GLASGOW
MEN ON
THE MOVE

I was born in Glasgow. I was brought up with my mum and dad drinking all my life. My father used to beat us up and that. I have been in various children's homes all my life. When I got out of them I had a place to live. I got involved in drugs and my life has just been downhill from there.

I left Glasgow and moved to Preston but I knew too many people. I have moved to Blackburn. Basically the reason why I have done it is to get away from Glasgow, get away from drugs and that.

I started off by smoking cannabis when I was about fourteen and that led to various other things, amphetamins, tamazipan, vallium and that. Then with my friends I started on Heroin and that. I had watched them do it and wanted to try it because they were on it. Before I knew it I was hooked. My life went straight downhill from there.

The other day I just made a pact with myself that I wanted to get off drugs. I basically have to stay off drugs, especially in the predicament I am in at the moment with nowhere to live. I am finding it very difficult . I have four kids but I am no-longer with their mother due to my drug addiction. We didn't get on and that but I am alright with my kids. They come and see me and I go to see them. I would rather stay away at the moment while I get myself off drugs, because it's not very fair on them seeing me the way I am.

I have not worked since the age of twenty-one. Before that I got my City and Guilds in Painting and Decorating. That's all I've done all my life, the only job I had.

Glasgow is a different culture altogether, it's just violence, that's how we were brought up, men have to be men, we're not meant to show our emotions and that. So it was very difficult if you wanted to cry, you know what I mean?. You were seen to be a sissy so you just kept all your emotions inside of you. Obviously there're going to fall out one day aren't they?

My life just basically revolved around drugs, drugs, drugs, from the moment I woke up till I went to sleep at night. Every minute of the day you're just thinking about where your next bag is coming from. I was on something like between seven or eight bags a day which was costing me seventy or eighty pounds a day. The only way I could get that was through stealing, otherwise I wasn't getting. The people I was with they would buy drugs one day if they had money, I would buy drugs another day if I had money. It was just like shoplifting, stealing, anything just to get money to buy drugs. I mean like paving flags off the ground, picking them up and selling them. I have cleared full streets and that.

I am trying to come off drugs but I am finding it very difficult at the moment. If I was back up in Scotland I would be back on them, so that's one good thing for me. I am down here, I don't know anybody in Blackburn so that's a big help to me at the moment.

I didn't have much of a family because I was beat up all my life by my dad. He was just an alcoholic. If I didn't do what I was told I got battered. I have been in children's homes most of my life. They we're very bad because you didn't know anybody so you were just left to fend for yourselves. If you didn't do this you were punished, if you didn't make your bed in the morning, if you didn't wash up you were punished. You had to go to schools of their choice, you couldn't go to a school you wanted to go to. Basically I didn't like it so I just rebelled against it. From children's homes I went into prison for stealing, shoplifting, fighting, drug addiction.

Today I have been to various hostels and hotels and that but they want thirty-two pounds up front for a double room for me and my friend. I have just been trying to beg the money so that we have somewhere to stay but people just walk by you, they haven't got the time of day.

Thanks to Edges readers I have now got accomodation. It's important that you support this magazine called Edges. I think it does a lot to help the homeless, people on drugs and that. It helps people get their life back.