A charity is handing out free alcohol safety packs in Central Station to raise awareness of addiction.
Drug and alcohol charity WithYou will be at the station on Friday handing out the free packs in the hope of raising awareness of the risks of drinking too much, particularly over the festive period.
Research carried out on behalf of the charity found that two fifths (41%) of Scots believe alcohol is important for work Christmas parties, while more then seven in 10 (72%) people in the UK do not know the NHS weekly alcohol limit.
He found himself stranded in the city after days of drinking over the New Year period. He was supported by his local WithYou service and now plans to volunteer with the charity.
READ MORE: 'So sad': Glasgow cafe announces shock closure after two years
By the time he was 15 years old, Paul had anxiety and depression but felt unable to articulate his feelings. When he discovered alcohol, he felt like when he drank the negative emotions “dissipated”.
He said: “I just thought to myself, it’s like a wee magic potion for me. Every time I drank, I felt better, it made me feel as though I was more interesting, it added colour to the world.
“I just chased that feeling.”
In January, Paul travelled through to Glasgow on his own for a football match. The game took place on Sunday, and Paul had been drinking since Friday evening.
READ MORE: 'Thrilled': Glasgow's OVO Hydro wins major award
On his way back to the bus station his phone died, and he wasn’t allowed back on the bus as he couldn’t access his ticket. Paul was left on the streets with no idea how to get home.
He continued: “It was definitely my rock bottom. To be quite honest with you, it was the worst I’ve ever been.
“I felt suicidal that night in Glasgow – just depressed, embarrassed, guilty, full of shame.”
He said: “I felt like I’d wasted 30 years drinking and that I’d wasted the best years of my life, but now I think that by volunteering and hopefully going into this kind of work eventually, then those 30 years won’t have been wasted.
“It’ll be like a 30-year apprenticeship – I’ll be able to take those lessons I experienced forward to help other people.
“If I can do that, it won’t have been wasted.”
Graeme Callander, policy lead at WithYou, encouraged people to speak to the charity in Central Station on Friday.
READ MORE: Warning as major Glasgow road to be hit with 'urgent works' for eight weeks
He said: “While many of us enjoy having a drink to celebrate this special time of year, we do know that sometimes people can cause themselves harm.
“Please come to speak to us in Glasgow Central Station and pick up your free alcohol safety pack. We want to stop people waking up with a nasty hangover and worse memories!
“For anyone who is struggling, or knows someone who is, we are WithYou this Christmas. Visit wearewithyou.org.uk to access our free, confidential Webchat for advice, or to find out about your local service.”
If you are struggling with any of the issues raised in this article, you can also contact Samaritans for free, 24/7, on 116 123, by emailing jo@samaritans.org or by visiting www.samaritans.org.
Share