Scotland’s addiction crisis: can outdoor therapy actually help?

Scotland has some of the highest drug deaths in Europe, a deepening mental health crisis and loses between three and four people a day to suicide.
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Yet at the same time, services are being stripped back leaving a gap in support that is often filled with volunteers who have a personal experience of addiction. Guardian reporter Danny Lavelle, joined one of those organisations, Fire & Peace, which aims to encourage bonds with nature to help people beat the cycle of addiction, on a trip to the Scottish Highlands. As a natural sceptic of alternative therapies, could he be convinced of the benefits?

0:00 Scotland’s mental health crisis
1:22 Why nature is helpful for recovery
3:35 Life in Drumchapel
5:14 Setting off to camp
9:55 Fire and Peace talk therapy
11:26 Complementary, not alternative

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#Scotland #MentalHealth #Therapy #Suicide #Nature #News

I’ve had a chaotic last couple of months and I’m actually surprised at myself that I’ve not went backwards. I’ve went through some stuff lately  that was stirring that monster up again. I feel like I was finding myself then I got some really devastating news and I just wanted to do something stupid.

This is a camping trip in the Scottish Highlands for people battling addiction and mental health issues. The theory is that connecting with nature helps with their recovery. You feel second-class citizen. Do you feel that here, do you feel like – Oh no, not at all man, no. Totally at peace here.

Scotland’s drug deaths are almost three times higher than the rest of the UK. There’s a mental health crisis and a suicide rate of around four people per day. Alcohol, suicide, suicide, suicide, suicide and suicide. With so many affected charities driven by people with personal experience are offering support

And care outside of the overstretched health service. At the moment I’m sceptical ’cause they’re not driven by data. We know what some of the solutions are to these problems it’s just that the government aren’t funding what needs to be done. I think ultimately it amounts to putting a sticking plaster on a shotgun wound. Hiya.

You all right? The day before the big trip, I went to meet Jerry who runs the camps to find out why he thinks nature is helpful for recovery. Hi. Hi Jerry, you all right mate? Good to meet you, brother. You’re quite far out in the sticks here aren’t you? I think it’s just lovely, here.

Yeah. It’s quite away from the hustle and bustle, I’m blessed to be living here. Yeah. A minute walk over those houses and that’s me and in the wilds, really. Guys, why don’t you come, guys. If you’re going to spend a night under the stars in the Scottish wilderness,

Jerry is probably the guy to go with. Here we go. Solo winter trip. He has years of expedition experience, as far afield as the Arctic, so I felt I was in safe hands. Growing up I went through quite a lot of childhood trauma,

So when I was young and experiencing this I had to escape. I just had this strong connection to the forest. And what is it? Is it the isolation, is it the landscape, what is it that, like, it has a healing property? I think it’s because the forest’s alive.

I can only walk as far as that wall, I can only see as far as that wall, so it’s really limited in here. We’re being hemmed in, we’re being boxed in, smaller and smaller and smaller, but as before we’re totally free.

Yeah, they said there’s something  in that, being able to see a horizon it actually has a calming effect ’cause it means there’s no threats. I don’t know anything about your background, but obviously, you know, there’s a fair bit of violence, is that fair to say, or fear?

So do you think it was about being out where it’s safe and you can see that there’s no threats on the horizon at all? It’s a feeling of safety. Right. And that’s a word we hear a lot. I feel safe. And what problems need solving at the moment in Glasgow? Well we’re in a mess,

Scotland is in a mess, for a wee nation, an amazing country, get back to the days of William Wallace and Scotland the Brave and all that, we’re a shadow of that. 5 million people. But for some reason we’re the drug-related death capital of Europe, the suicide capital of Europe.

These are some of the most deprived areas in the whole of Scotland, potentially the whole of the UK, and they’re cutting funding. It’s insane. For Jerry, it’s vital that people from Scotland’s most deprived areas benefit from the trips. Including places like Drumchapel, known as the Drum, which has high rates of gang violence

And drug and alcohol dependencies. Keep the elbows in man, keep the elbows in. Jerry met Jay in Drumchapel when he was 14, he struggled with mental health issues and has ADHD. Gang violence, drugs, drink, all that kind of stuff, ’cause that’s all you see. I met Jerry at the perfect time in my life,

You know what I mean, I could have ended up in a completely different route. Have you always been this self-assured and like comfortable in yourself? You know? Yeah, I think I am quite a confident person. Quite a confident lad, yeah. But that’s just through the stuff that I do,

Before I was just kind of timid, you know what I mean? But boxing with Jerry and that, I’ve kind of come out my shell a bit. Give us a right hand, Come on. One right in the ribs. Jay’s also involved with a men’s mental health charity up the road. Come on up.

It’s a drop-in space that also refers people to Jerry. We’ve lost three guys in three years. Scotland loses three guys a day to suicide, so something in here works and it’s down to the guys in here, it’s down to everybody who struggles, who helps each other.

The rest of the boys didn’t make it here unfortunately. What they took the lives these, all of them? Suicide, suicide, suicide, suicide, suicide, suicide. Alcohol, suicide, suicide, suicide, suicide, alcohol. Suicide, suicide, suicide, suicide, suicide and suicide. Enjoy your day. Enjoy your trip. Bye. Ta-ra. That’s all the bivy bags, sleeping bags.

What’s the shovel for, you’re not burying me up there, are you? I’m thinking about it, mate. Oh, no. How we doing, you good, brother? Good, good. All right? Hi Margo, how you doing, pal? I’m Jerry. About 30 people from across Scotland have turned up for the trip.

It’s a mix of newbies and seasoned outdoorsy types. Hey. Three-hour drive up will give me a chance to get a sense of what to expect How long did you battle with addiction for? You got off them now? How long you been clean for? What do you get out of these trips?

What are they like? I’ve never done this before, It’s my first time so, what should I expect, what am I in for? First things first, we’ll get  all the wood down. Those of you who’ve been here before, you know where the fire goes,

Create a nice circle and then we’ll take it from there, is that all right? Oh look at that, that spider. Just tiny little sparks. Ah, yeah. And then you can put that on there. Nearly there. It’s class that, right Jerry? There we go. Oh, there we go, yeah. There we go, combustion.

This is a Swedish oven, this lasts a whole day. As soon as the pots are on that it just burns perfectly, so it does. And what does it do for you, coming up here and doing this? Oh I love it, good getting away from everything, brilliant.

How does your mindset change from when you’re in the city and when you’re out here in the sticks? Waking up knowing you’re coming out that morning, getting your stuff ready, you feel totally different, you know  you’re getting ready to go outside. I don’t know, you just feel pretty relaxed.

I’ll let you take the lead there, Jay. For the weather we’re going to get tonight, it’s going to be a bit windy, so, we’ll go a bit further in and see what we can find for you. Jay, who I met in Drumchapel, was also on the trip

And kindly helped me set up my digs for the night. My old man, he passed away in 2019. I’ve had quite a few bereavements, I’ve lost quite a few uncles, I lost one at the start of the year there. So that’s been the biggest set back I think for this year.

You lost your uncle? Aye, that was through the drugs. Where you close to him? Aye. But it’s gonna, it’s happened before to me so … Not that it’s easier, it’s not easier, but I’ve got the tools now from Jerry and other services that I can, I know

What the steps are  to get back on track. So if I’ve had a a bad week or a bad couple of weeks, I come here, ’cause I know that when I leave I’ll feel 10 times better. It’s too cold. Maybe later. Mum’s hair looks like Rod Stewart.

So how long have you all been coming here? This is my first time. Your first time? A year, ai. A year. Yeah and a half. A year for me. A year. One of things me and Jerry were talking about was how like conventional therapies

Like psychiatry or talk therapy, counselling doesn’t compare to this, would you agree with that? Yeah. Why do you think that is, like? It’s just ’cause you’re out in the open, you’re not stuck in a room, where it’s just eyes on you. For me, man, being around the guys, like,

They get the things I’ve been through, I get what they’ve been through, you know what I mean? And it’s kind of like we’re all on equal footing, innit? You meet people and with 5 minutes man it’s like, you feel like they’re your friends already, do you know what I mean? Yeah. So, yeah.

Like, she doesn’t realise but all day she’s had me buzzing, you know what I mean? So. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, it’s amazing. Hey, do you want to grab a seat. This is a log exercise, it’s basically a chance for you to write something on this log

And it will help you break the power it’s got on you. I have put a big sun, life’s exciting for me even though  I was having a wee bit, yeah, reflection, after quite a really tough time, so trying to be quite strength based in what I actually have achieved in my life.

So I’m just a big ray of sunshine today. Thanks. I’ve got to go a bit dark, I wrote ‘monster’. I’ve went through some stuff lately that was stirring that monster up again, but I’ve managed to quell it and I’m going to keep moving forward. At the start of the year,

I was really excited ’cause I was getting ready to be released from jail after spending nearly  20 years locked up. Then in February I got released, fucking hell … Like, freedom, man, I don’t know what it means at all, like, you know? I’ve not had a life, I’ve not had relationships.

My family, my daughter grew up without me, you know, and I’m desperate to find out what freedom’s all about, really. Yeah. I leave it at that. Yeah, I always like to give this log to someone that I think needs it maybe a wee bit more than the rest of us, you know,

As an anchor. I’d like to give it to James and just say that, listen brother, man you’re free today, alright and that’s all that matters brother, OK mate? The group continued sharing until the night, listening to the stories around the fire made me uncomfortable.

Sharing deeply personal traumas is something I feel is best done in private, but those who spoke told me it’s helping them in their journey of recovery. So who am I to doubt that? A lot of the people here have complicated issues that require professional medical intervention

And it’s all well and good going on a camping trip, but they need need something more structured and intense, what would you say to that? I agree with that as well, it’s got to be be a combination of everything. You know, that’s why I say complementary therapies, not alternative.

I can’t be an alternative to the professionals, ’cause they’ve studied it, they’ve dedicated  their life to studying it for decades, but it can’t be the be all and end all. So yeah, it’s got to be a combination of it all.

You are in recovery and this takes a lot of planning and a lot of work, everyone’s shouting your name every 5 seconds it seems like, so, why do you put this burden on yourself? Although that my name’s getting shouted left, right and centre, you know,

There is a huge amount of responsibility there, the rewards for that just outweigh it. So that’s why I keep doing this. For my own recovery, for my own growth and development and to pass on to others priceless knowledge you can’t go and study anywhere.

It’s got to be learned on the battlefield, I’m afraid, and in the trenches.