Quote:
Originally Posted by 2LeftCleats
I'd be curious to know which is more common: substance abuse preceding homelessness or do the homeless become so depressed/discouraged with their situation that they turn to drugs to dull the emotional pain? Anyone have any knowledge other than anecdotal?
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I worked for a social services agency for the last 14 years of my career. I thought it was a transition job after losing my job during the dot.com recession. It was the most fulfilling job of my career. I decided to stay because I felt that trying to save the world one person at a time made me feel validated. Getting back to the quote above, many people with drug and alcohol issues suffer from mental illness and they are self medicating. Of course, it doesn't work! My father was a WWII vet and suffered from severe PTSD. He spent the last 25 years of his life as a dysfunctional alcoholic. I was fortunate to have a mother to provide food and shelter, or I would have been homeless. Perhaps that why I enjoyed giving someone else a helping hand.