Services
Here for you
Alternatives, as a Community Recovery Programme, aims to support individuals based on their needs incorporating life changing experiences and set them on their own path towards a fulfilling lifestyle.
Our Programmes
We offer a three stage development programme to support people who wish to address their substance abuse as part of their journey of recovery. Gaining control of an addictive behaviour involves changes that affect many aspects of an individual’s life.
Alternatives offer an intensive community programmes which includes a combination of individual and group support to assist participants on their unique journey of recovery. Programmes consist of: – 1-2-1 counselling- Group Work- Education- Therapies- Activities/Events- Gender Specific Groups- Family Support Groups
Stage 1 – Foundation
The Foundation programme is open to individuals who are looking for support to stabalise or reduce their drug misuse and / or prescribed medications. This Programme also gives individuals the chance to learn about the various services on offer and the opportunity to move into a more intensive programme.
Stage 2 – Advanced
The Advanced Group hosts a structures day programme and is open to individuals who have stabilised on medication. The aim of this programme is to initiate a significant change of lifestyle introducing education and community opportunities.
Stage 2 – Move On
One of the most difficult phases is maintaining and abstinent lifestyle. We offer the Move On programme to support This level of programme helps support individuals in one of the most difficult phases, looking at self development and personal recovery direction. The Move On programme is targeted at individuals wishing to maintain a healthier lifestyle and reconnecting them with training, volunteering and active citizenship.
Our Projects
We currently run, or plan to run, many different projects in and around the community. You can learn more about these below.
Safe as Houses Project
The service is designed to provide you with a structured environment where you can explore your issues relating to substance misuse. You will be encouraged to learn new skills that will enable you to develop a healthy lifestyle and return to independent living in the community.
Horticulture Project
We have been fortunate in acquiring from WDC the lease of a large site at Knowetop, at the top of Castlehill Road in Dumbarton. Our plans for the site include the establishment of a horticulture operation, growing organic fruit, veg, herbs and other plants for use in our cafes and for sale to the public and to other charities. There will be a training scheme on site for Alternatives clients, run by a qualified horticulturalist.
Wildlife Habitat Creation Project
The site at Knowetop, as well as the horticulture project, also offers exciting opportunities for developing the wider (large) site with and for the community. We have plans including orchard, mindfulness garden, mountain bike track and allotments, as well as expanding and enhancing the wildlife habitats which are already on site, such as woodland, hedgerows, wildflower meadows and willow pollards.
Heritage Project
Alternatives is working closely with the Skylark IX Recovery Trust, which is restoring a Dunkirk Little Ship, as well as gathering and researching its stories and delivering a woodworking/boat-building skills operation in the Denny’s Tank Museum in Dumbarton.
Catering Project
We have been running the highly successful ‘Sweet Success’ café as a pilot in the Concord Community Centre in Dumbarton for over a year now. This experiment is now leading on to a more established and expanded operation, with training opportunities for Alternatives clients linked to Clydebank College. We also plan to open a second café in Clydebank, once we have an agreed site.
Upcycling Project
Next to the horticulture operation at Knowetop, we plan to install some ex-shipping containers as the work base for an upcycling operation, run by a professional artist and offering training opportunities for Alternatives clients.