A Guaranteed Cure for Hangovers

I know you have searched for a remedy for your current hangover. A headache, disorientation, lethargy, etc. after some binge drinking the night before. I am not going to recommend some of the "short cuts" to getting through your hangover...something that you probably want at this time.

What I am recommending is a guaranteed way to cure any hangover - the answer is RECOVERY! Once you begin to use your own God given wisdom and realize that your life is out of control with the alcoholic binge, and you need help, then you are on your way to your hangover cure!

Medically, "veisalgia" (medical term for a hangover)there are many theories about what a hangover is and how it affects you. It is commonly agreed upon that is has something to do with your liver's response to a toxic or close to toxic levels of alcohol. Also, there is almost always dehydration and headache. All affects from over consumption of alcohol.

If you, or someone you love is struggling with the effects of alcohol in your body and more especially in your life, then please call us today at (866)478-9898 and speak to one of our recovery counselors for treatment options.

Recuperatio Primoris! (Recovery above all else)

Dr. Bill Heran

Private Rehab: The 10 Commandments

When choosing a rehab for your recovery services, you want to know what is the standard, so you can make your choice with an informed perspective. The following are a list of 10 key components that should be present in a quality rehab experience:

#1 Thou shalt be engaging with each potential client.
The quality rehab puts resources and high level staff up front in their call center. Each caller is a potential client. A client of either your rehab, or another rehab. We make sure you get the help you need. Hopefully with Paradise Recovery. If not, then with another quality facility.

#2 Thou shalt be respectful, yet frank with the client.
It is the responsibility of the rehab to inform you what they've found what works! You are not an expert in addiction recovery. They are. However, the staff should have a respectful and professional manner. For many clients it is a matter of life or death, so the work is critical. The message needs to be clear and consistent. Our message is: "Recuperatio Primoris (Recovery above all else)!"

#3 Thou shalt not be over accommodating.
When choosing a private rehab primarily whether the facility has a "private flat screen television" or "total use of your cell phone" or "days for shopping sprees" works against you and a sustainable recovery. All these things have NOTHING to do with your recovery. The quality rehabs know what their mission is: To help you transform from an addicted person to a person in recovery. They do this by providing you with a structured, practice-based environment with consistency. You can watch all the television shows, cell phone conversations and shopping sprees after you leave your treatment experience.

#4 Thou shalt offer quality individual recovery-focused psychotherapy.
Most addicts are dealing with not only the substance addiction, but also an emotional instability or even a major mental illness. Therefore, individual therapy is crucial to discover the family or origin issues, childhood traumas, personal belief systems, practice expression of feelings/emotions.

#5 Thou shalt not advertise non-scientific rates of success..
Some facilities are bold enough to say they have "the cure" of addiction. This is just not true. Be careful not to be sold a twenty-first century "hair growing tonic". Scientifically, there is NO cure for addiction. In fact, relapse is often inevitable, but the difference is how you manage the relapse makes all the difference.

#6 Thou shalt offer traditional and complimentary medical interventions.
Many facilities accept you for admission during the detox phase of recovery. It is critical that you are care for by medical professionals that monitor and intervene with the best supports possible to make your detox as comfortable as possible. Working with a registered dietican during this phase of your treatment is critical to provide the necessary vitamins and nurtrients needed to get you through the detox.

#7 Thou shalt not cater to laziness and sloth during the first ninety days of treatment.
Your primary treatment program (rehab) should be a rigorous, scheduled program filled with individual, group, family and community groups that attempt to transform you away from addiction and self-desctruction to a life of healthy, right ordered living. Choosing a program that permits you to be lazy and not work their program is not doing you any good. They're just taking your money.

#8 Thou shalt use the 12-Steps as a foundation and offer alternatives to those needing another path towards recovery.
It has been proven time and time again that the 12-Steps and 12-Traditions of AA have worked for millions of women and men for over 50 years. Of course, some people, for ligitimate reasons, do not wish to engage in the 12-Steps. However, a program needs to assess WHY the person is not willing to engage in a process that has proven to work. If they insist, then other options are open to them: Christian-based/Scripture recovery, Intensive therapies (individual, group and family) along with acupuncture, neurofeedback, EMDR, etc.

#9 Thou shalt work on an optimal aftercare and monitoring program after discharge from the program.
It has been said, that a program is only as good as its aftercare approach. A quality program understands they cannot sustain your recovery without establishing the scaffolding needed for you to rest upon during moments of relapse. Monitoring is seens as an optimal way for an individual to stay clean and sober after they complete at least 60 days of primary treatment and have a sponsor to call in difficult times.

#10 Thou shalt have follow-up contact with the client after they complete the program.
The therapist making contact with you after you leave the program is an important offering. You have done good work with this therapist and hopefully, if you completed the program, have established a healthy relationship (maybe for the first time in your life) with someone. That they call you reguarly for up to one year, is critical in maintaining that trust and hopefully a sustained recovery from alcohol, drugs or whatvever your addiction may have been.

These commandments are designed to assist you when choosing your private rehab. Paradise Recovery obeys all the above commandments and subscribes to best-practice principles with each and every client that comes through our beachfront home in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Call us today and speak with one of our recovery counselors at (866) 478-9898 24-hours a day.
Recuperratio Primoris!

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

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

The Addicted Brain: Breaking free and training your Brain to Coherence and Recovery

We know from recent nuclear medical technology, that addiction clearly changes the brain and is often resistent to reverse. PET Scans, FMRIs, Neuro- and Biofeedback have shown how the brain responds to toxic substances, or even "toxic", addictive behavioral patterns in our personalities.

When you choose a high quality rehab today, you need to ask them if they pay attention to any diagnositc interventions that offer detailed evidence as to how your particular brain may have been responding to your addiction(s). After a thorough assessment, the clinician usually begins a series of sessions that attempt to train the brain away from cravings and towards more coherence and increased functionality in the key centers of your brain.

Clients at Paradise Recovery have testified to the efficacy of the treatments. It not only identifies areas that may be under-functioning, but also assists with higher levels of performance, which many of our clients desire in their high performing jobs and career choices.

The brain’s reward system (Harvard Medical School Newsletter)

Addictive drugs provide a shortcut to the brain’s reward system by flooding the nucleus accumbens with dopamine (the neurotransmitter focusing on pleasure). The hippocampus lays down memories of this rapid sense of satisfaction, and the amygdala creates a conditioned response to certain stimuli. Stressors or something associated with substance use can trip the mental machinery of relapse.

Without the substance, you can see how detox and treatment needs to begin to reward the brain with non-toxic substances, and practice healthy ways to affect pleasure and manage pain without drugs, alcohol or other self-destructive, mood altering substances and behaviors.

If you or someone you know is addicted to a substance or behavior, you should call our 24- Hour HelpLine at (866) 478-9898 today! We have a trained recovery counselor waiting to assist you and your loved ones.

Recuperatio Primoris! (Recovery above all else)

Dr. Bill

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

Crystal Meth and Gay Men: Can't stop Tina?

Crystal Methamphetamine, or "ICE," or "Tina" still remains a significant problem in the gay community. A quick search on Amazon.com will show you the number of books written on the topic. The immediate, intense effect on apparent self-esteem and sexual performance makes the drug immensely popular among gay men who are emotionally struggling with an affirming relations with sexually and non-sexually intimate others. Crystal Meth is a treatable addiction and admitting to a holistic drug rehab could assist you with detox and addiction treatment!

Cystal meth is a stimulant drug that makes the Kama Sutra look like an issue of National Geographic! Those who use crystal meth and their partners, report an intense, exotic experience and have a hard time returning to non-meth sex!

Some reporters have spoke about the connection between crystal meth and a collective "community of grief" in the era of AIDS and the losses that most of us had to endure and continue to endure. The drug is a synthetic way of feeling great for a while. However, you become a slave to the drug as it eats away the intelligent network of your brain and other staggering physical destruction secondary to the drug. Also, it terribly alters your mental status and the meth addict often engages in non-safe sexual behaviors and becomes careless about their careers and loved ones.

A most recent case is the international correspondent for CNN, Richard Qwest, who was found in NYC's Central Park with crystal meth and in a public sexual exhibition. He is currently in treatment and we wish him well. It shows you the power of the drug and the disease of addiction.

There is a treatment for crystal meth addiction...its called RECOVERY! Many clients have come to our facility, gay men who were addicted to crystal meth and often had co-morbid diagnoses of sex addiction and HIV. Crystal meth is often used with other addictive substances including: alcohol, marijuana, heroin, etc.

If you, or a loved one has an addictive problem, please call our 24-Hour HelpLine at (866) 478-9898 and speak with one of our counselors.

Recuperatio Primoris! (Recovery above all else!)

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.