Mrs.Carters
HRE 2O1
December 5/12
The Homeless Turning for Drugs
Studies have shown that homeless youth on the streets suffer from drug addiction. The article Giving up on drugs: homeless younge people and self reported problematic drug use by Keys, Mallet, and Rosenthal, identifies the different issues homeless youth have to deal with. The research has been conducted through a series of interviews with young homeless kids from the age of 12 to 19. The kids interviewed talk about why they got into drugs, how they ended up living on the streets, and what they believe options for giving up drugs are. The common reason young people turn to drugs is because they experience abuse in their homes, they end up getting involved with the wrong crowd, and they want to escape their problems.
Firstly, many cases of young drug abusers start from abusive parents. The parents will either treat them badly through their words, cause physical harm to them, or are simply never home. Parent abuse leads to depression, and can make children feel worthless. Many kids with abusive parents run away and live with another parent or guardian, or a foster home. Sometimes the foster care doesn’t work and the kids end up living on the street. This is a problem because they have no money or no food. In the situation with Jamie, because he was homeless and had no money, he had to work as a drug dealer and committed other crimes such as car theft and assault.
Secondly, these young drug abusers start to use drugs to fit in with a certain crowd. Young kids who start to get involved with the wrong crowds start to use drugs or become drug dealers. Also in many situations these kids do drugs to become more popular and make many friends. Their friends influence them to start to use drugs. In the situation with Adam he knew Dillon 2 what he was going to get into when he would hang out with these certain crowds. But he decided to hang out with them anyways and didn’t try to avoid them, so he did drugs even though he knew it would affect his grade in school.
Many times youth lead up to drug use because they feel that they need to so that they can forget about their problems and have a little fun. Phoebe of 19 years old experiences drugs as a form of a social life. She wasn’t happy in her life so she would turn to smoking marijuana with her friends. The social drug use eventually became an addiction. Sometimes, these young people are so unhappy with themselves that they feel like they want to commit suicide. In the case of Jamie, he felt that it was either he chose to do drugs or kill him. Although he tried to kill himself, he was saved, but his drug use continued.
In conclusion adults should be more aware of this drug issue that young kids are facing, because it is a serious issue and these young kids should be avoiding drugs to be their solution. Young homeless people start to do drug because of family abuse, to fit in a certain crowd, and to escape their issues. This is a serious social justice issue and can be avoided if these young kids get special care for them
Dillon 3
Work cited
KEYS, DEBORAHMALLETT, SHELLEYROSENTHAL, DOREEN. "Giving Up On Drugs: Homeless Young People And Self-Reported Problematic Drug Use." Contemporary Drug Problems 33.1 (2006): 63. Advanced Placement Source. Web. 4 Dec. 2012.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
Over 20 million Americans above the age of 12 have an addiction, and 90% of those with an addiction began drinking, smoking, or using illicit drugs before the age of 18. Many of these addictions are products of peer pressure and students attempting to be the life of the party. In Cole Meyers “Addiction” he shows us how the continued use of drugs can give one a short term gains to increase his or her social status; however, in the long term, addiction strips the individual of his or her identity.…
- 599 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Stewart, M., Reutter, L., Letourneau, N., Makwarimba, E., &Hungler, K. (2010).Supporting homeless youth: Perspectives and Preferences.Poverty, 14(2), 145-165.doi:10.1080/10875541003711631…
- 13475 Words
- 54 Pages
Powerful Essays -
The subject of our research topic were homeless people. We had chosen this topic out of curiosity and wonder about the cause behind homelessness. Our hypothesis was that alcohol and drugs play an important role and are the leading cause of homelessness and expected more males or an individual homeless person. To conduct our field research we had gone to The Samaritan Center in Simi Valley and interviewed the homeless people. It was really shocking to see that mostly, the homeless people were families with small children. Upon interviewing them we figured that alcohol and drugs had no connection with their homelessness.…
- 1206 Words
- 5 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Teenage drug abuse is one of the largest problems in society today and the problem grows and larger every year. Drugs are a pervasive force in our culture today. To expect kids not to be influenced by the culture of their time is as “unrealistic as believing in the tooth fairy,” (Jauman 140). Teens may feel pressured by their friends to try drugs, they may have easy access to drugs, they may use drugs to rebel against their family or society, or they may take an illegal drug because they are curious about it or the pleasure that it gives…
- 1360 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
“On any given night, there are over 600,000 homeless people in the U.S.” (Quigley, 2014). Most find themselves sleeping in homeless shelters, short-term transitional housing or someplace uninhabitable. While there are many circumstances that can create homelessness, the major causes are high poverty rates, racial disparities, single parenting, domestic violence, lack of affordable housing, mental illness, and other traumatic experiences. In cases where the homeless person is single, lack of affordable housing, poverty, and unemployment were the leading causes. In cases where families are homeless, substance abuse, lack of affordable housing and mental illness were the top cause. In this research paper, I will try to unveil the factors that…
- 1406 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
This youth has abandoned the only life they have ever known in hopes for in finding a more deserving one they see fit. Outcasting themselves from their life from abusive relationships, economic troubles, and a government record induces a desperate desire for them to flee. The homeless youth are compelling themselves to believe there is no other option than running away from home. This drastic decision has led some of them to take unhealthy measures to survive by depending on sex for food, shelter, and other basic human needs, while others are battling an addiction with drugs or alcohol, and in the end dependency on both of these lead most homeless youth to decrease in mental health.…
- 117 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
Substance abuse and being homeless are indistinguishably intertwined. One triggering factor of substance abuse is the consequence of being homeless. Most adolescents who are homeless usually have other disorders such as; serious mental illnesses, chronic physical health problems, and some even have a history of trauma. They need safe housing, appropriate interventions, and client-centered care. It is estimated that half of all people who are homeless have diagnosable substance use disorders at some time in their lives. It is also estimated that alcohol abuse occurs in half of the homeless and drug abuse in a third of this same…
- 846 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
It is important to find an early exit out of homelessness because a longer stay can make it less likely for an exit out of homelessness. Many who enter into homelessness first encounter youth hostels, emergency accommodations and Out of Hours Services (OHS). In these accommodations, it is very likely for a young person to engage with other peers living in the hostel or care setting and get involved in the ‘homelessness scene’. In these accommodations, a young person is typically provided with a bed at night, but has the entire day from early in the morning until late at night to be on the streets and find things to do. This is a period that many individuals in the study talked about getting involved with other homeless individuals and partaking in drugs, alcohol, criminal activity and violence. One young man who was 19 at the time said, "Everyone that was in it (adult hostel) was on it (heroin) ... Yeah, looking at them stoned and they’re all talking about it. The relief that it’s supposed to bring them so I just tried it and liked it”(Mayock et al 2008:130). This is a common statement that so many of the homeless youth individuals experience because they don’t feel that they have many other options. They are put into ‘risky’ accommodations and meet several individuals who are participating in these risky behaviors. One young man aged…
- 599 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Youth homelessness is a significant issue in Canada by comprising 20% of the overall homeless population (Gaetz et al., 2013a). Unique to youth homelessness is causation and solutions, as traditional adult interventions are not developmentally appropriate. The Federal government’s HPS fails to meet youths’ needs by prioritizing adult housing first to reduce chronic homelessness by 50% within ten years (ESDC, 2017c). There is an opportunity to address youth homelessness, as the 2017 Budget has provided an unprecedented $2.1 billion allocation to the HPS redesign (ESDC, 2017b). The writer was appointed to the Federal advisory committee on homelessness to provide youth-specific recommendations for the renewal. This paper’s objective is to critically…
- 159 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
Youth do not know how to control themselves when it comes to these addictions. They often abuse their power. They do not know when to stop or when to seek help when needed. These addictions of drugs and alcohol can start from the influences of friends and family. Once they are hooked onto these substances, they have a hard time letting go, like a leech feeding on the blood of their host. Most children have easy access to drugs or alcohol because their parents use these substances at home and leave them around the house. Youth will do anything in their power to find a way to get these substances in their hands. The American Journal of Public Health reports 80% of homeless youth use drugs or alcohol to self-medicate for dealing with the traumatic experiences and abuse they have in their lives (Greene, Ennett, Ringwalt 231). Due to the many traumatic experiences in their lives, it is difficult to stop the cycle of…
- 1560 Words
- 7 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Families live, die and are born on the streets of vast cities of United States. Less attention are shown to those who are homeless, people focus more on bigger issues when this is a major problem that has occurred for years. Statistics shows that 1.6 million youth run away from home each year between the ages of 12 and 17. The predominant race for runaways is White non-Hispanic (57%), Black non-Hispanic (17%), Hispanic (15%), and Other (11%) follow (Blaha). Homeless children most likely leave their original homes because of the way of life and the hard pressure due to their living environment and family issues. Homelessness makes children sick, wounds young children, & homeless children often struggle in school. Homeless children are in fair or poor health twice as often as other children. They have higher rates of low birth weighted need special care right after birth for times as often as other children. Also have very high rates of acute illness, with half suffering from two or more symptoms during a single month. Despite…
- 1695 Words
- 7 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Unfortunately, many homeless youth are “befriended” by drug addicts or encouraged into prostitution. For many of the runaways due to abuse, many wonder how bad their situations must be if they would face addiction and sexually…
- 859 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the number of young people who were forced out of their homes, abandoned, or living on the street with their parents’ consent was increasing. In the 1990s, the main reason for youth homelessness was dysfunction within the family. It has become increasingly difficult for these youth to successfully integrate into a modern, industrialized society. As a result, most children and adolescents who are forced to leave their homes or choose to run away today end up living with others, staying in shelters, with friends, or sleeping inside whatever space they can find in order to protect themselves. Teenage homelessness is a serious, growing problem in America. Thousands and thousands of people find themselves living on the streets every…
- 404 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Homeless youth are at a higher risk for physical and sexual abuse, mental health disabilities, substance abuse, and even death. Homeless youth living on the streets are more likely of high-risk behaviors. About 5,000 youth die each year due to assault, illness, or suicide. Homeless youth are at greater risk of anxiety and depression, and low self-esteem. They are also more likely to exchange sex for food, clothing, and shelter. Most youth begin to deal drugs just to meet basic needs. Difficulty attending school is common due to the lack of required enrollment records or lack of transportation. Studies show that about 80 percent of homeless youth use drugs and alcohol as a means to self-medicate and deal with their experiences and abuse they…
- 843 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Drug use commonly begins in high school, usually with nicotine from cigarettes. The first cause is simple curiosity. Many teens have heard about drugs can be fun, can make a person feel and act different, and they are curious to experience them for themselves. Peer group influence is also one of the causes. The type of friend individual associate and relate with could lead one to partake in drug abuse. Young people take drugs to feel cool and impress their friends. Some teens will do whatever their friends do, just to fit in and follow the crowd. They don’t want to be the only one not doing something; even it is something dangerous. Another reason young people take drugs is to escape their reality. Maybe their home life is not happy, maybe they have a boring job, or under lots of pressure in high school. In this case, they take drugs to get away that unhappy reality. They can feel a little braver, stronger, smarter, more beautiful or more important. Of course this doesn’t last long, but that doesn’t matter. For the brief time that the drugs are taking affect, the user can forget about the problems, responsibilities and limitations of everyday life, and escape to a fantasy world. This is why they are so attractive to young people and despite their dangers.…
- 519 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays