What happened? (click here)

It’s common knowledge that substance abuse is endemic amongst the homeless community, but have you ever stopped to wonder why?

I have met pre teen girls whose addicted mothers started them on heroin or crack and put them to work as prostitutes.

I have met young boys and girls who grew up in homes where alcohol and drug abuse were the norm.

I have met children who left their homes because of physical, psychological or sexual abuse and turned to drugs and alcohol to dull the pain.

I have met aging and dying people who should have become revered seniors in our society who are the result of similar situations.

I have met countless homeless people who never used drugs before society turned its back on them and left them to struggle for survival on the streets. When society turns it’s back and life becomes a minute by minute struggle to stay alive, substance abuse is a natural and nearly inevitable result. Every one of us would seek some kind of comfort from the pain of exclusion.

I have met many others like myself who were unaware of the dangers of drug use until it was too late, We thought the warnings were just more lies from the slave masters of our present socio economic system.

I have NEVER MET anyone who woke up one morning and said to themselves, “What should I do today? I know, I’ll become a drug addict.”

Other than homelessness and substance abuse, these people are NO DIFFERENT than anyone else. They laugh, they cry and they try to survive.

Think about it. Should society penalize these victims and condemn them to a premature death or should we do more to find a way to help them?