Comments on: Down Among The Meths Men

By: AbbyR

AbbyR — Sat, 08 Mar 2025 18:50:10 +0000

Even the most down and out person has a story to tell. I once met a homeless man, dressed in rags and smelling of alcohol and body order. I stop to give him some food. He told me of his life, he had once been a highly respected teacher. Had a family. It made me angry that society had not done its job to help him, sad that his family had not been there for him. A society is only as good as it treats the least of it’s citizens.

By: Mr Andrew McKay

Mr Andrew McKay — Wed, 03 Jan 2024 17:13:59 +0000

With the Social Security system in place now you don’t see these poor unfortunates on the streets in the numbers we used to see in the 60s and 70s, many of them at least have a roof over their heads, courtesy of social housing. Whether it’s warm and clean is another matter. I know there are people still sleeping rough, but not in the same numbers as 50 odd years ago. I used to see these poor men (it was mostly men) gathered at Aberdeen’s Gallowgate, completely legless and incoherent before opening time. Where did they get the drink – licensed grocers?

By: Pam

Pam — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 18:34:49 +0000

As a child I was fascinated by the homeless people in Whitechapel. I think that if we were to see a group of them today we would be utterly shocked, the poverty and degradation was actually beyond imaginable and not to be romanticised. I am grateful to the Gentle Author for this article, I had thought no-one would remember or be interested in those people whose conditions affected me so much as a child, also for bringing Geoffrey Fletcher’s book to my attention, I have purchased a copy.

By: Jack Kelly

Jack Kelly — Sun, 11 Sep 2022 06:16:10 +0000

Heart wrenching.

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 12 May 2022 18:55:12 +0000

Perhaps I’m romanticizing all of this, much as I tend to do with “riding the rails”, but I really wish I could have lived in this area back in its heyday, living on nothing but methyl alcohol and the kindness of strangers, who would have taken pity on poor, pathetic ole me. It’s sad, but it’s sad in a way that touches my sensitive soul. I’m sure that many of the denizens of this time and place formed strong friendships, the kinds of friendships that would have continued long past the grave.

By: George

George — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 02:43:30 +0000

With respect to denatured alcohol (methylated spirits), if methanol (methyl alcohol) is used as an additive to the ethanol, the substance becomes not just unpalatable, but actually poisonous, and if consumed can cause blindness or death.

Wikipedia has an article on the types of denatured alcohol. And in its ethanol article, it also lists the grades of ethanol, including absolute alcohol, which refers to ethanol with low water content which is also not intended for human consumption.

By: bob l

bob l — Wed, 27 Nov 2019 01:28:01 +0000

As a child I lived in Aldershot, a military town with a lot of what we called “derelicts”. Most of them were war vets who suffered from shell shock. A little ditty some of the kids would taunt them with went thus
Lately Lincon I been thinking just what is that you are drinking?
Looks like whiskey, taste’s like wine,
Oh my God its turpentine!

By: Catherine M

Catherine M — Sun, 06 Aug 2017 21:53:06 +0000

Jefferey, Yes, London that we knew has gone forever.
The ridged meths/surgical spirits bottles , flattish oval shaped, ridged on one side, with the amethyst contents part hidden by a paper bag.
Today I cleaned an oak floor with meths, and the bottles of today are plastic and very different looking, the meths looks the same though.

The ‘derelicts’ as my parents called them did used to quarrel a lot amongst themselves, and string was sometimes used as belts to hold the coats closed in winter.
I remember destroyed noses amongst this population, wether through fighting or, as someone suggested untreated syphilis caught years before.

Deeply sad though- these poor men and women- no one should have to live like that, and so many had [and have still] short life expectancy.

By: Catherine M

Catherine M — Sun, 06 Aug 2017 21:40:56 +0000

I remember seeing Meths drinkers as a child in London in the 1960’s/70’s..that, and Surgical spirits.
They were just as described by the pencil/ink drawings here, the alcoholics favoured long tweed coats made of wool, slit up the back.
They did used to sit around braziers, some in Glasgow, in the Gorbals, one bitter winter in 1977 looked like something from another era now.
Braziers are no longer used. bomb sites have been built on, and meths mercifully gave way to cheap ‘legitimate’ alcohol.
However, Ron and Martin, two 1970’s long term homeless from Kingston upon Thames did drink surgical spirits- Martin began to go blind from it.
Both men were kindly, Kaleidoscope, a very good harity [I think it is still going] gave them food, and a place to be.

I hope wherever they are now ,they are at peace, whether in this World or the Next.

By: Irene

Irene — Fri, 03 Apr 2015 11:38:50 +0000

Thank you for this. My mother grew up in this area. I also like Fletcher’s
film, directed by Norman Cohen. The synagogue is now a mosque.