Inside recovery charity helping make Christmas special this year
Sisco service users are looking forward to enjoying festive dinner ‘ without temptation’
WHEN a man tells the group he has been seven days without any “d r i n k , d r u g s or medication” the smiles ripple around the room like an electric current.
The men’s group at recovery group Sisco is meeting in its base in Ruchill in the north of the city and the men have allowed the Glasgow Times to sit in.
They are sharing their thoughts and feelings about how their weekend was as they get ready for the week ahead in their journey to a life free of substances.
The subjects are the same as you would expect from any other group of men if they were able to be open and honest with one another.
Talking about their families, children, what they feel about Christmas coming up and reflecting on situations and how they dealt with them.
They are united in their support for one another but also in their recognition that they are where they are on the road to recovery because of the support of Sisco.
Over the next week, the normal support groups and counselling sessions continue but there are added festive events.
It is a difficult time for the men and women who attend Sisco.
This week there will be a party with a Christmas dinner for 50 people and a Secret Santa.
Another Christmas party is happening at the recovery group at Celtic Park and a Christmas dinner at Barlinnie Prison where it also runs the recovery cafe.
The charity and the men recognise Christmas will be hard.
Some don’t see their children or families, while others do, and that also brings its own challenges.
Brendan, one of the volunteers, leads the session and allows the men to speak freely, offering his thoughts and experience when they have finished.
Some are worried about the temptation of the festive period for someone in recovery.
One man explained what the group and its base in the community means to him.
He said: “I don’t know where I’d be without this place.”
Then he said he does know. He thinks he would “probably be dead”.
He is not from Glasgow but is staying “for the recovery”.
He said: “Sisco has helped me get a flat, they gave me clothes.
“I’ve had to put a lot of effort in myself but it has been worth it. I’m coming out of addiction.
“I want to live, I just want to live.”
Next up, a milestone is revealed in the ‘ check- in’ session.
The man has only been coming for a few weeks, but like the others there is a bond that feels like they have been friends for years.
He said: “Today I’ve been seven days with no drink, drugs or medication.”
He credits coming to Sisco with being able to get this far.
The effects, the benefits of recovery, he said, have a domino effect on other parts of his life and he is seeing things “bright” for the first time.
That’s when everyone else in the
I’ve had to put a lot of effort in myself but it has been worth it. I just want to live
room smiles with him. They are genuinely pleased and the shared hope they have is abundantly clear.
Recovery is helping to heal and repair relationships from the destruction of addiction.
These men are not fools, they know how hard they will have to work to get to where they want to be and stay there.
Every day, and especially Christmas, is difficult for the men and women who come to Sisco.
One of the men said: “Christmas is a hard time. It is not just another day.”
However, many are looking forward to the festive dinner.
One man said: “Being able to come here for a Christmas event and being able to enjoy it with no pressures or temptation will be so good.”
Natalie Maclean, chief executive of Sisco, said the services and the support will not stop over Christmas. “If anything, it will be more ‘ we don’t close’,” she said.
She said: “Some of our people don’t see family members. We try to fill that gap.
“We’re trying everyone a Christmas gift.
“We want to let them know whatever else is happening at least they have us.
“We care for each other.”