Big Island Recovery - The Right Residential Treatment Center for Drug and Alcohol Addiction » Hawaii Island Treatment Centers

Alcohol/ Drug Treatment Programs

mjanub — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 05:44:29 +0000

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.

SOBER HOUSE: THE TRANSITIONAL LIVING EXPERIENCE

mjanub — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 05:34:16 +0000

There is a new program airing on VH1 called Sober House with Celebrity Rehab’s Dr. Drew Pinsky. The show follows Celebrity Rehab clients through the extended care, or transitional living, experience. Throughout extended care/sober living rehab history owners of rehabs have been approached by various media organizations requesting permission to document the sober living experience with cameras. Every extended care rehab I have worked at has been approached. While the offer is always tempting, most rehabs have always declined because we feel that the sensationalization of clients struggling with a serious addiction isn’t really ethical. There are arguments to be made for both sides though. On the one hand it exploits a person’s personal struggles with addiction, but on the other hand it educates the public on the process of addiction and the rehab experience. With the new show Sober House the public will, for the first time, be able to see where the real work of staying sober starts. Everyone in the treatment business knows that 30 days of primary treatment is not enough for anyone. That is why every primary 30 day facility in the Nation, with the exception of a few, now offers extended care treatment. Sober living and extended care treatment is exponentially more intense and requires much more operational man power than people think. Most people think that “sober living” is just what the name implies, a residence where people who are sober live together. But, it is actually much more! Running a sober living, or transitional addiction treatment program, requires a much more experienced and savvy staff than primary treatment requires. The freedom a sober living arrangement allows makes it much harder to keep track of a client’s progress and because clients are experiencing the “real world” for the first time sober, it creates a plethora of crisis that the treatment staff has to deal with on a daily basis. So I expect Dr. Drew’s new show, Sober House, to be much more interesting than Celebrity Rehab could ever be. For additional information contact info@hawaiiislandrecovery.com

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

Drug Problems in Hawaii Big According to US Dept Of Justice | Drug Problem

mjanub — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:49:40 +0000

Hawaii comprises eight main islands and a 1,500-mile chain of islets covering more than 6,400 square miles. The islands include Hawaii, Kahoolawe, Kauai, Lanai, Maui, Molokai, Niihau, and Oahu. The island of Oahu and the city of Honolulu–the major drug transportation hub in the state–are the focal points for the flow of drugs into the islands. Honolulu, the state capital, is located on the most populated island of Oahu. Honolulu has more than 377,000 residents–nearly 10 times the population of Hilo or Kailua, the next largest cities. Hawaii has approximately 1.2 million residents and ranks forty-second in population. It has the most racially diverse population of any state. Asians account for 41.6 percent of the population, while Caucasians represent 24.3 percent of the population, the lowest percentage of any state. Native Hawaiians account for 9.4 percent; Hispanics, 7.2 percent; and African Americans, 1.8 percent. The remaining 15.7 percent is mixed race. The term Pacific Islander refers to Native Hawaiians, Samoans, Tongans, and individuals from other islands located in the Pacific Basin or those descended from a combination of two or more of these groups. The Pacific Basin includes Hawaii, Guam, China, and Japan, among others.
Hawaii’s reliance on imported consumer goods makes it vulnerable to the maritime transportation of drugs into the state. Hawaii is a transshipment point for methamphetamine destined for the Pacific Basin from the West Coast and is a source of supply of marijuana for cities in the continental United States. Because of the high volume of drugs transported into and through the state, Hawaii was designated a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) in fiscal year (FY) 1999.
In Hawaii there are more than 140 street gangs with over 1,500 members. Most gang-related crime is attributed to Filipino, Hispanic, Native Hawaiian, Samoan, and Tongan street gangs. These gangs distribute most drugs at the retail level throughout Hawaii. Hispanic street gang activity is increasing. Some street gang members have relocated from Los Angeles and San Francisco to Hawaii, particularly Honolulu.
Drug abuse is a serious concern in Hawaii. According to the 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA), 6.7 percent of the respondents aged 12 and older in Hawaii reported using any drug in the past month. Nationally 6.3 percent of respondents reported past month drug abuse. According to the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), the total number of treatment admissions for drug and alcohol abuse in Hawaii increased over 50 percent from 1994 through 1999. During the same period, the number of treatment admissions for drug and alcohol abuse remained stable nationwide.
Per capita spending on substance abuse in Hawaii is significant. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University reported that Hawaii spent $368 per resident in 1998 on substance abuse-related services, ranking the state seventh in the nation including Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. That same year Hawaii spent $430 million of its annual budget (8.6 percent) on substance abuse-related programs that focused on justice, education, health, child/family assistance, mental health/developmental disabilities, public safety, and the state workforce.
IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO NEEDS HELP WITH DRUB ABUSE OR ALHOLISM REHABILITATION CONTACT Michael Larroque at www.hawaiiislandrecovery.com or email him at info@hawaiiislandrecovery.com

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

Straight Talk on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

mjanub — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 07:28:39 +0000

According to the Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, more than half of all adults have a family history of alcoholism or problem drinking, and more than nine million children live with a parent dependent on alcohol and/or illicit drugs. Alcoholism affects a wide circle of people close to the alcoholic â€“ relatives, friends, neighbors, employers, co-workers, classmates, teachers, doctors, community workers â€“ and is closely linked to many of America’s most difficult social problems, including crime, homelessness, teen pregnancy and domestic violence. Yet 82% of doctors admit that MDs avoid addressing alcoholism in their patients.
The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, sponsoring April as Alcohol Awareness Month for the 16th year, says itâ€™s important that people see alcoholism not as an issue of morality or “will power,” but as a public health issue. Whatâ€™s the truth about alcohol, and how do you know if youâ€™ve got a problem? Here are some straight answers from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

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 â€“ 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 â€“ one of every 13 adults â€“ 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.