Let me tell you all something

[sarah2]

Heh, there is no way you can compare two lives, I think we all have our trials and troubles and we all deal with them in our own ways, some of which bring us worse and some bring us better. Perhaps the reason it hasn't been so easy for me is the way I deal with problems, had I dealt better, I would problably be a much happier and better off person!
And you just got to keep going I guess, shit happens!

[My Dreams killed me]

Originally Posted by sarah2
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I get what you're saying, and I'm not an expert or anything, but I have been there for more than just a week or so.
It's not just the having no money and no shelter, the practical things, although, they are a big factor obviously. It's how you fucking feel, how some people treat you, you feel like you're nothing, everyones trying to pass you onto someone else, you're not their responsibility. And you're scared that if something happens to you, no one will even fucking notice, no ones gonna help you, no one else knows you exist, you have to look out for yourself and help yourself out, and if you've got nothing, no food, no money, and more importantly (that is IF you are an addict - obviously, not all homeless people are) no drugs/drink, you will literally do anything to get some money - to survive.

I don't understand how you can place blame on the homeless for just doing what it takes to survive. It's your opinion, and I honestly respect that, but I don't get it!

And it's not just about being homeless, a lot of the time, it's about addiction too and if you don't know what it's like to be (you may know very well) completly controlled by something like that, you just cant judge it.
There's your reason, there's the blame - desperation. Living on the streets reeks of the stuff, desperation, regret, bitterness - when your life is surrounded by that, and society telling you that you're a peice of shit, and all you want to do is survive, I can't blame people like that.
Like, I get shit stolen all the time, like one time, the fucking jacket off my back, and this mp3player, of my boyfriends (I know its a stupid thing, but it meant so much to me after he died), I was so pissed off, but, to be fair, those guys were homeless too, it was raining, we were all cold and hungry and we all needed another fix, it's like, I don't blame them.

It's weird, I guess no one knows how they're gonna act when they're under pressure, we can hope we'll do the right thing, but untill you are there, in the moment, how can you really know?
When you're desperate, suddenly, things kinda...pop up, people SEE that you're desperate and they think, hey, I can make some money out of this girl, she's down on her luck, mabey she'll help me out, for a fee. Opportunities to make money just seem to turn up with these people, who can make a bit on the side and leave you to do the dirty work, it's easy money and when it's all you can get, you will take it, because survival to me means drugs, first, food, shelter, second and morals, principles that I had when I was living at home with my parents, well, they're way down on that list!
Favours, favours, little bit here and there, I've seen people beat guys till they're nearly dead just for a couple bags.
I mean, what about prostitution? You think it's my fault that I'm a dirty fucking whore, or... is it the people who put me here, the people who passed me off for nothing, the fuckers who picked on me when I was down and knew they could minipulate me because they knew I was desperate? Who's to blame?

Ok, I didn't quite mean that, I'm just saying, theres more than one side to the story..I agree with you all that this is beyond sick. Sarah I was only homeless for about 3 days, so you still have a much bigger perseptive, as for addictions, my addictions are all mild ones, nothing as close to big as herion...I could only have a partial understanding as to why addictions are as...addicting as they are. So maybe I am wrong, maybe it is just the manipulators to blame, but I know that every time after I've been manipulated into doing something (like getting drunk a week ago) I know that I'm partially to blame cause I wasn't strong enough to say "Fuck off"

[sarah2]

Originally Posted by My Dreams killed me
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Ok, I didn't quite mean that, I'm just saying, theres more than one side to the story..I agree with you all that this is beyond sick. Sarah I was only homeless for about 3 days, so you still have a much bigger perseptive, as for addictions, my addictions are all mild ones, nothing as close to big as herion...I could only have a partial understanding as to why addictions are as...addicting as they are. So maybe I am wrong, maybe it is just the manipulators to blame, but I know that every time after I've been manipulated into doing something (like getting drunk a week ago) I know that I'm partially to blame cause I wasn't strong enough to say "Fuck off"

Yeah I do see what you mean, there are times when we give in and just say, ok, even though we know it is not the right thing to do - co operating with people like that, well, it means you are part of the problem. But then there are some times when you have no option other than to co-operate, when all your opportunities have been taken away by said manipulators and they are your only hope of what you view as survival (ie, it may not always mean a roof and food, like I said, to addicts, your addiction comes first, it's like survival).

We can't compare addiction and severity of homelessness because in truth, none of us know what it is like to be homeless for 20 years, I know plently of people who do not have it as easy as me!
And well, I don't believe in mild addictions, the NA taught me there is addictions you accept you have and addictions you don't; a heroin addict, a smoker, a sex addict, someone who lives off coffee, a self harmer - we all suffer from it, whatever the substance. I think addictions come strangly naturally to a lot of people as a comfort zone and they are all hard and all deserve the same amount of love and support to get through. People brush off non-physically addictive substances as not like, 'real' addictions, but I certainly know that the psycological effects of addiction and quitting are 100% harder than the physical.

[My Dreams killed me]

Your right, everyone is addicted to something, but I guess what I ment by the term "mild" is addictions that are alot easier to crack, such as pot compared to Ciggeretes. Some people say that addictions are all the same, but I don't belive so. I seen people just walk away from pot after 14 years of doing it, but seen people get hooked off meth after just one hit. I agree with u thought, addiction is terribe, manipulation is worse, and when you combine that with need you have a very terrible situation.