It was great to see so many attending this kind of alcohol-free event with over 2500 folk through the gates over the day. It was a day of music and dancing, but also community involvement and engagement. As well as DJs and live acts, the festival also saw stalls operated by recovery, mental health, homelessness services and local social enterprises throughout the day.
We are blessed here in Glasgow to have both a thriving recovery community and a thriving music scene. However, there has historically been a lack of connection and cross over between the two communities. It seemed that those involved in music and nightlife spaces felt that they had to leave this part of their lives behind if they wanted to embark on the journey of recovery. As a result, we have missed out on amazing people continuing to contribute to the music scenes: too often we have witnessed talented DJs, promoters, dancers, door staff and bartenders retreat or altogether disappear from nightlife after they get into recovery.
Thankfully, this is changing with events like Recovery Connects and Good Clean Fun. We are demonstrating that it’s not one or the other: you can be in recovery and also be involved with the music scene. You can get sober and also go out dancing until the early hours with your pals. You can be a promoter or DJ in a way that feels safe for you and your wellbeing.
On the night, our club is all about the music, the dancing and being with your friends. The nights are attended by people for all sorts of reasons: many who come are in recovery but many are not. Our focus has always been in creating an excellent club night.
But these nights don’t take place in a vacuum: Scotland currently has one of the highest drug and alcohol death rates in the developed world. There were 1,245 alcohol-specific deaths in 2021 (where alcohol was the underlying cause of death) – an increase of 5% (55 deaths) on 2020. As well as a high death rate, the number of people identifying as “problem” drinkers or drug users is high. This has a massive impact on public spending, Scots potential to flourish in all areas of life and the worldwide perception of Scotland.
As the parties and community around them grow, we will continue to participate in events like Recovery Connects to ensure we are engaging with other types of organisations that are currently tackling the problem of substance misuse in our country.
Thanks to Eddie Clarke, Derek Watt and Shaun Kenny from The Recovery Collective for inviting us along and for putting on such an excellent and well-needed event.
We were there with out giant teapot (handmade by artist Katie Grenville), homemade fudge form Gemma, and You + I Kombucha and Luscome Ginger Beer taster shots – a wee sample of what’s available from the bar at a Good Clean Fun event!
Looking forward to next year 🙂
