Alive and Kicking (1991). Based on the excellent work of the Glasgow's Calton Athletic Recovery Group, which has been helping individuals recover from drug and alcohol addiction since 1985 and, at the time of production, had helped over five hundred kick the habit through their unique abstinence and sports-based recovery programme.
Alive and Kicking is the story of an unusual and highly successful football club. The Calton Athletic Recovery Project is run by, and for, former drug-addict. David Bryce the man who has given the last 20 year of his life to helping people conquer their addiction. While an uplifting and inspirational tale, it’s also a cautionary one, and in its telling it issues a challenge to us a society, regarding how perceive and tackle one of the great social problems of our time.
The effects of playing football…
The Calton Athletic football team was formed in the mid-eighties. The team was originally made up of recovering addicts from Glasgow’s East End as a way of strengthening their recovery and as a positive focus away from drugs and alcohol. The effects of playing football meant the players were physically fitter, more disciplined and felt better within themselves.
Sadly, we no longer have the football team after the passing of our former director David Bryce in 2011.
We do still participate in 5 a side football at St Mungo's Academy in the east end Glasgow every Tuesday evening.
The football team inspired the TV hit Alive and Kicking involving Robert Coltrane and Lenny Henry, They were also featured in the cult movie Trainspotting the cast attended our self-help meetings then football training. With the proper resources we would consider returning to the football team as this was the flagship in the past for the group.
