The Challenge of Developing and Sustaining a Recovery Group in Glasgow: Calton Athletic Recovery Group

Abstract

This article will consider how Calton Athletic Recovery Group (CARG) defines and supports recovery and will examine the challenges inherent in setting up and sustaining a project that has a primary aim to „bring recovery into the community.” Based in the East end of Glasgow, the project was set up in 1985 as a football team and social group aimed at supporting and sustaining recovery from drug and alcohol problems. In the 25 years that CARG has been in existence, it has experienced highs and lows in terms of funding, resources, and wider support. The issues of sustainability and community identity are considered as experienced by the members of CARG.

KEYWORDS:

• recovery
• community
• resources
• challenges
• self-supporting

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to thank David Bryce and members of the Calton Athletic Recovery Group; and David Best and the anonymous referees for their helpful comments on an earlier version of this paper.

Notes

This information on which this article is based was collated as part of a larger study and does not attempt to provide an „evaluation” of the project.

The Calton area of Glasgow has the lowest average male life expectancy in Scotland (at 53.9 years). This is considerably lower than life expectancy in (for example) Iraq (67.49 years) and the Gaza Strip (70.5 years; General Register Office for Scotland, 2010).

While CARG has provided a service for women in the past, it now focuses solely on working with men.

The article does not present views from the wider community; this important insight could usefully be obtained for the future.

There have been ongoing debates (see, for example, the New Abstentionists debate; Best, Loaring, Ghufran, & Day, 2008; Scotland's Future's Forum, 2008; UK Drug Policy Commission [UKDPC], 2008)

See David's book Alive and Kicking, with Simon Pia (2005), for a more detailed account.

Originally proposed by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) as a method of recovery from alcoholism, the 12 steps were first published in the book, Alcoholics Anonymous, in 1939. Twelve-step programs have received particular attention from professionals advocating the importance of „recovery” as a priority for drug treatment services.

The importance of individuals in recovery helping others to recover is now acknowledged as crucial in sustaining long-term recovery (see White & Kurtz, 2006). This recognition has informed the current Scottish Drugs Strategy.

It was not possible to obtain quantitative data about the previous or current operation of the group. However, given the importance of statistical data to support the effective operation of organizations in general (i.e., outputs, outcomes), this is an area that CARG is currently attempting to develop.

This concern led to the development of AA as a completely self-financing organization (see Kurtz, 1979). Humphreys et al. (2004, p. 156) also note that „it is important not to bureaucratize or co-opt what is essentially a grassroots movement.”