Young Accies warned about danger of drugs
Former addicts and player give hard-hitting talk
Almost 200 youth football players from Hamilton Accies attended a hard-hitting talk about the dangers of drug use this week.
Held in the function suite at the club on Monday evening, the young people were joined by their parents for a 45-minute talk from former addicts.
Introduced to the players by Accies head of youth development, George Cairns, the speakers recalled hitting rock bottom and how they came through their own recovery.
Fittingly, one of the – former professional footballer Colin Mcnair – told the youths about his experiences of playing at the very top level in the Scottish game before succumbing to an invitation on one occasion to sample drugs.
Colin explained: “This one occasion led to years of misery. “
The other speaker, Accies chief executive Colin Mcgowan – in recovery himself for 35 years – delivered direct statistics revealing the devastation drugs are causing in communities.
He said: “One horrifying statistic highlighted that there are over 900,000 children under 16 in Scotland and, shockingly, that somewhere between 35,000 and 51,000 of them are caught up somewhere in the shadow of addiction.
“I also pointed professional people – out that the likes of politicians, lawyers, teachers, police officers, nurses and doctors – are not immune to the scourge of substance abuse and do not escape addiction.
“It is a popular misconception that drug addiction rests solely among the unemployed and poverty stricken.
“The true reality is that this is endemic across all communities in Scotland.”
Mcgowan also spoke of his belief that the government will never be able to come up with a longterm solution to the issue and that the youth of Scotland must firstly be taught about the true horrors of addiction.
He added: “Armed with all the facts, we hope the youths of our country make an informed decision to say no to drugs.
“We also urge anyone in the community with addiction issues, or those affected by someone with addiction issues, to consider taking a look at the new website launched by Hamilton Accies community outreach.
“It can be found online at www. needtogetcleanandsober.com.
“This is a site that guides people to the various 12-step recovery programs.”
The community outreach at Hamilton Accies are currently also undertaking these talks in a number of schools across Lanarkshire in a bid to inform and educate young people about the dangers associated with drug use.