A small creative arts organisation in Glasgow is quietly transforming how people in recovery see themselves. In Cahootz is based in the city’s Anderston area. It runs a creative recovery programme called Creative Citizens. The programme uses drama, art and music to help people who have struggled with addiction. It gives them purpose, confidence and a renewed sense of belonging.

Speaking on the Abbeycare Listen Up podcast, creative director Kate Black explained how the creative recovery programme began. In Cahootz had been running workshops on tackling sectarianism since 2010. Through personal connections, Black began similar work with local recovery projects. A single voluntary performance for one project proved a huge success. Demand from participants grew quickly. By 2017, the work had become a fully funded creative recovery programme. National Lottery funding helped make that possible.

A creative recovery programme built on more than theatre

Today, the project offers far more than the annual play it is best known for. Alongside drama, participants can join art classes and a music group. There is a weekly cultural walking group too. Democracy workshops run ahead of elections. They help people who have never voted feel confident enough to do so. A long running book group meets regularly. Dance sessions have recently joined the programme as well.

According to Black, the creative recovery programme works partly because it rarely talks about addiction directly. Sessions focus on personal growth, creativity and citizenship instead. They still sit alongside formal recovery support such as meetings, sponsors and aftercare planning. Importantly, no referral is needed. People simply let the team know they are coming. A participant or staff member will often meet newcomers at a nearby landmark. This helps people cross what can feel like an impossible threshold.

Paul Byrne joined In Cahootz three years ago. He had been in supported accommodation through Phoenix Futures at the time. Byrne said the creative arts initiative gave him back skills and confidence that addiction had buried. He had performed in bands for years before his addiction took hold. Byrne said he lost touch with that talent until he walked through the door at In Cahootz.

Confidence, family and a sense of belonging

Remarkably, Black estimates that around 80 percent of participants never previously considered themselves creative people. Many discover writing, music or acting skills for the first time. This often happens while working towards the organisation’s annual production. The process typically takes almost six months. It runs from the first workshop through to opening night.

That journey appears to carry effects well beyond the rehearsal room. Byrne described performing in front of family members who had not seen him in years. This included a sister he had been estranged from during his addiction. The experience helped rebuild trust that years of difficulty had eroded. Black agreed that watching a relative perform on stage often shifts family relationships for good. It gives people something positive to hold onto, even during difficult moments in recovery.

Funding pressures threaten the creative recovery programme’s future

Despite its impact, the creative recovery programme now faces real funding uncertainty. Three major funding streams are all due to end within months of each other this year. These include Glasgow City Council’s Glasgow Community Fund and Corra Foundation support. Black confirmed new funding had recently been secured to keep the project running. However, she warned that the certainty of the past three years is unlikely to continue.

In response, In Cahootz launched a public donations campaign last year. Black said it received a strong response from supporters. The money raised covers small but important costs. This includes simple things like taking participants for a cup of tea. It also supports the wider running of weekly sessions.

Both Black and Byrne believe losing the creative recovery programme would leave a significant gap. Glasgow’s recovery community would feel that gap most. Byrne now volunteers with the project as well as attending sessions himself. He said the structure and routine it provides each winter has become central to staying well. Participants actively build their week around it, he explained.

For anyone considering getting involved, Black said confidence is the only requirement, not talent. People can contact In Cahootz directly by email or social media. New participants are often met in person before their first session. This small step makes that first visit a little easier.

Source: dbrecoveryresources