Darren McGarvey was witness to the sad reality of Scotland's drug addiction in his newest documentary on BBC Scotland.
Titled Addictions, self-confessed recovering addict Darren visits different parts of the country as he unravels the different reasons why Scotland has been named the addiction capital of Europe for drink, drugs and gambling.
In this week's episode, Darren is in Glasgow as he shadows local paramedics Chris and Dean as they respond to multiple drugs-related emergencies across the city.
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Speaking to the two respondents, Darren asked if drug-related calls came in often, and Dean replied: "Yeah, it happens very often for us, it's almost become somewhat of a normality to us in this job.
"We expect these calls to come in lots of times each day, so it's now something we see a lot - just really vulnerable people with little to no access to helpful services."
Darren's first experience in the show was to witness a 27-year-old male who was taking multiple seizures as he came down from an alcohol and cocaine-infused night out.
The man was in withdrawal, and in intense pain, as he muttered to Darren: "My head's pounding man."
The man's girlfriend admitted that the patient had been using substances more often at the moment, but she called it in as he hadn't taken a seizure before.
The paramedics eventually convinced the man to travel to hospital, after putting him on oxygen, and transported him to the nearest emergency department for more medical attention.
The next call was to a 35-year-old male who was found by a passer-by unconscious on the street - after he had taken what is known as 'street valium'.
The situation was deemed life-threatening the closer the ambulance got to the scene, as the paramedics travelled to Clydebank.
Darren explained that 'street valium' is more toxic than the pure kind, as it may be cut with different chemicals or could be much stronger than first anticipated.
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The man was barely responsive and had suffered a gash to the head, most likely occurring after he had passed out on the side of the road.
The paramedics monitored the man closely, and decided to take him to accident and emergency to be looked at further.
Darren said after this experience: "That was a very unique view into what goes on everyday in Scotland. The last call was seconds away from being something more sinister, and it's upsetting to see so many people in this position."
Darren had admitted earlier in the programme that he had delved into the world of drugs at just the age of 16, after his grandmother gave him a couple of sleeping tablets to help combat the sleepless nights he was having after his mother's sudden passing.
He then went on to raid his gran's medicine cabinet everyday before school, in order to feel like he was coping better than he had been.
The social commentator has been open and honest about his past issues with addiction, and is hoping to better understand why drugs, alcohol and gambling are such massive issues in Scotland - and why it is often ignored.
Darren McGarvey's Addictions continues with the final episode titled Gambling on Tuesday May 24 at 10pm on BBC Scotland.
