ABOUT US

The Addiction Recovery Centre is a registered charity based in Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire, founded in June 2002.

Our aim has always been to provide a safe, supportive environment where individuals can access help, find hope, and begin their recovery journey. As charitable organisation, the Addiction Recovery Centre operates with a strong sense of social responsibility and community partnership. We collaborate with local services, health professionals, and support networks to ensure a holistic and joined-up approach to recovery. Over the years, we have remained dedicated to our founding purpose: addressing unmet needs, promoting hope, and supporting lasting recovery for individuals and families across East Dunbartonshire and beyond.

The Centre was established in response to a clear gap in local services for individuals and families affected by addiction, with the aim of providing accessible, compassionate, and practical support to those who need it most. Since opening our doors, we have been committed to supporting people experiencing a wide range of substance-related and addictive behaviours, recognising that addiction affects not only individuals but also families and the wider community. Our approach is rooted in dignity, respect, and understanding, ensuring that everyone who engages with our services is treated without judgement and with genuine care.

Our charity is a user-led organisation, built on the belief that lived experience is one of the most powerful tools in supporting recovery.

At the heart of our work are volunteers who have personally experienced addiction and are now living in stable, long-term recovery. By openly sharing their journeys, challenges, and successes, they offer understanding, empathy, and hope to those who are currently struggling. This peer-led approach helps individuals feel heard, supported, and less isolated, while demonstrating that recovery is possible.

Our volunteers collectively bring over 150 years of combined recovery experience. This wealth of knowledge allows us to provide practical, realistic, and compassionate support rooted in real-life understanding rather than theory alone. Their experiences enable them to relate to individuals at every stage of recovery and to offer guidance that is both credible and inspiring.

ARC Drop-In & Meeting Times

29 Townhead, Kirkintilloch, G66 1NG
🕛 Centre Open: 12:00pm – 3:00pm
🕐 Recovery Meetings: 1:00pm – 2:00pm
📅 Days: Monday, Wednesday & Friday

Additional Support

The charity is governed by a dedicated board of trustees who bring a wide range of professional skills and expertise. These include business management, finance, strategic planning, leadership, communication, and problem-solving. This diverse skill set ensures strong governance, sound financial oversight, and clear strategic direction, allowing the charity to operate effectively and sustainably.

The combination of lived experience at a service-delivery level and professional expertise at a governance level provides balanced and robust leadership. It enables ethical, informed, and transparent decision-making while ensuring the needs of those we support remain central to everything we do. Through this structure, our charity is able to deliver meaningful, high-quality services that truly reflect the voices and experiences of the people we exist to help.