I’ve just read this article in the Scotsman: Scotland’s alcohol problem: ‘I drink to get out my face and fall asleep’. It paints a very bleak picture of life in Shettleston in Glasgow’s East End.

BEHIND the third barstool at the Portland Arms in Shettleston, a small brass plaque is fixed to the bar. “Davie Gerthy’s Spot,” it reads.

He was, locals recall, a man who worked hard for his family. But when the work dried up, his life became measured in pints.

The Glasgow area was once, not so long ago, a major producer of just about everything you could imagine. From ships, locomotives and cars to encylopedias, textiles and Penguin biscuits!

I happen to believe that one of government’s primary concerns is employment. I don’t mean the creation of millions of non-jobs à la New Labour, but rather to help ensure there are jobs in industry, agriculture and tourism.

Portland Arms regular Andrew Wallace, 49, bemoans the loss of jobs in the area.

In every pub you’ll find skilled tradesmen, drinking away their lives because there’s nothing else. You get up, go out, and then what?

But lack of work isn’t the only problem. Another drinker in the Portland Arms says,

I grew up in a good household, where my parents both worked hard for their family. But at the weekend, it was as if they tried to fit five days worth of drinking into two. Every relative was giving you a drink, making sure you were topped up. That’s the environment I grew up in.

For those who don’t know, I was an alcoholic myself, saved from ten years drinking by the grace of Almighty God. With me, I was in work when I started. I often felt tense, so a couple of drinks at home in my tiny bedsit of an evening felt like a good thing to do. Only I became very quickly dependent.

I became very ill in 1998 and had to be detoxed. I am sure this saved my life. I have never returned to drinking.

The Scottish Government is planning various draconian measures to force people to drink less. They want prices to rise. From my own experience this won’t help. Alcoholism takes over. It’s like a disease. Many think it is a disease. If the prices rise then people will just go without food or heating. I did and that was with relatively low alcohol prices.

A few years ago, I set up Truth, which was meant to promote proper education on alcohol matters. After my own escape, I was keen to help others, but to be honest, I’m still unsure of the best way. For certain, having useful employment to go to is a major benefit and successive governments have betrayed the people of Shettleston and many other communities.

Glasgow was the Empire's Second City, made strong by trade and industry