult challenge to get through the active phase of using and begin to practice recovery in a holistic and integrative manner. A physician should not be treated any differently than another addict, but their resistances and barriers may be different and may require certain therapeutic interventions to assist them in their early phase of recovery.

If you, or someone you know is struggling with addiction. Please call our 24-Hour HelpLine at (866) 478-9898 and speak with one of our recovery specialists.

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Author Unknown

Recuperatio Primoris,

Bill Heran, PhD

Alcoholism and Drug Addiction: Lessons Learned

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

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

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

Recuperatio Primoris! (Recovery above all else)

Dr. Bill Heran

Drug Rehab from the Inside Out?

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

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

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

The Importance of Place: Choosing the right Rehab

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Recuperatio Primoris,
Dr. Bill

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

Extreme vs. Restraint: The Path towards Addiction Recovery

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fight or Flight: Common Responses to Addiction Recovery

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

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

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

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

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

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

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