Re:Prosecuting homeless for sleeping outside may violate U.S...
by saagarjha on Wednesday September 05, 2018 @02:20AM
(#17915462)
Again, I'm no expert on alcohol, but is it really medication? It doesn't fix the underlying issues (stress, chronic pain, depression, etc.) at all; it just masks them. I guess you could classify it as similar to a painkiller, but even with those there are usually limits to how much you can self-medicate yourself with.
Re:Prosecuting homeless for sleeping outside may violate U.S...
by Broken_Hippo on Wednesday September 05, 2018 @08:45AM
(#17917379)
That's the point of self-medicating with it. Sure, it won't cure anything, but if you don't have access to the cures (shelter, steady food, medical care), masking is the next best thing.
And that is the entire point. Not having access to the things "normal" society does makes things different.
However, many people use alcohol to self-medicate for legitimate issues. The fewer services available to you, the more appealing alcohol and other drugs seem. Alcohol is, after all, cheap and readily available.
Sometimes it is as simple as trying to be able to withstand a cold, wet night. Sometimes folks are in pain (a variety of things can cause this, from tooth decay to sore feet to serious issues). If you cannot afford psychiatric medications, alcohol is a way out. It might not be ideal, but it is available. More available than health care in many cases. After all, you are speaking of folks that don't have actual shelter, a proper toilet, sanitary conditions, or a place to store or cook food regularly.
I'll add that simply being homeless can be a deadly condition as can a myriad of things that you might go to the doctor for. Seriously, if you simply couldn't get anything to treat your condition, what do you think your options would be? What if daily life made you absolutely miserable and you couldn't find a way out?