Tackling addiction
Hamilton Accies are tackling the destruction that alcohol and drugs are causing in communities across Lanarkshire.
The club’s community outreach team will deliver over 50,000 Know the Score leaflets – containing alcohol and drug facts – to every school in the area.
They will also be distributed to community groups in Hamilton, and give an insight into the devastation that addiction can cause.
Colin Mcgowan, chief executive at Accies, told the Advertiser: “We firmly believe that our youths must finish their education and leave schools and college armed with the facts and the truths of what alcohol and drugs can do when abused. This way the youths of today can then make informed choices.
“The statistics are horrifying. Scotland has 913,000 under-16s and it’s estimated that between 35,000 and 55,000 are caught up in the shadow of addiction.
“It’s easy to forget that addiction is a family disease; one person may use, but it’s the whole family that suffers, so it’s not only the addict or the alcoholic that needs support, they all do.
“Al-anon and Family Anonymous are fellowships which are freely available to help support the family and friends affected by a loved one’s current, suspected or former drink or drug problem.
“The real damage is the entire family unit being torn apart. Doing nothing is no longer an option.”
The leaflets also include the phone numbers of six different outreach fellowships that can be contacted by anyone looking for help or support, such as Gamblers Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.