In Glasgow? You're kidding, right? :D
I'm not kidding. Glasgow has a horrific alcohol problem. Many of my family have serious alcohol problems, it's ruined their lives, they've ruined other peoples. Sometimes I think people read Bukowski and think he is advocating drinking all the time and lots of people do it; they think it's cool or shows that you're a man, and real tough motherfucker, but honestly, once you've seen one drunk prick, you've seen them all. But then again, how many of them are sitting writing, trying to assimilate some of the demons onto the page? Answer: Not many.
Interestin to read responses though, lot of good answers and suggestions, but this idea that if you don't drink like a ranging alcoholc you're some time of lesser human being is puuure delusion. Bukowski did write to show anyone how to live, but many people read his books and try to live as he did, and think that being a complete drunk is some kind of reward in itself, that it shows your alpha-male, be damned with the world attitude.
Yet, addiction can be sooo fucked up, families mauled by it; you go into the social work department in Glasgow and you'll find all sorts of alcoholics, desperate to break free from the demon drink. And it's not a sign of weakness, these people have endured a lot of hardship, and they're not sitting their saying - 'drink is cool' 'it's the way foward', 'it shows you're a man'. Like mjp said, a lot of heavy drinks, have an immaturity they can't surpass, they literally can't proces life 'beyond' the demon drink.
It's a rare few that catalogue their lives with it; most of them are shunned by society, piss and shit themselves, wear the same clothes until they are rigid with dirt and grime. It blows my mind how fucked up the drink can make people.