1. Does the program accept your insurance? If not, will they work with you on a payment plan or find other means of support for you?
2. Is the program run by state-accredited, licensed and/or trained professionals?
3. Is the facility clean, organized and well run?
4. Does the program encompass the full range of needs of the individual (medical: including infectious diseases; psychological: including co-occurring mental illness; social; vocational; legal; etc.)?
5. Does the treatment program also address sexual orientation and physical disabilities as well as provide age, gender and culturally appropriate treatment services?
6. Is long-term aftercare support and/or guidance encouraged, provided and maintained?
7. Is there ongoing assessment of an individual’s treatment plan to ensure it meets changing needs?
8. Does the program employ strategies to engage and keep individuals in longer-term treatment, increasing the likelihood of success?
9. Does the program offer counseling (individual or group) and other behavioral therapies to enhance the individual’s ability to function in the family/community?
10. Does the program offer medication as part of the treatment regimen, if appropriate?
11. Is there ongoing monitoring of possible relapse to help guide patients back to abstinence?

These are all questions the government’s substance abuse gurus suggest that you ask. Hawaii Island Recovery in Kona, Hawaii fills the bill for all of them. For instance, does the treatment center offer a medically supervised detoxification program? Hawaii Island Recovery features access to a detox facility to help those withdrawing from alcohol and drugs. The program enables you to detox in a relatively pain-free and comfortable environment. The medical staff can prescribe medicines to ease the withdrawal experience. The idea is to get you in shape emotionally and physically so you can easily fit into a residential addiction recovery setting. Ask for a schedule of activities for a typical week at their facilities. Hawaii Island Recovery offers a balanced program of individual and group therapy, lectures, education sessions, support groups and healthy recreational alternatives. There also are frequent medical and psychological assessments performed by professionals, and counseling sessions with clinicians and caseworkers. Ask to see testimonials from former residents. While no treatment center will show you letters from dissatisfied clients, they should have a stack of letters or e-mails from appreciative former participants. And find out how much importance they place on long-term recovery. Aftercare programs are crucial to the success of everyone who enters treatment. At Hawaii Island Recovery, the aftercare regimen includes regularly scheduled meetings with peers, 12-step meetings, family integrations, help with employment and school enrollment, progress and accountability reviews, and organized sober activities with alumni members. For more information or to get answers to your own questions about residential treatment, call Michael Larroque at Hawaii Island Recovery at 866-906-6911.

Big Island Recovery Bed Room

The most obvious sign is your personal appearance and your surroundings. When people have fallen into alcoholism or drug addiction, getting the drink or the drug becomes the most important thing in their lives. It’s more important than food, sleep, school, work, relationships, family members or any other number of responsibilities that go with daily life. Recognizing you need drug rehab may start with a look in the mirror. Again, it’s typically others who will recognize when you need drug rehab before you do. Alcoholism and drug addiction carry the major symptom of denial, which makes it difficult to see how much the drink or the drug is taking over your life. Loss of interest in normal activities and hobbies, falling off in school or work performance, changing your friends (lower companions), changes in appetite and appearance all indicate a personality change brought on by alcohol or drug addiction.
What to Do When You Recognize a Need for Drug Rehab
Whether it’s you or someone you love who needs drug rehab, the most important thing you can do is pick up the phone and call drug rehab centers for information on how to get help. Don’t wait until it gets worse because you never know when the next drink or hit will be the last one. For most people struggling with addiction, drug rehab is a scary thought. It means giving up the drug and learning how to cope without it. Talking to an intake coordinator at a drug rehab center can help guide you on the right path to getting help. They are trained to help break through the denial that often gets in the way of recognizing a need for drug rehab. Research a variety of drug rehabs and choose the one that is right for you. The most important thing you can do for yourself and those you love is to admit you need drug rehab, and take the help that’s offered. Contact Michael Larroque at Hawaii Island Recovery at 866-906-6911. to get answers to your own questions about residential treatment.

Big Island Recovery Beach

The effects of alcohol addiction range across all aspects of the individuals life. The main effect is the individual drinking alcohol in overabundance at times that they should not thereby causing damage to themselves and possibly others. Some of the potential effects of alcohol addiction include but are not limited to the following: Physical effects: cirrhosis of the liver, pancreatitis, alcoholic dementia, heart disease, nutritional deficiencies, sexual dysfunction, and death from many sources. Social effects: Marital conflict and divorce, social alienation because of behavior. Economic Effects: loss of employment, financial problems such as loss of living quarters, poor judgment, Legal Consequences: charges for drunk driving or public disorder. There is also the possibility of domestic violence either to spouse or children. Emotional Consequences: alcohol abuse can affect the individual drinking as well as the recipients of probable abuse. For instance, an alcoholic’s children can experience delays or damage to their emotional development. Friends and family who perceive alcoholism as self inflicted may lose respect for the alcoholic further diminishing his or her social support network. Get yourself or your loved ones on the right track to recovery call Michael Larroque at 866-906-6911 @ Hawaii Island Recovery today and start a new wonderful life.

Rocks near Big Island Recovery

Maintaining comprehensive bio-behavioral understanding of addiction also speaks to what needs to be provided in drug treatment programs.
At Hawaii Island Recovery we are careful not to pit biology against behavior.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse recently published Principles of Effective Drug Addiction Treatment provides a detailed discussion of how we must treat all aspects of the individual, not just the biological component or the behavioral component.
As with other brain diseases such as schizophrenia and depression, the data show that the best drug addiction treatment approaches attend to the entire individual, combining the use of medications, behavioral therapies, and attention to necessary social services and rehabilitation.
These include such services as family therapy to enable the patient to return to successful family life, mental health services, education and vocational training, and housing services.
That does not mean, of course, that all individuals need all components of treatment and all rehabilitation services. Another principle of effective addiction treatment is that the array of services included in an individual’s treatment plan must be matched to his or her particular set of needs. Moreover, since those needs will surely change over the course of recovery, the array of services provided will need to be continually reassessed and adjusted. The staff at Hawaii Island Recovery is trained to do just that. Come see what recovery in paradise looks like. Visit us soon at http://www.hawaiiislandrecovery.com or call Michael Larroque at Hawaii Island Recovery’s office at866-906-6911  in Kona, Hawaii.

Sea Shells - Big Island Recovery

As of 2003, 77 alcohol treatment and drug rehabilitation centers in Hawaii served more than 3,000 patients. State-funded institutions and private centers administer various drug rehab programs such as behavioral and cognitive therapies, long-term and short-term treatments, the 12-step program, and confinement to residential facilities. However, majority of patients with drug dependence and alcoholism problems still prefer programs for an outpatient course of treatment.

The initial phase of most treatments is known as the detox program. Through alcohol or drug detox, the patient is relieved from accumulated toxins. The process usually results in physical discomfort but in due time, may help the body adjust from the withdrawal symptoms. Interventions and counseling are also recommended. The patients are normally advised to join support groups to sustain the progress. Meanwhile, after-care treatments are also available to avoid relapse.

The success of any rehabilitation program lies on active participation of the patient and his family. Although full-recovery is not an absolute guarantee, professional treatments help patients be more prepared to lead a normal life. Call Hawaii Island Recovery 866-906-6911 today for the help you deserve from people that are dedicated to your health and recovery.

More than four out of 100 people over 12 years old in Hawaii are addicted to alcohol, says the study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, an agency within the U.S. Health and Human Services Department.
That puts Hawaii ahead of only Montana and the District of Columbia, and worse than the national average of 3.4 per 100 people.

For more information about or help with Alcoholism and to break the addiction cycle phone Michael Larroque at 866-906-6911 or visit hawaiiislandrecovery.com.

If you are suffering from addiction please call Hawaii Island Recovery at 866-906-6911.

What are drinking problems? How serious is alcohol abuse among young people? What is the trend in drunk driving? What help is available for alcoholism?
To some college students, heavy drinking that leads to vomiting is not alcohol abuse but simply having a good time and being “one of the gang.”
To many whose religion requires abstinence, simply tasting an alcohol beverage is not only alcohol abuse but a sin.
To many activists, a married couple quietly enjoying a drink with their dinner is guilty of abusing alcohol if they happen to be twenty years of age.
To the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an accident is alcohol related (and implicitly caused by alcohol abuse) if a driver who has consumed a drink is sitting at a red light and rear-ended by an inattentive teetotaler.
In American Society
Our historical background and multi cultural population have created wide and strong disagreements in American society over what constitutes alcohol abuse.
Our Colonial tradition taught us that alcohol is the “good gift of God” to be used and enjoyed by all, including small children.
Our temperance and Prohibition experiences taught us that alcohol is “demon rum,” the cause of almost all poverty, crime, violence, and other problems. So convinced were they that alcohol was the cause of virtually all crime that, on the eve of Prohibition, some towns went so far as to sell their jails. Temperance systematically promoted both fear and hostility toward alcohol beverages, much of which continues to this day.
Repeal of Prohibition left us with a society in which the majority of people enjoy alcohol beverage in moderation, but a large minority (today about 1/3) of the population abstains. And a substantial proportion of American abstainers favor imposing prohibition again on the entire population . The prohibition impulse has never died and has re-emerged in a different form today.
Alcohol policy actually results not from science, logic, or evidence, but from a continuing struggle between those who wish to use alcohol beverages and those who don’t want them to. Repeatedly throughout our national life, movements have emerged to promote abstinence by persuasion, but failing to succeed, they have then resorted to coercion. The current neo-prohibition movement attempts to reduce consumption in general and to prevent it entirely among targeted groups, such as those under the age of 21.

And Young People
Prohibition for those under the age of 21 currently enjoys wide support in the United States and is imposed by force of law. Often it is enforced with a vengeance. “Carter Loar, a senior at Park View High School in Loudoun County, Virginia was suspended for ten days in February for violating the school’s alcohol policy.” Carter’s violation was using mouthwash at school. School officials confiscated the contraband and “He was charged with violating the school’s alcohol policy which prohibits the possession or use of alcohol on school property. As part of his ten day suspension, Carter was required to attend a three day Substance Abuse Program sponsored by Loudoun County.”
Mr. Loar was a victim of “zero tolerance,” which is now all the rage. But what does such a zealous level of intolerance accomplish and what messages does it send our young people? It probably achieves about as much as the scare tactics characteristic of the temperance movement and is almost certainly counter-productive.
One apparent message is that those who promote such intolerance have lost touch with youth, another is that they are unrealistic and impractical, and another is that their alcohol education messages are not credible.
Youthful Drinking
While a continuing barrage of newspaper articles, TV shows, and special interest group reports claim that drinking among young people is a growing epidemic, the fact is quite the contrary. Drinking among young people, like drinking among the larger population, is actually on the decline. For example, look at the statistics on drinking among high school students.
The proportion of high school seniors who have ever consumed alcohol is down.
The proportion of high school seniors who have consumed alcohol within previous year is down.
The proportion of high school seniors who have consumed alcohol within previous 30 days is down.
The proportion of high school seniors who have recently consumed alcohol daily is down.
The proportion of high school seniors who have consumed 5 or more drinks on an occasion within previous two weeks is down.
Drinking among young people continues to drop. For example, the proportion of young people aged 12 through 17 who have consumed any alcohol during the previous month has plummeted from 50% in 1979 to 16% in 2006, according to the federal government’s annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Thus, while one in two were drinkers in 1979, significantly fewer than one in five were in 2006, the most recent year for which statistics are available. College student drinking attracts much attention in the press. But the proportion of college freshmen who drink continues to decrease. Freshmen entering college in 2006 reported the lowest rates of drinking in the 41-year history of the national college Freshman Survey. The proportion reporting occasional or frequent beer drinking dropped to an historic low, down 43% since 1982.
Drunk Driving Fatalities
While we must do even more to reduce drunk driving, we have already accomplished a great deal. Alcohol-related traffic fatalities have dropped steadily.
The U.S. has a low traffic fatality rate (drunk, as well as sober) and is a very safe nation in which to drive. And it’s been getting safer for decades. There are now fewer than one and a half deaths (including the deaths of bicyclists, motorcyclists, pedestrians, auto drivers, and auto passengers) per one hundred million vehicle miles traveled. Alcohol-related traffic fatalities have dropped from 60% of all traffic deaths in 1982 down to 39% in 2005 (the most recent year for which such statistics are available).
Alcohol-related traffic fatalities per vehicle miles driven has also dropped dramatically — from 1.64 deaths per 100 million miles traveled in 1982 down to 0.56 in 2005 (the latest year for which such statistics are available).
The proportion of alcohol-related crash fatalities has fallen 35% since 1982, but the proportion of traffic deaths NOT associated with alcohol have jumped 53% during the same time. We’re winning the battle against alcohol-related traffic fatalities, but losing the fight against traffic deaths that are not alcohol-related.
The declining proportion of accidents involving intoxication is good news. However, we can do even more to reduce drunk driving deaths. Through our individual actions we can do much right now to protect ourselves and others.
Health Problems
While the moderate consumption of alcohol is associated with better health and longer life than is abstinence, the heavy consumption of alcohol, especially over a period of many years, can lead to serious health problems and even death.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is an irreversible condition associated with excessive consumption of alcohol by pregnant women and is, therefore, completely preventable. Each and every case of FAS is a needless tragedy. Victims suffer serious physical deformities and often mental deficiencies. And, they suffer these problems for their entire lives. While most cases occur among alcoholics who consume alcohol heavily throughout their pregnancies (usually in combination with smoking and often illegal drug use), no one knows for certain what level of alcohol consumption is safe for a pregnant woman.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists recently conducted a study including 400,000 American women, all of whom had consumed alcohol during pregnancy. Not a single case of FAS occurred and no adverse effects on children were found when consumption was under 8.5 drinks per week. While it would appear that moderate consumption is safe, the safer choice would be to abstain.
Of course, tobacco and illegal drugs are clearly to be avoided, and a pregnant woman should maintain good nutrition and see her physician on a regular basis throughout her pregnancy.
Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis is probably the most widely recognized medical complication of chronic alcoholism. It is a grave and irreversible condition characterized by a progressive replacement of healthy liver tissue with scars, which can lead to liver failure and death. Fortunately, the abuse of alcohol is down and so is cirrhosis.
Death rate for cirrhosis fell dramatically between 1970 and 1992, the most recent year for which information is available. During that period, death from cirrhosis:
dropped 29.8% among black men
dropped 15.3% among white men
dropped 47.9% among black women
dropped 33.3% among white women
Help is Available
Numerous other health problems are associated with heavy alcohol consumption, which should be avoided. Many people find organized programs very useful in helping them reduce their consumption to moderate levels. For those who either choose or need to quit drinking entirely call Today Hawaii Island Recovery at 866-515-5032 or visit our website at www.hawaiiislandrecovery.com

If you are suffering from addiction please call Hawaii Island Recovery at 866-906-6911.

If you are suffering from addiction please call Hawaii Island Recovery at 866-906-6911.

What is alcoholism?
Alcoholism, also known as alcohol dependence, is a disease that includes the following four symptoms:
Craving: A strong need, or urge, to drink.
Loss of control: Not being able to stop drinking once drinking has begun.
Physical dependence: Withdrawal symptoms such as nausea, sweating, shakiness and anxiety after stopping drinking.
Tolerance: The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol to get “high.”

Is alcoholism a disease?
Yes. The craving that an alcoholic feels for alcohol can be as strong as the need for food or water. An alcoholic will continue to drink despite serious family, health, or legal problems. Like many other diseases, alcoholism lasts a person’s lifetime; it usually follows a predictable course; and it has symptoms. The risk for developing alcoholism is influenced both by a person’s genes and by his or her lifestyle.

Is alcoholism inherited?
Research shows that the risk for developing alcoholism runs in families. The genes a person inherits partially explain this pattern, but lifestyle is also a factor. Your friends, the amount of stress in your life, and how readily available alcohol is also are factors that may increase your risk for alcoholism. But remember: Risk is not destiny. Just because alcoholism tends to run in families doesn’t mean that a child of an alcoholic parent will automatically become an alcoholic too. Some people develop alcoholism even though no one in their family has a drinking problem. By the same token, not all children of alcoholic families get into trouble with alcohol. Knowing you are at risk is important, though, because then you can take steps to protect yourself from developing problems with alcohol.

Can alcoholism be cured?
No. Even if an alcoholic hasn’t been drinking for a long time, he or she can still suffer a relapse. To guard against a relapse, an alcoholic must continue to avoid all alcoholic beverages.

Can alcoholism be treated?
Yes. Most alcoholics need help to recover from their disease. With support and treatment, many people are able to stop drinking and rebuild their lives. Alcoholism treatment programs use both counseling and medications to help a person stop drinking. A range of medications is used to treat alcoholism: some are used during the first days after a person stops drinking to help him or her safely withdraw from alcohol. These medications are not used beyond the first few days, however, because they may be highly addictive. Other medications help people remain sober by reducing the craving for alcohol or by making the person feel sick if he or she drinks alcohol.
Does alcoholism treatment work? Alcoholism treatment works for many people. But just like any chronic disease, there are varying levels of success when it comes to treatment. Some people stop drinking and remain sober. Others have long periods of sobriety with bouts of relapse. And still others cannot stop drinking for any length of time. With treatment, one thing is clear, however: the longer a person abstains from alcohol, the more likely he or she will be able to stay sober.
Do you have to be an alcoholic to experience problems?
No. Alcoholism is only one type of an alcohol problem. Alcohol abuse can be just as harmful. A person may drink too much and too often but still not be dependent on alcohol. Some of the problems linked to alcohol abuse include not being able to meet work, school or family responsibilities; drunk-driving arrests and car crashes; and drinking-related medical conditions. Under some circumstances, even social or moderate drinking is dangerous – for example, when driving, during pregnancy, or when taking certain medications.
Are specific groups of people more likely to have problems? Alcohol abuse and alcoholism cut across gender, race, and nationality. Nearly 14 million people in the United States – one of every 13 adults – abuse alcohol or are alcoholic. In general, though, more men than women are alcohol dependent or have alcohol problems. The incidence of problems with alcohol is highest among young adults ages 18-29 and lowest among adults ages 65 and older. We also know that people who start drinking at an early age (14 or younger) greatly increase the chance that they will develop alcohol problems at some point in their lives.

Can a problem drinker simply cut down? It depends. If that person has been diagnosed as an alcoholic, the answer is “no.” Alcoholics who try to cut down on drinking rarely succeed. Cutting out alcohol (abstaining) is usually the best course for recovery. People who are not alcohol dependent but who have experienced alcohol-related problems might be able to limit the amount they drink. If they can’t stay within those limits, they need to stop drinking altogether.

How can a person get help for an alcohol problem?
You can call for information or admission assistance 24 hours a day. You may also apply for admission online to our drug rehab center by using our encrypted Preadmission Assessment form. Please be assured that your alcohol and drug rehab addiction treatment records and information are protected by law and we cannot share your information with anyone unless you give us written consent. Contact us if you have any questions or need further assistance at  866-906-6911.