TDS Can drug use really leave anyone homeless?

[cowardescent]

Growing up, I always heard my parents say "If you touch weed, coke, heroin" your life is over and you'll be homeless/in prison. I know addiction doesn't discriminate but it does seem that an awful lot of homeless people where I live, were already in poor financial positions and drug use tipped them over. I know plenty of my college friends who are middle class that use cocaine, ecstasy and some even opioid painkillers. None have ended up homeless though one owed some serious debts to drug dealers who smashed up his grannys house.

What I'm trying to say is, how common is it for wealthy people to end up completely ruined by drug addiction?

 

[Jabberwocky]

What I'm trying to say is, how common is it for wealthy people to end up completely ruined by drug addiction?

Just look at various rock stars or actors who's career was ruined by drugs. Addiction is blind and merciless. I can point out several professional NBA, NFL or MLB sports players that ended up homeless on the street.

Not all addicts experience things like homelessness, but many do at one point.

Although homelessness, specifically, probably has more to do with socioeconomic factors than addiction itself. Most Americans live paycheck to paycheck and are just one unlucky break away from homelessness.

 

[Jabberwocky]

i am firmly middle class. in my worst addiction i owned my own house. but i'd lost my job and my parents were covering my mortgage.

i'd spent all my savings, before i lost my job my entire pay check would be gone in a few days. i maxed out multiple credit cards.

the only reason i wasn't homeless was cos of my parents. then they realised they were enabling me so they changed the locks on my house. at that point it was be homeless with the clothes on my back, or go to rehab. i genuinely considered the homelessness cos i really didn't wanna quit.

so yeah, i'd say it could happen. most people i used with did not have as priviledged upbringings as i did, but there were a few, and a lot of them were homeless. either out on the streets or in hostels.

obviously if you come from actual massive wealth its going to take longer to burn through it but in meetings i've heard of people going through £100ks of inheritances and ending up homeless. i can believe it given i spent around £100k in my last year using.

 

[RedRum OG]

I grew up privileged, and made privileged friends when young. We are all about 30 now, and all of them smoke weed, do the occasional acid or molly, and are mostly very succesful. I am the only one I know of from my group that was booted out to the fringe class later in life. I absolutely ended up homeless for short periods of time, and risked ending up that way indefinitely because of opiates and benzos.

People who are heirs to literal billion dollar empires die on the street sometimes. Class absolutely does not protect you from the darkness of addiction if you choose to dive in, but it does make it a hell of a lot easier to climb out if you have the resources

Your parents are ignorant as hell on the topic. Lumping weed and psychedelics in with hard drugs is silliness. Smoking weed is less likely to cause you to end up homeless than alcohol.

 

[AbbeyLee]

Growing up, I always heard my parents say "If you touch weed, coke, heroin" your life is over and you'll be homeless/in prison. I know addiction doesn't discriminate but it does seem that an awful lot of homeless people where I live, were already in poor financial positions and drug use tipped them over. I know plenty of my college friends who are middle class that use cocaine, ecstasy and some even opioid painkillers. None have ended up homeless though one owed some serious debts to drug dealers who smashed up his grannys house.

What I'm trying to say is, how common is it for wealthy people to end up completely ruined by drug addiction?

My parents are pretty "comfortable" so I've never been homeless (though I've lived with guys in dodgy share accommodation). It's very unlikely I ever will. But I've fucked my body up and been hospitalised various times. Weed, coke or heroin? Nope - alcohol.

The horrible thing is people just think I wasted all my potential and opportunities because I'm a shitty person or something. They might think twice now my brother died of a heroin OD in 2014. It suggests maybe things went on in our family that left he and I in emotional pain (nothing in particular, just the unspoken vibe from my parents).

A good example of rich kids who fuck up is Nicky from Orange is the New Black. Kids don't need to be abused physically and live in poverty to end up ruined by drug addiction.

 

[nznity]

i am firmly middle class. in my worst addiction i owned my own house. but i'd lost my job and my parents were covering my mortgage.

i'd spent all my savings, before i lost my job my entire pay check would be gone in a few days. i maxed out multiple credit cards.

the only reason i wasn't homeless was cos of my parents. then they realised they were enabling me so they changed the locks on my house. at that point it was be homeless with the clothes on my back, or go to rehab. i genuinely considered the homelessness cos i really didn't wanna quit.

so yeah, i'd say it could happen. most people i used with did not have as priviledged upbringings as i did, but there were a few, and a lot of them were homeless. either out on the streets or in hostels.

obviously if you come from actual massive wealth its going to take longer to burn through it but in meetings i've heard of people going through £100ks of inheritances and ending up homeless. i can believe it given i spent around £100k in my last year using.

I can relate to your case, if it wasn't for my brother and dad, multiple rehabs, also I've gone to emergency for coke related stuff like 10 times. I've gone through at least 100k of my currency but they have always been there for me.
I've not experienced homelessness but was about to if I carried on this path.
When u get addicted to crack+strong opiate combo. U need so much money for drugs it's fking madness. thank God it's over.

 

[solarbear]

Drug addiction is merciless agreed. It does not play favorites I reckon.

Many factors can leave someone homeless, drug addiction happens to do it quite effectively. You can say well it wasn't the drugs it was the addict you're free to do that.

You're also welcome to spend rent money on junk and live in a tent on Skid Row if that's how it has to be.

Just try to use the spare change on food next time maybe get some strength to enter the workforce instead of wither away more sleeping in a box with a needle for a best friend.

Hey I don't mean to judge I could wind up on the streets too if I don't stay right. Also I know how it feels to be down and out, a lonesome tweaker outcast drowning in a toxic modern medieval system.

 

[ChemicallyEnhanced]

Growing up, I always heard my parents say "If you touch weed, coke, heroin" your life is over and you'll be homeless/in prison. I know addiction doesn't discriminate but it does seem that an awful lot of homeless people where I live, were already in poor financial positions and drug use tipped them over. I know plenty of my college friends who are middle class that use cocaine, ecstasy and some even opioid painkillers. None have ended up homeless though one owed some serious debts to drug dealers who smashed up his grannys house.

What I'm trying to say is, how common is it for wealthy people to end up completely ruined by drug addiction?

Are you kidding? It's one of the biggest reasons for homelessness. I personally was homeless for three years (because of alcohol, not even illegal drugs, although I ended up on heroin to deal with the homelessness).

 

[jasperkent]

Although homelessness, specifically, probably has more to do with socioeconomic factors than addiction itself. Most Americans live paycheck to paycheck and are just one unlucky break away from homelessness.

^this^

 

[Jerry Atrick]

I became homeless due to psychosis and mania. I never would have IVd tar or smoked meth had I not already been on the streets. I agree with Snafu that socioeconomic factors and even mental health have a lot to do with it. I'm sure a lot of folks who experience homelessness turn to drugs to cope with the homelessness.

After getting back on my feet, some years later I had a good run of some highish paying jobs while being a daily weed smoker. Alcohol has gotten me in more legal trouble than any illegal drug. If I had continued abusing alcohol at the rate I was, I could have easily ended up in prison or homeless several years before it actually happened.

 

[washingtonbound]

Growing up, I always heard my parents say "If you touch weed, coke, heroin" your life is over and you'll be homeless/in prison. I know addiction doesn't discriminate but it does seem that an awful lot of homeless people where I live, were already in poor financial positions and drug use tipped them over. I know plenty of my college friends who are middle class that use cocaine, ecstasy and some even opioid painkillers. None have ended up homeless though one owed some serious debts to drug dealers who smashed up his grannys house.

What I'm trying to say is, how common is it for wealthy people to end up completely ruined by drug addiction?

I grew up pretty wealthy and I ended up homeless, it absolutely can happen. Basically it comes down to how high of a tolerance your family or whoever is supporting you has for bullshit and interference in their lives. Most people in their late teens/early twenties aren’t fully supporting themselves yet so their livelihood is somewhat dependent on others. In my case, repeated episodes of mania caused my mom to reach her limit and she kicked me out. I was homeless for a week or so before checking myself into rehab. It certainly can happen and there have been plenty of people who were financially independent completely lose their careers over an addiction or mental illness and winded up homeless; I have known several.