Alive and Kicking: A Story of Crime, Addiction and Redemption in Glasgow's Gangland

From running with the infamous Calton Tongs to running Calton Athletic, David Bryce's life is a remarkable story of crime, violence, alcoholism and drug addiction in Glasgow's gangland. A respected 'hard man', Bryce worked his way through most of HM's prisons in Scotland throughout the '60s and '70s before an epiphany in 1977 made him realise that he was a hopeless alcoholic who needed help. A five-year battle followed, during which he sank into the abyss of heroin addiction before finally getting clean. In 1985, in an effort to help others who were struggling against substance abuse, Bryce set up Calton Athletic, a football team and social group made up solely of recovering drugs addicts. Reformed gangster Jimmy Boyle was one of the first to have faith in Bryce and Calton Athletic, but the club eventually won the respect of many in the East End, not just the do-gooders but also the gangsters, neds and the police. Gordon Brown, then a young MP, was so impressed that he wrote an article for The Observer about Bryce and Calton Athletic that led to a TV film starring Lenny Henry and Robbie Coltrane. In the '90s, Ewan McGregor, Irvine Welsh and the Trainspotting crew sought Davie's advice and friendship while making the internationally acclaimed cult film, while Robbie Williams begged to switch nationality and play for Calton Atheltic in an 'England v. Scotland' celebrity charity match. Bryce's uncompromising stance that the only way to come off drugs was to go cold turkey and stay completely clean saw him clash with government agencies over the 'harm reduction' policy of recent years. The club's statutory funding was withdrawn in 1998, but today Calton Athletic are still alive and kicking while the 'official' drugs policy has become increasingly discredited. In Alive and Kicking, Bryce recounts the many highs and lows he has experienced in what is an inspirational tale of survival and success against the odds.

About David Bryce