The Language of Possibility

DAYTON-Brad Barton, a certified drug prevention specialist and a card-carrying member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, appeared at the Liberty Theater on Thursday to delight the crowd with a number of what he called "cheap, cheesy magic tricks." This included levitating cards, turning bubbles into marbles, and performing "the torn and restored newspaper" illusion.

Barton also offered some sobering statistics about alcoholism.

According to the Utah Department of Substance Abuse Prevention, if a person's age of first alcohol use is twenty-one, there is a one in fourteen chance of becoming an alcoholic; if at seventeen, there is a one in four chance of becoming alcoholic; and if at thirteen, there is a 50-50 chance of becoming alcoholic.

"And alcohol changes the developing brain," Barton said.

There were several risk factors for alcoholism in Barton's own early life, he told the audience. He said that growing up on a cattle ranch in Salmon, Ida. was less than ideal. He also said he was the proverbial 20-pound weakling, he was academically challenged, and he had a genetic propensity for alcoholism as well.

Barton said his grandfather was an alcoholic, and that his father was an angry, abusive man, who died at a relatively young age.

"I was a broken kid," he said of his early years.

But in high school things turned around for him, when his wrestling coach, George Artemis, took an interest in him. When his father said he didn't have what it took to go to college, Artemis encouraged him to go.

"He showed me the magic was inside me all along," Barton said. "I was a late bloomer. But I did it, all of it, including academics in college, and athletics. My social life and other things worked out okay," he said.

Now Barton says that it only takes one person "speaking the language of possibility" to help a kid who is at risk.

Barton also said magic happens in prevention when the right steps are learned and performed in the right order. Making good choices and promoting the positives are essential.

He said his family uses the 30/30 Rule, which is to spend the first thirty seconds with family members engaged in positive interaction, and making the last thirty seconds with family encounters positive ones, as well.

Barton also pointed out the importance of words, and how they are used. He said the magic chant abracadabra is a very old word, meaning "it comes to pass as I have spoken," or "speak, and it comes to pass."

Words can hurt, or help, and have lasting power, Barton said. He said he remembers a running event with a friend, who told him, after it was over, "I'm so dang proud of you. If you were stock, I'd invest in you."

"Let's use the power of words to create magic in our lives," He said.

Positive peer influences are important, too, Barton said. "Make sure you know who your children's friends are, and know where they spend their time," he told the parents. "Set boundaries."

Finally, Barton talked about the importance of building resilience in the face of adversity, and he said, "Champs do not put themselves down."

This recipe for a successful life has worked for Barton who said he was a three-time, all-state wrestler in high school, and a champion long distance runner. He said he won the state championship in cross-country in 1983.

Barton said that Chick Hislop, a future head Olympic distance running coach and eventual track and field hall of fame inductee, saw that event and offered Barton a scholarship to Weber State University in Utah. At Weber State, Barton became one of that school's hall of fame track and field competitors.

In 1991 Barton said he ran the four-minute mile at the indoor Big Sky Conference Championship and then after eight years of preparation, Barton qualified for the U.S. Olympic trials.

Barton lives in Ogden, Utah with his wife and six children, all of whom, he says, are positively engaged.

The Coalition for Youth and Families, partnered with the Dayton High School organization Students Helping Each Other to bring Barton to the community as part of their strategic prevention program.