Calton Athletic is based in the East End of Glasgow and is a drug recovery group working together with the philosophy of a healthy mind and body. Calton Athletic was founded in the 1980's and has grown in strength since then. Over the year the group has helped many thousand's of men and women to get clean and live happy productive lives.
As well as helping addicts the Calton Athletic has also turned it attention to the future by going into schools to tell children what drug use is really like and to deglamourise the lifestyle.
The importance of drug prevention is a deeply held belief at Calton Athletic This is to try and stop another generation of youngsters being lost to the ravages of drug addiction. The group has travelled to schools all over the UK to try and stop young people following in our footsteps.
Calton Athletic Recovery Group offers hope to every addict that recovery from dependency can be achieved by leading through example. All members of the club has been addicted to drugs, drink or both but now are completely drug free and involved in healthy activities that keep them feeling and looking good.
Please take the time to read through our site to get more information.....
Calton Athletic recovery group was founded in 1985 in the East End of Glasgow as a football team and social club composed of recovering drug addicts. In 1991 the group moved into its first premises to establish a base and run a day recovery programme.
The day programme was set up for addicts who wanted to quit drug and alcohol. To take part in the programme clients had to remain drug free from alcohol, drugs and criminal behaviour. They received individual and group counselling and take part in character building activities. Calton Athletic had a record number of 112 clients completing the program in one year. As well as guiding the programmes graduates into training and Employment there was also the provision of continuous aftercare in the form of evening meetings and weekend activities if anyone required it.
There was also a woman's service that offered counselling and activities for female addicts with a particular emphasis on re-entering employment. This project produced 20 new runners each year for the Glasgow woman's 10km race.
The pinnacle of the female project was when Calton Athletics' female recovering addicts took to the catwalk.
Thanks to a grant from the Robertson Trust Calton Athletic was able to establish a full time project to make a big impact on drugs prevention work in Scottish Schools. The extent of the drug problem is now widely recognised and there can't be a teacher or parent who is not acutely concerned about how to deal with the problem.
The Drugs Awareness Team was created to meet the urgent need for drugs education and awareness programmes for young people living in a society where under age drinking, solvent abused and illegal drug use is increasing prevailant.
The team is comprised entirely of alcohol and drug free recovering addicts which give them a strong credibility with young people. The team regularly visit schools to speak to pupils about drugs.
There is much debate about drugs education in schools but no one within the field agrees that fear alone is a useful method of educating youngsters about drugs. So Calton's approach with pupils is not to employ shock horror tactics but to tell it like it is and allow pupils to draw their own conclusions.
There is no moralising aspect to the message from an authoritarian figure, only honest experience from a believable source.
Over the 1996/97 school year the Drug awareness Team questioned 10,302 young people from primary and secondary schools throughout Scotland. The findings of these surveys provided statistics that left no doubt of the scale of drug use in schoolchildren but also supported the ethos of the team.
The most revealing of the findings include:
38% said they had used illegal drugs
35% of those who had tried drugs admitted to using them in School
26% said that they were 13 when first offered drugs.
93% said they had drunk alcohol
89% said that their drugs awareness had increased
88% felt that recovering drug addicts were the best people to educate them on the subject of drugs
59% said that the team's workshops should start at Primary 6 level
96% now realise how easy it is to get addicted to drugs
96% felt that the Drug Awareness Team was very useful and informative
Those surveyed were made up of:
52% Male
48% Female
Feedback from Schoolchildren, Parents and Teachers....
Glasgow 11 year old: I think taking drugs are the worst thing in the world because you would lose your family
Glasgow 17 year old: I would listen more to ex-addicts because they tell the truth and have been there themselves.
Glasgow trainee teacher: All the talks had a real impact on me and really opened my eyes.
Glasgow parent: All schools should be able to hear these workshops on a regular basis.
Glasgow teacher: Nothing beats real life experience. The speakers were excellent - keep up the good work!
Calton Athletic has a long tradition of travelling to the major football tournament. This all started in Italia 90 when Scotland qualified the Calton boys decided they would go and support them. 17 recovering drug addicts made the planes, trains and automobiles style voyage to their first World Cup making their way from Glasgow to a small Italian town of Pele!
Next up was USA 94 when 22 recovering addicts made the hop over the Atlantic to stay in Orlando. This time there was no Scotland to support but that didn't dampen the spirits. The trip was great with the boys meeting the Republic of Ireland squad when Paddy Bonner spotted us after a training session. This meeting was broadcast on the news back home later on that day.
Now on to England for Euro 96 when the under 18 football team came along for the trip. There were 32 people on the trip and were based in Romford just outside London. We managed to get tickets for the Holland and Switzerland games and enjoyed a fantastic time as ambassadors of Calton Athletic and Scotland.
Next stop was France 98 when Calton Athletic descended on the French Riviera. There were 40 of us and we stayed in Antibes which not far from Monaco. The Calton Athletic lads backed Scotland at the Morocco game and although we were beaten that day that was no excuse to stop the fun.
The next voyage was to Euro 2004 in Portugal where we helped the locals celebrate Englands defeat. We were situated in the middle of the riots that afflicted the tournament. Of course we were all sober and enjoyed watching the hangover brigade dying at breakfast while we were planning what to do that day. The only game that we got tickets for was the Greece and Russia game. Greece ended up going on to win the tournament…. could some of our spirit rubbed off?
The last journey we were on was Germany 2006 when we all headed to Prague and travelled over the border for games. Although there was no Scotland again we still enjoyed ourselves.
A mothers story.........
When I found out my daughter Carol was a junkie my whole world collapsed. I was physically sick with the shock then I nearly had a nervous breakdown with the worry and devastation. I suppose, Like all mothers, you never imagine it will happen to you.
Then I was desperate to know what to do….there was no-one I could confide in with this awful news. I dragged Carol to the GP and he gave her a prescription to wean her off drugs. I hoped and prayed she was over the worst and that our family life would return to normal.
But the next six weeks were a living nightmare. I must have cried a million tears and sometimes thought I would never make it though the night but I knew I had to survive for my daughter's sake. If anything happened to her I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself. I had to stay strong for both of us.
But watching her as she took drugs every day was terrible and I could only hope that slowly weaning her off would work. By the sixth week she was in a terrible state and looked a physical and metal wreck. She told me she was “out of her head” and that was just what I felt like too.
I had heard of Calton Athletic and phoned to ask for an appointment to speak to someone. I was told to bring Carol along for an assessment. When she agreed to go I was so relieved for I felt that maybe we could both get some real help. After the meeting I was to “Leave it to us and she should be OK.” I marvelled at how calmly the staff treated this crisis in my life. She was told to stop taking any drugs and invited onto the day recovery programme that lasted for 3 months.
Within a fortnight I noticed an amazing difference in her. She came home from the programme excited and chattering on about her day like she always used to. Then sometimes she would drift back to being sullen and silent and I started worrying again. But a phone call to Calton convinced me this was par for the course and all part of the recovery process.
After three months Carol was given the customary Calton T-shirt for her successful drug free completion of the day programme. It was the proudest moment of my life as she stepped forward to receive it while everybody loudly applauded. And she looked so well that I cried with happiness and joy.
After that it was marvellous. Carol stayed at the club and got involved in all the activities. There was no stopping her and she was volunteered to go into a school and give a talk on drugs to prevent kids from becoming involved.
Its now a year since she went to Calton and she is still doing well. In my weaker moments I sometimes worry that she might drift back to drugs again but I don't really think she will. She's so strong and confident and enjoying life again that I think, and pray, she has finished with that nightmare period of her life forever.
But if the worst happened at least I know where to turn to for the help now and know that I could cope. To everyone at Calton Athletic I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have no Idea of the worth of the work you are doing.
Calton Athletic Recovery Group have recently moved into premises in Glasgow's East End. We are situated on the Gallowgate near Parkhead Forge.
Address: 1317 Gallowgate, Parkhead, Glasgow
Phone Number: 0141 551 9223
Contact: [email protected]
Website http://www.caltonathletic.com