by Alyce Rocco

Created on: May 10, 2011   Last Updated: May 11, 2011

Many people are one paycheck away from homelessness. A sudden illness, accident, death of a loved one or even a spike in gasoline prices can be the reason income could not cover outgo. Record unemployment and home foreclosure rates are causing more people to lose their homes. Veterans returning from wars become homeless much quicker than veterans from the Vietnam war era. Homelessness is on the rise. Once homeless people are apt to get into drugs. This is especially true of teens who often ran away from abusive homes, because teens do not have life skills needed to avoid getting led astray by hardcore homeless people.

Most newly homeless people have been involved with alcohol, basically drinking in social situations. Many newly homeless became homeless after a lifetime of alcohol or drug abuse. Those people were already into drugs or alcohol when they became homeless. Many alcoholics never used drugs prior to landing on the streets. Once street living, people gravitate towards other homeless people. The same is true of those who did not abuse alcohol or drugs. It takes a strong personality to just say no to peer pressure when a marijuana joint is being passed around. The desire to escape the reality of having lost everything, even ones home, makes homeless people more susceptible to trying other drugs as well.

Without buyers drug dealers are not earning. They are quick to approach homeless people, giving out free samples of their product. They may first offer a joint, "to make you feel better", soon followed by more profitable and addicting drugs. Homeless people peddle prescription medicines like Vicodin to other homeless people. A homeless person with a toothache, headache, backache from sleeping on cold concrete, will be quick to buy a prescription pain killer. Once obtained the homeless person can get hooked on painkillers and other prescription medicines. Any substances that can alter the homeless person's consciousness will be used to help deal with the unpleasant facts of their lives.

Another reason people who would not normally try drugs, but do so when homeless is due to using alcohol to warm their blood. Even in areas with milder climates, sleeping outdoors when raining or overnight cooler temperatures, keeps homeless people cold. If a homeless person takes more than one drink in their effort to get warm, their resistance is lowered. That is often the moment they succumb to accepting an offered drug. It may be a one time thing or the homeless person may become hooked on the substance.

Alcohol and drugs are twin evils for homeless people. Most all homeless were into alcohol prior to becoming homeless, however slight that involvement may have been. Homeless, those same people are more likely to become involved with drugs. Sellers of alcoholic beverages are not approaching homeless people to give out free samples of beer, wine, or hard liquor. The homeless person will have to seek for alcohol, whereas drugs will seek out the homeless person.

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