Scott Richards is five years clean and sober from his past life riddled with a cocaine addiction.

He, like many in Glasgow’s East End, grew up in a life of bitter gang crime and violence. Substance abuse was part of everyday life.

Shettleston is among the most deprived communities in the UK and is one of the areas at the centre of Europe’s drug deaths emergency.

Scott’s dance with death came to a head at Christmas in 2019 when he stood numb in his living room surrounded by his children. His drug misuse left him emotionally blank.

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It was the wake-up call which stopped him becoming a drug death statistic in Scotland’s national shame.

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He now runs a recovery group called ‘East End walk and talk’ for others in his community who are gripped in this emergency.

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They gather for runs and cold water swimming, allowing them to talk about their shared troubles and the best tactics for changing their lives.

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Scott, who is now a taxi driver, feels he is stepping in due to government failures to tackle the scandal.

His project now supports 25 people who would otherwise possibly not have engaged in other services.

He told Sky News: “People who turn up to our groups are the unsung heroes of the community who turn up.

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“I thought to myself that something needs to be done. I need to be able to help.

“After the stats today, it’s horrific that we are still losing people. When the government is going to keep burying in the sand, recovery groups are going to be there.

“We will do our best to save lives. We won’t rely on the government to give people hope.”

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