May 2012
11 posts
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Questions to Ask When Considering a Sober Home,...
These homes are generally a group of newly sober people living together. Sober homes and half-way houses can be a positive experience for those who need housing in early recovery, especially for those motivated for change and committed to their recovery program. La Hacienda Treatment Center strongly recommends that you fully research each home you are considering. We offer this list of questions...
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How Do I Get a Copy of my Medical Records?
On any one of our campuses, our highly trained staff can assist you with completing our HIPAA/42 CFR Part II Compliant Authorization to obtain your medical records.
From your home or office, you can complete an Authorization by accessing our website and downloading our Authorization Form. Please follow the steps below to obtain a copy of our Authorization Form.
1. Go to www.lahacienda.com
2. On...
April 2012
16 posts
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Medical Necessity
Medical Necessity
One of the biggest misunderstandings we have to address over and over with patients and family is “My insurance told me I had 30, 60, 90 days of coverage—why are they denying my treatment now when I’ve only been here 1, 2, or 3 weeks.”
Although they do have the coverage, the missing part is what insurance companies call ‘medical necessity’. This is not explained by the...
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PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THE TWELVE STEPS
The Steps are a powerful statement of personal responsibility. They call for us to admit powerlessness over alcohol. At the same time, the Steps ask us to act to promote recovery from alcoholism.
http://www.cyberrecovery.net/forums/showthread.php?t=359
Once a month I do a focus group on responsibility in recovery. Let’s be clear, I have lost the choice of whether or not I drink alcohol. ...
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Naltrexone and Pain
Low-Dose Naltrexone Reduces the Symptoms of Fibromyalgia: A Double-Blind and Placebo-Controlled Crossover Study
Jarred Younger, PhD, jyounger@stanford.edu1, Rebecca McCue, BA1, Noorulain Noor, BS2, Sean Mackey, MD PhD2, (1) Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, (2) Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
Dr. Katie McQueen’s thoughts on the article
Naltrexone is...
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March 2012
17 posts
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The Process of Recovery
While reading an article this morning in Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Weekly I came across this comment - “… recovery is a process of coming to terms with one’s illness rather than the elimination of its symptoms.” I immediately thought that’s what the 12 Steps gives us - a process of coming to terms with our illness. Through working the steps we come to understand our...
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Meet Leonard, La Hacienda's Director of Food and...
After doing basic training in Ft Jackson, SC in 1966, Leonard Ensminger served with the Army’s 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam for one year. His next tour of duty was in South Korea for 2 ½ years where he met his wife of 44 years, Chong. Upon returning to The States, Leonard attended Cook School, Culinary School and Hospital Food Service School. This training prepared him for another tour of...
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10 Things to Stop Doing if You Love an Alcoholic
The alcoholic is usually the identified patient in the family system but the entire family needs to change for all to recover. There is a great article on About.com providing 10 key actions a family member can do immediately to take care of themselves. The family system is like a dance, if one person starts dancing to a different beat, change inevitably occurs for all family members.
10 Things...
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Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus in the...
Is your US Representative a member of the Congressional Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus?
Probably not since only 22% of all Representatives are members! That’s 73 of 337 representatives nationwide (4 of 32 Texas representatives)!
What does the Caucus do?
Founded in 2004, it is the leading Congressional Caucus of bipartisan Members who are dedicated to educating and raising...
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Couples Dallas Workshop - March 24th
Couples Recovery Planning
Presented by Michael Cox, LCDC, ICADC
Family Program Director
Saturday, March 24, 2012
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
La Hacienda Community Outreach Office
1320 Greenway Dr., Suite 135
Irving, Texas
Topics Presented
Quality Communication
Emotional Growth for the Relationship
Couples 1-year Shared Journal Creation
Wider Support System Balance
Who:
Couples who...
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Josh Hamilton and his Struggle with Addiction
Josh Hamilton and his Struggle with Addiction
This post was provided by Hickory Wind Ranch, a sober living environment in Austin, TX.
It may come as a surprise to many to learn that Texas Ranger outfielder and slugger, Josh Hamilton, has struggled with addiction his whole life. He recently made headlines for admitting that he had in fact been drinking in two Dallas-area bars the last month,...
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Inhalants
Inhalant abuse, also known as ‘huffing’, is very common among young people right now and very dangerous. At La Hacienda we see most of this abuse among our collegiate patients, but not to the degree we did when we had an adolescent program. Unfortunately, it is the most accessible type of drug there is. Common household products such as nail polish remover, hair spray, cleaning fluids, and whipped...
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Imperfection
There would be no music if high C were the only note, no art if spectrum red were the only color, no joy in pleasure if pleasure were the only feeling — and paradoxically, there would be no perfection without imperfection. What does this mean to me? Well, first it means that I don’t have to be perfect. All I have to do is grow at a pace natural to me — and that is all I have a...
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The View from Room 90
Many people in the addiction field think that education and intellect make it harder to get and stay sober. Although it is true that intellectual people tend to talk more and look for scientific solutions to sobriety, the actual problems are not much different from anyone else’s problems. Individual needs may warrant more time in treatment but the education and discipline of the person is not...
February 2012
17 posts
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La Hacienda has been doing that for 40 years!
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) advises people to ask specific questions when seeking addiction treatment. Among those questions is “How do 12-Step programs fit into drug addiction treatment?” Gaya Dowling, PhD, deputy chief of NIDA says, “NIDA considers 12-Step programs to be an important component of recovery, based on the research evidence.” She goes on to...
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Drastic Revisions
As we grow spiritually, we find that our old attitudes toward our instincts had to undergo drastic revisions. Our desires for emotional security and wealth, for personal prestige and power, for romance and for family satisfactions — all of these have to be tempered and redirected. We have learned that the satisfaction of instincts cannot be the sole end and aim of our lives.
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It’s the little things….
“So, I walked into a convenience store for a Coke and I walked out with a six pack. It came out of nowhere!!”
Unfortunately, a relapse starts way before that. It begins with the little things. The story below is about an experience I had recently. Now, you are probably going to be like, really? That’s a silly story to tell! It’s not THAT big of a deal! Or how does...
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