Private Addiction Treatment

Private addiction treatment is important to many people. One of the reasons is the quality of care. Imagine the difference in care when you go to a rehab that has 100+ beds versus going to a private drug rehab or alcohol rehab that has 8 beds. Often, in larger facilities the greatest emphasis is on group work. Group work is important. But what about the individual issues that you have? Or what about things that are too sensitive for you to share in a group setting? This is one of the reasons why it is important to have a combination of both individual and group work for your addiction treatment.

Another reason is that studies are showing improved results for people who get treated for both their addiction and other issues that may be contributing to their addiction (such as depression, anxiety, trauma, etc). That is called dual diagnosis. How are you going to address your anxiety in a group setting? Very difficult without individual work!

Take care when selecting a drug rehab or alcohol rehab. It is well-worth looking into a more private setting for yourself where your therapy is going to be more individualized.

Rehab Centers in Hawaii

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

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

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.

Calming the Waters: The importance of a stable mood in addiction recovery

Have you ever been on a small boat away from shore during a storm? The tides and strength of the ocean is overwhelming and scary. You know there is a force much stronger than you and the boat. You're unsure if you'll be able to manage the boat into safety. Sometimes dealing with emotional instability can feel very similar.

Many people who suffer with mood disorders such as: major depression, anxiety, mania, bi-polar illness, severe irritability, etc. often will describe a life that is not their own. They feel hopeless and helpless in their efforts to bring control and calm into their chaotic and painful emotional worlds. Often, women and men dealing with strong emotional pulls and tugs will try alcohol, drugs, sex and other forms of addition to suppress or alter the emotional state that is causing them stress and discomfort.

When treating an alcohol or drug addiction, a major task of the treatment team is to treat the mood disorder from many different perspectives and disciplines. Often a person needs: a psychiatric evaluation, psychological testing, dietary assessment, physical fitness evaluation, family and spiritual histories. Some of the more effective treatments are: medication, diet changes, exercise, meditation practice and much more. It takes your full attention to manage and change a mood disorder that is complicated by an addiction issue.

Without a stable mood for any significant period of time, it makes recovery almost impossible! The cognitive and learned behaviors associated with the mood issue often makes sobriety a less effective option. The alcohol and/or drugs will be immediately gratifying and will lure you into thinking it is helping you with your problem.

Read the weather reports and know your nautical mapping before you go on your next boating trip! Making significant and conscious transformations are required to attend to these life-threatening illnesses.

If you or someone you love is suffering from a mood disorder and addiction, please call us today on our 24-Hour HelpLine at (866) 478-9898 and speak with one of our trained recovery counselors.

Recuperatio Primoris,
Dr. Bill

"After half a century in psychiatric practice, I know without a doubt that the source of addiction is spiritual deficiency. Irrespective of whether we are religious or atheist, all human beings are spiritual by nature and spirituality is the cornerstone of our recovery.” Abraham Twerski, M.D.

Double Trouble: A few considerations when treating Dual Diagnosis

When an addict is struggling with a mental illness (e.g. Major Depressive Disorder, Anxiety, PTSD, psychosis, schizophrenia) and a co-morbid addiction disease process, we call this DUAL DIAGNOSIS. Only a small percentage of treatment centers are designed to treat persons with dual diagnosis. It presents a challenge for programs that believe you need to treat the addiction before you treat the mental illness.

When you focus on the addiction treatment the mental illness reminds you its around, and when you only focus on the mental illness, the addiction feels "neglected and alone" and will remind you that it is a force working against health and recovery. Both are considered detox and causes insanity and death!

Recovery requires full attention on both: the mental illness and the addiction disease. A person cannot be full alive when their mental illness is not stable. The same applies with addiction: you are not in recovery when you are continuing to use and further create insanity and chaos in your life and the lives around you.

If you or a loved one has a dual diagnosis, call our 24-Hour HelpLine at (866) 478-9898 and speak with one of our recovery counselors. Don't delay...both of these diseases require your full attention today!

Recuperatio Primoris,
Dr. Bill

"Personal transformation can and does have global effects. As we go, so goes the world, for the world is us. The revolution that will save the world is ultimately a personal one" Marianne Williamson

Dual Diagnosis. The importance of Treatment

Dual Diagnosis, also known as co-occurring disorders, is usually referred to mean a combination of an addiction and some other psychological difficulty. Most commonly, the things that occur along with addiction are anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder and various personality disorders.

In order to have the best chance of success against addiction, the co-occurring illness needs to be treated as well. This means that you need individualized treatment in order to correctly diagnose and treat the co-occurring illness. Group treatment alone is not going to cut it. You will need a comprehensive psychiatric assessment along with intensive individual therapy by a skilled therapist in order to have success in recovery.

Be thankful that there are a few places that are skilled at recognizing and treating dual diagnosis. You will be happy that you chose one for your drug rehab or alcohol rehab needs.

What is Dual Diagnosis?

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

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

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

John Neuhaus, M.D.

Double Trouble: Treating the Dually Diagnosed in Rehab

More often than not, people suffering from an addiction will have co-occuring emotional stress (depression, anxiety, panic, etc.). It is hard to determine whether the emotional difficulty, or the addiction comes first. They certainly influence each other and acts as a risk factor for the addiction and the mental illness.

It used to be thought that a person could not receive psychotropic medications and be treated for mental illness and be considered "sober". Today, most clinicians and community leaders in recovery understand the need to treat the mental illness and they take medications as prescribed.

More and more AA and NA meetings are welcoming of people who are recovering from both an addiction and mental illness without judgment. The stigma that comes along with both an addiction and mental illness can seem extremely challenging for anyone seeking help. One way to diminish the fear is to connect with a professional who treats both addictions and mental illness. To locate meetings in the community that welcome dually-diagnosed folks.

Above all, keep the recovery lens focused on health and rejuvenation! The struggle is lifelong and the rewards of recovery and emotional stability are great!


Recuperatio Primoris!

Executive Rehab: Where the Individual Counts

Many of the less private rehabs offer treatment that is almost solely group based. What this means is there is no consideration given to the individual. What about your individual core issues that are feeding your addiction? What about your family and their support or lack of support? What about your dual diagnosis, depression, anxiety, trauma history, etc, etc.

You see, private addiction treatment should not be undertaken in a cookie-cutter fashion. Sadly, though, most drug rehabs and alcohol rehabs do exactly that.... cookie cutter. The current research does not support ignoring all of the things about you and your addiction that make you unique. Therefore, your treatment needs to be unique. Of course, some aspects of addiction treatment are the same for everyone. Addiction is a disease that is not unique and many addicts carry on with their addiction in a very non-unique way. However, for everything that is non-unique about addiction, there is an equal number of things that are unique about you and your addiction! Therefore, addiction treatment must strike a balance between treating the unique individual and treating the non-unique disease.

To treat one without the other just does not make sense. That is just a part of any great holistic drug or alcohol treatment program.

When Choosing an Executive-Style Rehab: A Few Considerations

When shopping for an executive-style treatment rehab center for your alcohol and drug addiction, you want want to consider a few significant factors

1) Does the program offer individual therapy?

In recent years, the literature and specifically, the HBO Special Presentation, Addiction, speak about the importance of treating addictive behaviors, as well as, the underlying issues helping to maintain the addiction. Many programs still only offer group therapy as their ONLY mode of therapy. You can gain skills from group therapy, there is no question, but the individual therapy offers another set of experiences that can assist you in a long lasting recovery!

It is recommended that a rehab client see their individual therapist (a licensed therapist) at least three times per week during primary treatment.

2) Does the program offer an aftercare program?

Practically speaking, when you are investing the amount of time and money in alcohol and drug rehab work, it is equally important that the program offer continuing contact after you leave them. An effective addiction counselor would be most interested how a client is doing once they are away from the protective environment of the rehab, back home in their day-to-day routine. Programs may offer different style programs, but there should be at least a one-year aftercare program offered.

3) Does the program offer attention to a dual diagnosis?

Most clients entering drug rehab or alcohol rehab have significant mental health issues. If you are experiencing depression, anxiety, panic, suicidal thoughts, rage, psychosis you need a program that can offer you the psychiatric attention that these conditions require. You can treat both conditions at the same time, with the possible exception of a psychotic episode. If you have any affective disorder, you should be able to be treated in a rehab while attending to your recovery needs.

4) Are there considerations that include multiple ways to recovery?

Some programs are strictly a 12-Step approach, other programs are strictly non 12-Step designed. You want to make sure that the "philosophical bias" of the program is not fixed and strict. You need to work with a professional addiction treatment team, and with them decide your way towards recovery. Be careful of programs that proselytize and push an agenda outside health. Don't waste your energy fighting it!

These are just some considerations when shopping for a rehab and hoping for a good match for a most important and needed investment you are planning to make towards your future and your family's future.

Holistic Drug Rehab. What does it mean?

Better said, what should it mean? A holistic rehab experience, whether it is for drugs, alcohol, sexual addiction, or gambling addiction means that the treatment approach looks at the mind, body and spirit.

Mind, body, and spirit is a sometimes overused phrase that actually does not fully encompass the meaning of holistic treatment. "Mind" actually has two components that need to be addressed. One is the psychological aspect of the addiction. The individual core issues. Also, the behavior of addiction. Yes, addiction is a behavior, as well as a disease, as well as a way of thinking. "Mind" also should address psychiatric issues such as depression and anxiety that often accompany addiction. Left untreated, the risk of relapse is much higher. Plus, who wants to go around with a depressive disorder or anxiety disorder? Both conditions, and many others, are highly treatable. "Body" issues refer to the healing and return to health of the body. Taking care of yourself again! Even before that, though, is learning to take care of yourself. Many people don't know how to properly care for themselves. Now you will learn! Healthy diet, exercise, regular sleep, structure, treating ignored health conditions, etc. "Spirit" is a deeper sense of nurturance that occurs through many different avenues. "Spirit" can be found in the ocean, the wind, the land. Spirit may be found through re-connecting with a religious affiliation or re-connecting with whomever is your higher power. Meditation, yoga, and movement therapy can all help you re-connect with the spirit again.

Mind-body-spirit are not totally separate entities, as you might guess. They are all three connected and intertwined with one another. Balance is key. Balance is one of the keys to a successful holistic addiction rehab experience.

Drug Rehabs that say Addiction is not a Disease

As a medical doctor, it bugs me when I read or hear about drug rehab programs that teach "addiction is not a disease".

Clearly, if you look at addiction through a scientific lens, there is no refuting that addiction IS a disease. First, what is the definition of "disease"? One definition is that a disease can be a hereditary condition that causes major illness or impairment. Let's compare addiction to heart disease. Have you ever gone into the doctor's office and filled out a new patient form? It will invariably ask if anyone in your family has had heart disease. Why do they ask that? Is your doctor just being nosey?? I don't think so. You are being asked that because heart disease is what's called a heritable condition. Your doctor needs to know that information because family history is a risk factor for developing heart disease. Does this mean that you will, for sure, develop heart disease just because some of your relatives had heart disease? No, of course not. But it creates a situation in which you are more predisposed to develop heart disease, especially if you have other risk factors (smoking, overweight, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc). The more risk factors you have, the more likely you are to develop the "disease".

Addiction is not all that much different from heart disease. It is also a disease that runs in families. It can be quite disabling. And, it requires treatment. If your mom, dad, brothers, sisters or grandparents suffered from addiction, you have a higher chance of developing addiction yourself. You are predisposed to developing addiction because of heredity. Some people may be more highly susceptible to the throws of addiction than others. Addiction may also be subject to risk factors such as repeated exposure to drugs or alcohol, childhood trauma, depression, anxiety, stress, etc.

So, now there is no question. Addiction is a heritable condition that causes major impairment or disability. Hence, it is a disease.

Now, I must say that there is some good that comes out of the mind-set of saying that addiction is not a disease. Well, let's say "half-good". The half that is good is that it forces you to look at underlying causes behind the addiction. That is to say, underlying core issues that have further predisposed you to develop the disease of addiction. Thus, in the treatment of addiction, one does not totally focus on the disease process. That is only half of the story. The other half focuses on the behind the scenes stuff that precipitated the addiction in the first place. Maybe it was repeated trauma in childhood or a major depressive illness. In any case, it is just as important to look at the reasons behind the addiction as the disease itself.

So now you can see, the viewpoints that addiction is a disease and it is caused by underlying issues can peacefully co-exist. Most importantly, they should be treated simultaneously. That is the focus of the cutting edge addiction studies currently. And guess what? The best success is seen when both the disease process and the core issues are treated concurrently.
Surprised? Not me!

John Neuhaus, M.D.
Paradise Recovery