Humans are creatures of habit. We have heard this time and time again, yet what does it mean? Psychologically, our brains are working to determine the most efficient ways to navigate our life and make it through our day. Some of us make thousands of decisions a day, and habits allow us to become more… Read more »
2020 has been a monster of a year, with shelter-in-place orders and constant, head-spinning policy changes. It’s no wonder people fall back to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as poor eating and drinking habits. In April, the World Health Organization issued a press release warning against alcohol consumption. At the same time, according to Nielsen ratings,… Read more »
There are many options today for helping people in recovery. For those who want to integrate their faith into their recovery, there is a program called Celebrate Recovery, a Christ-centered twelve-step program that started 27 years ago at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. While working on his own sobriety through Alcoholics Anonymous, founder John… Read more »
Congratulations on making the most difficult decision of your life: the decision to get sober. The journey of addiction and dependency can be a long and arduous road fraught with challenges in every aspect of life. Long-gnarled tentacles take hold wreaking havoc and then, ah…the early days of recovery are the calm after the turbulent… Read more »
Once thought of only as the obscure practice of hippies and gurus, yoga is now being recognized by all as a healing modality for that which ails you. Whether you have physical, mental or spiritual deficiencies, yoga can – and will – enhance your wellbeing. Since the 2016 report in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings gave… Read more »
There is little doubt that abuse of opioids – often beginning with a necessary prescription – has reached crisis proportions in the U.S. and beyond. That includes right here in our backyards, in the Coachella Valley and the greater Inland Empire. Based on the most recent data available, as of 2014, there were 6.14 opioid… Read more »
Drug overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S., with 47,055 lethal drug overdoses in 2014. Opioid addiction is driving this epidemic, with 18,893 overdose deaths related to prescription pain relievers, and 10,574 overdose deaths related to heroin in 2014. In 2012, 259 million prescriptions were written for opioids, which is… Read more »
As a registered nurse, I have been with Eisenhower Medical Center and the Betty Ford Center for 29 years. I became an acupuncturist 15 years ago and have had impressive results treating patients with auricular (ear) acupuncture for chemical dependency, alcohol withdrawal, anxiety and pain. The ear is innervated (has nerve supply) from three major… Read more »
Do you know the most important part of an inpatient treatment program for addiction? The first hour after discharge. Learning much about the “addict self” which looms large, while supporting and building a sometimes underdeveloped and undernourished “sober self” is quickly put to the test when on one’s own, often feeling vulnerable and raw. There… Read more »
The Hazelden Betty Ford Center is world renowned for the significant work they do with those dealing with addiction. But what about the many young children who struggle with an addictive parent or loved one in the family? There are thousands of these young victims for which Betty Ford Center Children’s Program also provides support,… Read more »
Some of the most challenging times in our lives can be helping a loved one get help for drug or alcohol addiction. There can be many hurdles before they get help, including their reluctance or refusal to go, and finding the center most appropriate for your loved one. Here are a few tips to help… Read more »
It’s easy to mistake addiction as a condition that a person develops all by him or herself. “He made bad choices.” “She can’t put the bottle down.” “He uses heroin because of low self-esteem.” But no man is an island; rather, we live in a world that is truly a web of relationships, where each… Read more »
Every day in millions of homes throughout the country, those who love another addicted to drugs or alcohol asks, “Why are they addicted?” “Why can’t they just stop?” “Don’t they see what it’s doing to them – and to me?” “Why doesn’t treatment work for us?” These are sincere and valid questions about the insidious… Read more »
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, you understand on a deep and intimate level the desperation to do whatever it takes to recover. Addiction professionals, counselors, doctors, scientists, clergy and many others continue to search for a cure-all for the mental, emotional, relational, and financial trail of devastation that chemical dependency… Read more »
A staggering number of people are living with addiction, anxiety or depression and that number continues to climb. Recent statistics reveal that between 25 to 50 percent of Americans are suffering from these conditions – or even a combination of all three. Until recently, the treatment of addiction, anxiety or depression was mainly limited to… Read more »
Let’s say you are at a baseball game and 30 days into sobriety. Everyone around you is enjoying beer and the temptation starts to wear on you. Or, say you are traveling; you check into your hotel room and that old pattern of heading to the lobby bar is the only thing on your mind.… Read more »
Let’s face it. We drink a lot. It’s part of the pleasure – and often the perils – of living in a resort community. The numbers speak for themselves. According to HARC’s 2010 survey, the Coachella Valley has a higher prevalence of people who binge drink than the national benchmark. Surveys show that 21.3 percent… Read more »
In the Unites States, eating disorders are taking their toll emotionally and financially. It is estimated that 34% of adults and 17% of children are obese.1 And anorexia is estimated to be between 0.5% and 1.0% of the general population, with 95% of these being women.2 The incidence in men is increasing significantly.3 Ours is… Read more »
