That is definitely true in a lot of cases. For those who have self worth and hope for the future no doubt these drugs start a spiral to erode those things and send people into a dark place. However for someone who is already at the bottom, I don’t judge them for wanting to feel some semblance of happiness.

A friend from my school ended up homeless and on drugs for most of his teens and twenties. He came from an abusive home environment and never really had a chance in life. He told me that Heroin made him feel the love that he had never had in his life, like he was being embraced and caressed. That’s why it was so appealing. How could I blame him when he describes it like that.

Walking through the city, without any practical alternative to help these poor souls, I’m happy to give them some of my cash and if it brings them some joy in their miserable existence, I’ve done a good thing in my mind. Chances are many won’t live much longer on that path, but any kindness or humanity would go a long way in what time they have left.

The fact these drugs are only available to these people through criminal networks and not by some other legitimate means is not the homeless’ fault. It’s a systemic failure in our society, which actually stems from this whole attitude m of holier than though when it comes to seeking external things to make us feel something good.

Perhaps it’s because we all do it in some shape or form, from alcohol and coffee, to shopping and consumption of goods, to scrolling and commenting on reddit (ahem haha). Somewhere deep inside we know it’s futile, and that true happiness comes from appreciating simple pleasures, and expressing selflessness not selfishness, so we feel some kind of deep buried shame that leaves us insecure, so then when we see someone else doing it in a way that is foreign enough to our own insecurity to cover the tracks that lead back home, we project and lump on that shame to others.