An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.

A loss of interest in judging others.

A loss in interest in judging self.

A loss of interest in conflict.

A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.

A loss of ability to worry.

Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.

Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.

Frequent attacks of smiling through the heart.

Increasing susceptibility to kindness offered and the uncontrollable urge to reciprocate.

An increasing tendency to allow things to unfold, rather than resisting and manipulating.

-Author Unknown

Drug and alcohol counseling in Scottsdale certainly has its challenges. My office is close to Hayden and Via De Ventura, just south of Shea in Scottsdale. I’m constantly asked, what is the most challenging aspect of this demographic? Certainly the upper middle income flexibility has had a tremendous effect on our teens and young adults. Disposable income leads to the ability to experiment, and our kids certainly do. Drug and alcohol counseling in Scottsdale, as well as Paradise Valley, is a very sought after commodity. One day parents look up and viola, their child is down the road, experimenting and in the case of pain killer opiates, addicted in as short a time as 10 days. Yes, 10 days! For parents, this is a shocking and guilt-ridden reality.

The good news is that insightful, experienced help is out there. As a therapist and counselor, I’ve seen this “movie” for over 30 years. The names and faces change, but the behaviors remain the same. We all make mistakes and let’s face it, parenting doesn’t come with a manual. Parents are blamed, but unfortunately, not trained.

Parenting enhancement education is part of our program at Diebold Behavioral Counseling. Naturally this is optional, but is highly recommended to optimize the support for the youthful client. It’s more than scary, realizing that drug or alcohol abuse has resulted in addiction. We try to hide this fact and we become even more isolated, which is exactly what drugs and alcohol do. The substance comes first, relationships and responsibility second. Again, we don’t intend for that to happen, it’s just a byproduct of addiction.

As the fear of addiction intensifies, we defend ourselves with our three defense mechanisms: denial, rationalization and projection. Denial is a head-in-the-sand response to the thought that this just can’t be happening. Rationalization is an attempt to come to terms with these feelings of powerlessness. Projection is the response of throwing this reality on others, blaming those who are trying to help.

Yes, drug and alcohol counseling in Scottsdale is a messy process that can lead to physical, emotional and spiritual balance. A process that is well worth the effort. Please call us at (480) 650-1020. The healing begins with this phone call.

In so many ways, addiction counseling in Paradise Valley is similar to addiction counseling in Scottsdale. Both are upper middle class with a significant level of disposable income. My focus in on how this affects our children, with the emphasis on our young adults.

This story centers around three young adults. They lived on the corner of our street, and for the most part, were pretty good neighbors. They partied hearty, were polite when I came to the door.

One day I noticed that all three were dented in very unusual places. Later that day as I drove past them again, I understood. Now, these weren’t just run-of-the-mill cars. They were quite expensive: a Porsche, a Mercedes SL and a Jaguar. Mom and dad had money.

As for the dents, these guys would get drunk, stoned and boot each other’s, cars. I witnessed the latter on one occasion. It blew me away. Beautiful cars, and in all honesty, I was pretty disgusted.

It’s almost cliché’ the rich, self-absorbed, overcompensating for time not spent with their children. My point, however, is that these behaviors lead to inappropriate coping skills like alcohol and drug abuse. Eventually, we cross the line from abuse to addiction, and the brain has permanently changed. There’s no going back and will power will not get the job done.

Dependency is about the brain permanently changing. Daniel G. Amen, M.D. wrote a terrific book entitled: “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life”. Dr. Amen is a clinical neuroscientist, child and adolescent psychiatrist, and medical director of the Amen Clinic for Behavioral Medicine in Fairfield, California. His work does not deal exclusively with addiction. In his bestseller, “you’ll see evidence that your anxiety, depression, anger, obsessiveness or impulsiveness could be related to how specific structures in the brain work.

Depression counseling, anxiety counseling and trauma counseling address issues that almost always accompany addiction or dependency and address many of the brain’s biochemical dynamics mentioned above. After a thought, the brain releases chemicals. If we didn’t know better, we might freak-out subsequent to a sad thought. Oh my God; there’s water pouring out of my eye sockets! Naturally, we know that as crying, but the process is the same. Once we become aware of what we’re thinking, we will realize that our thoughts have a dynamic impact upon how we feel and how we behave.

Addiction counseling in Paradise Valley, much like addiction counseling in Scottsdale, has its challenges, beyond the biochemical changes to the brain. This clinician has become quite adapt at communicating with parents, teenagers and young adults. Quite often, when enabled, kids feel out of balance, and oftentimes not knowing how to express these feelings, particularly since this has been continually reinforced over the years, becoming their “normal”. There are few things that break this cycle, besides professional intervention.

D.J. Diebold, CAC, LISAC is a board certified, state licensed psychotherapist, specializing in addictions. For Addiction Counseling in Paradise Valley D.J. can be reached at (480) 650-1020.

YouTube – Court Ordered DUI Counseling in Scottsdale

Court ordered DUI counseling in Scottsdale is a program we specialize in. Let’s face it; this is a tough time in your life. Getting a DUI and Court ordered DUI counseling is very embarrassing. Who should I tell? How should I handle it with work? I could lose my job. Then where will I be? It feels like there’s a vice squeezing my heart. I’ve never been this stressed. As for my wife, she won’t even look at me. I feel so guilty and like such a mess-up.  As for the financial part, I can’t begin to afford the attorney and court costs. It makes me want to drown my sorrows… which is where the problem began.

Coping with getting a DUI and Court ordered DUI counseling is no fun, but it’s something that has to be done. Why not be proactive? You can choose where to do your court DUI ordered counseling if you start now. All sessions will count towards the court ordered number of hours assigned by the screening facility. This is because Diebold Behavioral Counseling is Board Certified and State licensed. Also, you will not be sitting in a group of disgruntled individuals. We don’t do groups. All counseling is individual, one-on-one. The learning is at your pace, in an extremely positive setting.  How about the hours, the times? All of this is scheduled around your schedule, the time and day you can make it, provided it is not in conflict with anything mandated by the court, which rarely occurs.

So please, stop stressing and give us a call. Being proactive, looks very good in the eyes of the court. It makes the statement that yes, I have a problem, but I’m going to take care of it, that this will not happen again. At Diebold Behavioral Counseling in Scottsdale we take a very compassionate approach to this educational process. Let’s face it, we all make mistakes. Please call us for your Court ordered DUI counseling at (480) 650-1020. You’ll be glad you did.

Seek Suicide Prevention Counseling, because Suicide affects not only an individual, but the whole family system. It is the most selfish act possible. There are always solutions to life’s struggles, no matter how dark things might look in the moment. There are no second class humans. This we must all believe.

Suicide prevention counseling can be challenging, particularly with our veterans, of which I am one. Post-traumatic stress disorder and the damaging effects of seeing “too much” can be overwhelming. If you have the slightest doubt, pick up the phone and call a professional. There’s only one of you in the whole world. Learning to cope can be its own reward. You’re worth it, without a doubt, no matter what you’ve been told.

Seek help or suicide prevention counseling as soon as possible by contacting the Diebold Behavioral Counseling Scottsdale or by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK if you or someone you know exhibits any of the following signs:

• Threatening to hurt or kill oneself or the desire to do so
• Acting reckless or engaging in risky or the desire to do so behaviors… seemingly without thinking
• Looking for ways to kill oneself by seeking access to firearms, available pills, or other means
• Feeling trapped, like there’s no way out
• Increased alcohol or drug use
• Talking or writing about death, dying, or suicide when these actions are out of the ordinary for the person
• Withdrawing from friends, family and society
• Feeling anxious, agitated or unable to sleep
• Feelings of hopeless or, excessive sleeping
• Feeling rage or uncontrolled anger or seeking revenge
• Experiencing dramatic mood changes or feeling there’s no reason to live

Suicide Prevention Counseling
DJ Diebold, CAC, LISAC
Board Certified, State Licensed
Behavioral Health Therapist

The three categories are use, abuse and dependency. When we cross over that magical line of demarcation from abuse to dependency, something biochemical happens to our brain. A switch is symbolically switched and poof, no more moderate drinking is possible. We lose each and every battle to control our use. Once we start, we cannot stop. This is called alcoholism. Alcohol addictions counseling can be crucial. Our brain has changed…and for good. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, the symptoms of alcohol dependence include:

• Neglect of Other Activities: This is where we avoid or embarrass ourselves with important activities, such as social, occupational or recreational endeavors due to alcohol abuse.
• Impaired Control: Attempts to control alcohol consumption are unsuccessful, as are attempts to cut down on use.
• Excessive Use: Larger amounts than intended are consumed over a longer time span.
• Tolerance: Alcohol must be consumed in larger amounts to feel the “buzz” one expects.
• Persistence of Use: Despite the knowledge of problems, physical, or emotional, consumption continues.
• Symptoms of Withdrawal: Nausea, sweating, shakiness, are indicators of a problem that is caused or made worse by alcohol consumption.
• Excessive Time Spent In Alcohol Related Activities: A significant amount of time is   spent in activities necessary to procure, use or to recover from the effects of consumption.

Why do we drink?

Chemical dependency is one way people attempt to maintain balance or homeostasis. When we don’t have the appropriate skills to cope with stress and anxiety, we use the skills we do have. In limited amounts, alcohol is a central nervous system stimulant. Beyond a drink or two, it becomes a nervous system depressant. All in all, it’s not worth it. Learn appropriate coping skills. Alcohol addictions counseling by a professional is the very best way to learn these coping skills. Good luck.

DJ Diebold, CAC, LISAC – 11485
Board Certified, State Licensed
Behavioral Health Therapist

No prescription pain killer addict ever, as in never, in the whole history of the planet earth, thought he couldn’t control the substance he/she became addicted to, except maybe you, right?

So, what Is A Pharming Party?

Parents, listen up. Yes, you in the back with the perfect child. I know that doesn’t sound kind, but according to recent data, 50% of parents don’t have a clue as to what a pharming party is. Most 8th graders are familiar with the term. Nearly 90% of high schoolers most certainly are.

The party is centered around snatching a few pills from mom and dad’s medicine cabinet. The pills are opiate based goodies like Percoset, Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, etc. In other words, pain killers, prescription pain killers, as in prescribed by a doctor. The kids just take a few, so you won’t notice. Many of these pills have been in the cabinet for years. You may have forgotten they’re even there…but your kids probably haven’t.

Son, where are you going? Oh, Danny is having a few of the guys over. I won’t be out late. Now, before denial takes hold again, this form of substance abuse is at epidemic levels. The data is there, trust me. My client demographics are speaking to this phenomena on a daily basis. It’s real, but denial persists on the parental and the educational level, particularly in our community colleges and universities. Administrators minimize and trivialize, primarily because they don’t know what to do.

Hey, dude, let’s get back to the party. Picture a large bowl in the center of a table. As the pharming party begins, the partiers file by the bowl, each making a deposit. This goes on for most of the night. Both deposits and unfortunately, withdrawals occur. It’s a little like eating popcorn. Juggle a few in the hand and pop them into your mouth.Addiction wise, it only takes a week, if used daily. How long does it take if one just starts out just using on the weekends. Depends, but understand one thing clearly. No addict ever, as in never, thought he couldn’t control his or her use. Opiates are powerful and the addiction is brutal.

The poppy is such a beautiful flower, said the spyder to the fly. The euphoria is said to be second to none. Once that feeling becomes part of a kids lexicon of choices, the damage is done. The categories are: use, abuse and dependence. Once the magical line of demarcation is crossed from abuse to dependence, the hook is in. There is no more such thing as moderation now. Down the road, the pills get expensive, thus the switch to heroin, which is a much cheaper form of opiate, though still expensive, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Talk to your kids. Know when they are not being truthful. It’s your job. Treatment with an addictions specialist and 12-step support will get the job done, assuming the individual is ready to stop.

Please read my blog on Brain Chemistry and Prescribed Opiates for more information. It’s what parental love does.

DJ Diebold, CAC, LISAC – 11485
Board Certified, State Licensed
Behavioral Health Therapist

This is the hard part for most people to understand. Dependency is about the brain changing its biochemistry, its shape and the inability to change back. Daniel G. Amen, M.D. wrote a terrific book entitled: “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life”. Dr. Amen is a clinical neuroscientist, child and adolescent psychiatrist, and medical director of the Amen Clinic for Behavioral Medicine in Fairfield, California. His work does not deal exclusively with addiction. In his bestseller, “you’ll see evidence that your anxiety, depression, anger, obsessiveness or impulsiveness could be related to how specific structures in the brain work.

Our teens are dealing with the scourge of opiate dependency, at near epidemic states. Severe brain blood flow abnormalities appear to be associated with opiate abuse. Heroin abuse causes some of the worst brain damage documented. This reduced brain activity is also true with methadone, codeine, Demerol, Dilaudid, Percodan/oxycodone, and Vicodin/hydrocodone. These meds are very addictive and cause overall decreased activity throughout the brain. They are also in the majority of medicine cabinets.

Well, you might ask, how about marijuana? It’s medicine in California and now in Arizona. The SPECT scan has been used to study both the short and long-term effects of marijuana on the brain. Dr. Amen has “noticed the decreased temporal lobe activity” and wonders if newer findings were the cause of memory and motivation problems associated with marijuana use. To my youthful readers I ask: does THAT ring a bell? MRI’s confirm these findings, in terms of memory, learning and motivation. This clinician suggests caution in the medical marijuana area. Dr. Amen makes a very strong case for how our biochemistry mandates addiction’s approach.

Depression counseling, anxiety counseling and trauma counseling address many of the brain’s biochemical dynamics mentioned above. We need to realize that our thoughts are real. After a thought, the brain releases chemicals. If we didn’t know better, we might freak-out subsequent to a sad thought. Oh my God; there’s water pouring out of my eye sockets! Naturally, we know that as crying, but the process is the same. Once we become aware of what we’re thinking, we will realize that our thoughts have a dynamic impact upon how we feel and how we behave.

Our lives are about awareness and education, or a lack there of. Angry, unkind thoughts release brain chemicals that make us feel bad. We tense, increase our heart rate and suddenly we get a headache. The opposite is true with positive thoughts. The brain releases serotonin, dopamine and other pleasure chemicals that allow us to relax and appreciate our good fortune. We have a significant amount of thought control ability. Nobody can force us to be upset if we are aware and choose not to. We have that power. In this New Year, let’s choose to use it.

This was published in The East Valley Tribune January 2011. Go to www.eastvalleytribune.com

It all starts with biochemistry. Our propensities for impulse control are central to our ability to take the necessary time to reason. With the near-epidemic levels of mood-swing disorders such as bi-polar and impulse control disorders such as ADD and ADHD, we see a biochemical imperative. Why are these so prevalent? Most behavioral health professionals agree that with the advent of factory farming, air pollution, ground water pollutants, pesticides and other tsunami-like assaults on the brain’s homeostasis, that it’s lucky we can reason at all. How can the aforementioned not have an effect?

Now, let’s add substance abuse to the above. Our unbalanced shooter had a history of marijuana, alcohol and other drugs. Dr. Daniel Amen’s well-received book, “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, documents the damaging effects of drug and alcohol abuse on our central nervous system. In lay terms, the brain shrinks, gets holes, manifests restricted blood flow, etc. SPEC scans bring this to life visually.

Next, let’s look at what might have been modeled for our deranged killer in his early, formative years. I tread lightly here, but in generalized terms, what’s modeled for us becomes our behavioral norm. No matter how dysfunctional, for us, it’s normal. We saw this modeling on a daily basis, reinforced for years, over and over and over again. The lack of appropriate discipline in the home leads to a profound lack of respect for self and others. It prompts the question: how far can I go until I find security within elusive boundaries. Please someone stop me; I’m just a kid.

The lack of boundaries scares the hell out of our children. They push and push and push. It prompts another question, which is also central to our development: who am I and what is my role in the family, and in life? These basic security parameters cannot be ignored for long. To do so is to risk seeking an answer fueled by desperation, from those not qualified, friends, acquaintances and society in general. The quest not only never ceases, but actually intensifies over time, with the petitioner increasingly paranoid of the possibilities.

In the classic best-seller, “Love Means Letting Go of Fear” by Dr. Gerald Jampolsky, he identifies only two base emotions, love and fear. The seven capital sins are all exceptionally fear-based. Hate, envy, jealously and spite are all of this sad ilk. Fear builds upon itself with age, if our primary questions of who we are go unanswered. Questions regarding self-worth are critical to our chosen behaviors. Cooley’s essay, “The Looking Glass Self”, details developmentally as to how we look at ourselves. The all-important reflection we receive from others becomes manifest in our opinion of the self, regardless of its accuracy.

In terms of our deranged young murderer, we may never know the truth, but your intuitive center will confirm much of the aforementioned. In Shakespearean terms, “All the world is a stage, and we but the players”. Some speculate that it’s certainly possible that we chose our roles before coming to this stage, that we knew all that our lives would hold, both holy and evil, hence making all of life fair. That’s a hard sell, even for this believer. Get well Gabby, we love you.

D.J. Diebold is a board certified, state licensed behavioral health therapist and substance abuse counselor. He can be reached at (480) 650-1020 or at www.dieboldbehavioralcounseling.com

For court mandated counseling, contact us and develop a therapeutic relationship. The court will usually allow this relationship to continue, thus satisfying your court mandated DUI Counseling or your court mandated substance abuse charges. Both DUI Counseling and Substance Abuse Counseling with us is strictly one-on-one for the duration, as opposed to court referrals, which consist of group counseling.

Learn to believe in yourself again. Allow us to help you in this time of need.

DJ Diebold, CAC, LISAC – 11485
Board Certified, State Licensed
Behavioral Health Therapist