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Betty Ford Center Spiritual Counselor’s Book Wins Award
November 8th, 2011 / Doctor's Office / Betty Ford Center
Amazing Grief: A Healing Guide for Parents of Young Addicts by Rev. Charles F. Harper, M.Div., has been selected as a winner of the USA Best Books 2011 Awards. Reverend Harper is a spiritual counselor at the Betty Ford Center. The publication took first place in the category of Health: Addiction & Recovery , according to Jeffrey Keen, President and CEO of USA Book News. “Winners and finalists traversed the publishing landscape,” Said Keen. “Simon & Schuster, St. Martin’s Press, Random House, Penguin, Harper Collins, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw-Hill...

Creative Intoxication Brings Sobering Consequences
June 12th, 2011 / Doctor's Office / Joan Connor Clark
They eat alcohol-infused whipping cream, slurp gelatin shots and starve themselves during the day to offset the calories in the alcohol they plan to consume after classes that night. They also rely on more traditional methods, such as competitively chugging beer with their fraternity brothers. They do what they can to get drunk; however – for some college students – perceived fun leads to alcoholism and addiction . Thirty young people are currently in the Betty Ford Center’s Young Adult Track (YAT.) The majority of these young women and men either dropped out of college to...

What is Craving?
April 17th, 2011 / Doctor's Office / James W. West M.D. F.A.C.S.
Question : What is craving? I am a recovering alcoholic who once spent a couple of days in the hospital where the doctor gave me something because I was getting the shakes. The only other time I felt shaky was when I went into an alcohol treatment center where they gave me a tranquilizer to detox. I cannot say I ever had what they call craving Answer : Alcoholics who drink every day avoid craving because they keep the blood alcohol level high enough to prevent the symptoms of withdrawal. The only times you could have experienced craving was in the hospital and alcohol or drug...

I thought alcohol addiction only hurt me
January 8th, 2011 / Doctor's Office / Joan Connor Clark
Justifying my continued use of alcohol and drugs was second nature to me when I was in the depths of my disease. Even though any semblance of control was long gone – along with the notion that choice was still an option – I still had a litany of reasons why my behavior was acceptable. What I’m sharing is my own experience. However, if you have heard variations on these excuses among your own loved ones, you may want to dig a little deeper . We can be a crafty group when we’re hiding our addiction; in my case, it took a very dramatic series of circumstances to discover...

Dr. Johanna O’Flaherty Addresses Binge Drinking
August 31st, 2010 / Doctor's Office / Betty Ford Center
Johanna O'Flaherty, Ph.D., Vice President of Treatment Services, recently appeared on the Coachella Valley CBS affiliate to address the topic of binge drinking.

Alcohol Abuse versus Alcohol Dependence
August 4th, 2010 / Doctor's Office / Betty Ford Center
Q: What is the difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence? A: Alcohol abuse is described as any "harmful use" of alcohol. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV describes alcohol abusers as those who drink despite recurrent social, interpersonal, and legal problems as a result of alcohol use. Harmful use implies alcohol use that causes either physical or mental damage. Those who are alcohol dependent meet all of the criteria of alcohol abuse, but the will also exhibit some or all of the following: • Narrowing of the drinking repertoire (drinking only...

19 Most Frequently Asked Addiction Treatment Questions
June 21st, 2010 / Doctor's Office / Betty Ford Center
Meet Dr. West 1. Is there a cure for alcoholism? 2. Can some alcoholics and drug addicts control their disease by sheer will power? 3. Can I get a person to stop drinking who refuses to get help? 4. Can you shame an alcoholic into sobriety? 5. Is the alcoholic only hurting themselves or is the impact greater than that? 6. Does alcoholism and drug addiction run in families? 7. What is the average age of an alcoholic or drug addict when it becomes a real problem? 8. What personality traits do alcoholics have in common? 9. What kind of long term...

The Disease of Addiction
June 17th, 2010 / Doctor's Office / Dr. Harry Haroutunian
The disease of addiction has a target organ known as the mid brain. The cause is regulatory dysfunction of a neurotransmitter called dopamine. The effect is a common group of symptoms seen in each and every alcoholic and addict known to have the disease of dependence: loss of control, craving, and persistent use despite adverse consequences. Many alcoholics and addicts have been accused of selfishness, of choosing their behaviors for a reward or pleasure, since that portion of the brain targeted by alcohol has often been called the reward or pleasure center. This impression of...

Addictive Substances Effects and Withdrawal Symptoms
June 17th, 2010 / Doctor's Office / Betty Ford Center
Addictive Substance Affects to Self and Family Effects to Body Withdrawal Symptoms Detox Protocol Alcohol Slows down thoughts, reflexes and actions Altered perception Mood-altering Disinhibiting Cardiovascular Liver and kidney disease Inflammatory to the GI tract Neuropathy Psychological disorders Seizures Anxiety or depression Hallucinations, delirium Tremors Heart attacks, strokes Can be life-threatening Frequent assessment...

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