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Show m iuc unny nan cnronicie, January 8, VJiU S Community Drug Crisis Center " Jew kind of help offered to Salt Lake drug users merits in his life-those same elements ele-ments which cause a person to take drugs." How successful has this approach been? ' Well, with the limited exposure and funds that we have to work with, I think the Drug Crisis Center has had tremendous tre-mendous success." "However," Davidson continues, "with the mounting drug usage in the younger age groups, and I mean young, like ten, eleven and twelve-year olds, steps must be to try and bridge that gap between bet-ween the members of a family. We have planned in the near future a "Family Thing" which is a combined com-bined seminar, rap session, or whatever, which is basically designed de-signed to get old and young of a family together. We will expose both old and young alike to the facts about drugs both from a psychological-sociological level, and the legal ramifications of drug abuse." taken soon to prevent this from exploding into an unmanageable situation." The whole philosophy of the Drug Crisis Center, that of trying to "talk kids into living life" is new, as is the work of its director. However, the basic idea of it all is as old as drugs itself. You can't force a person into reality; the impetus for such a step must come from inside and from the "gentle touch and sincere sin-cere word of someone who cares." BY STEVEN R. CHRISTENSEN Special to the Chronicle "You can't talk a kid out of using drugs, you've got to talk him into living life." That quote could very well be the key to the unlocking of a very difficult and complex problem in our society ...namely, drug abuse. And, fortunately for the residents of the State of Utah, that quote comes from the director of the Community Drug Crisis Center, Terry Davidson, here in Salt Lake City. "The use of drugs," said Davidson, David-son, "is only a symptom of another problem, a problem which goes beyond the legal controls con-trols now used to curb drug abuse. Rather than treat a disease with a disease, we much try and reach the drug user at the primary level, namely those factors in his life which cause him to seek refuge in the "unreal" world of drugs." The Community Drug Crisis Center, located in the heart of the city, is a unique operation. It's a place where habitual "dopers" as well as the casual "experimenter" can go to seek advice and feel free to talk about their problems, without the fear of legal action being taken against them because they have in effect "confessed" to being drug users. "The police have really been cool. 1 don't know of anybody getting busted, trailed, or otherwise other-wise harrassed because they have come to the Center. We don't harbor them, we just care." "The average drug user," said Davidson, "has a weak and battered bat-tered ego. He lacks the basic self-identity self-identity which we all must have as people. Consequently, he seeks his "real" world by using drugs." The programs employed by Davidson and his staff are designed de-signed to rebuild that "weak and battered ego" and give the person the self-confidence and esteem he or she needs. One of the hardest barriers to break down in our society is that wall, gap, or unbridged space which exists between parent and child. "We are going to make an honest attempt," says Davidson, "What is happening in our society so-ciety is a very dangerous trend of treating the troubled drug user with stiffer penalties; threatening him with prolonged detention, and literally trying to scare the potential user away from trying drugs. This whole value system is, in my opinion, incorrect." "What we need are more inpatient in-patient clinics. Places where we can isolate the drug user and remove re-move him from the negative ele- |