SteveR Loc: Michigan

People on the corners of freeways were put there. I wouldn't give to them. I'm sure they have to turn over everything the take in, just like the kids that sell magazine subscriptions, and sign you up even if you don't. I'm talking about the individual panhandler. There were plenty in downtown Dallas. If you were downtown at night, they didn't like it because they felt that downtown after dark was theirs.

neillaubenthal

No…but if you know you are an alcoholic, continue drinking, and refuse to acknowledge the addiction and quit drinking…that makes it your fault. I’m all for a helping hand…but one helps those who help themselves.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

I find it strange that the plan of hiring 80,000+ IRS agents is in the works in an effort to ensure that everyone pays their share of taxes when drug dealers and addicts pay no taxes on the sale and purchase of their drugs. Heck, I can't buy a pack of chewing gum without paying taxes on it.

clint f. Loc: Priest Lake Idaho, Spokane Wa

What you’ve described is most likely Methamphetamine. A stimulant will cause hyperactivity, sweating and often incoherent speech. The reason for the lesions is the sensation of invisible little insects, meth mites” on the skin. The drug induced sensation causes the users to scratch and dig at their skin. Meth suppresses apatite and since they don’t eat they loose weight. Hygiene is ignored, including brushing teeth which combined with the chemical imbalance causes the teeth to rot out. That’s meth mouth. Since the addiction is so great and the disability so severe the meth addicted resort to begging and theft to pay for the drugs. Often, by taking increasing doses, the meth involved will stay high for up to a week without sleep. When they crash the sleep is so deep that they can’t be aroused. Once they wake up the hunt for a new fix starts immediately. The precursors in producing meth include lithium from batteries, ether, red oxide from match heads and drain cleaner and other toxic and highly toxic and very flammable chemicals. The pseudoephedrine necessary for the process is harvested from cold medicine and is the reason the pharmacies lock up their Sudafed and limit the amount you can buy. Those limits have made it less practical to “cook” the meth locally so the Mexican Cartels have taken over production and profits. Imagine being in places like Portland Oregon or similar cities where the geniuses in charge think all drug possession should be legalized. Makes you wonder.

Fredrick Loc: Former NYC, now San Francisco Bay Area

Good for you! About five years ago I started giving money to these folks, especially ones with children, and people standing on entrance ramps to highways.
Will some of the money be used for drugs or alcohol? Probably. But some/most of it will help them in a small way.
As a young person for many years I felt that I was one paycheck away from being homeless.
I don’t know their situation but I do know that one has to be in a very desperate place to resort to asking for money/help. And who am I to judge?

Drbobcameraguy Loc: Eaton Ohio

I would say meth is her drug of choice. Fentanyl is a depressant and doesn't rot the teeth like meth and make you antsy like meth

SteveR Loc: Michigan

I applaud your compassion. I've never seen anybody on these corners that didn't look like they'd been through a meat grinder. I have no doubt that they need help. I'm just afraid that they're actually being abused. The summer weather in Dallas can be brutal, yet you'll still see them on the corners, day in and day out. I've played golf in that kind of weather and always seek the shade of a tree whenever possible and the water cooler at every other hole to douse a towel for my neck in the extremest of heat.

rcarol

I’m not going to comment any further, because I don’t want to hijack this post.

docerz

Deciding to try to STOP may be a decision?

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Do you know any addicts? Have any in the family? Most of the time addicts make that decision when they have no other choice. Many have already lost family, friends and jobs and there is only one choice. Quit of die on the streets. Until they get to that point, however, you'll find, for whatever reason, that the addict will cling to his or her addiction of choice despite the losses that may have been incurred. Some, in the end, would rather live on the street and face loss of everything as well as an early death than give it up. So, do you know anybody or are you just spoutin' off?

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

I repeat. Tell them to find a church.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Show them some love and maybe they'll go WITH you. Tell them to find one on their own and they'll watch you go off into the sunset and say, "the day I see him in Church is the day I go to a different one."

Klickitatdave Loc: Seattle Washington

That wasn't fentanyl, it was meth. If it were fentanyl they would either be dead from so much use or at the very least comatose. A minor point I suppose but the meth problem is far more prevalent and insidious than that of fentanyl use.

Klickitatdave Loc: Seattle Washington

I once ran into someone begging for money in the 1970's. Obviously an early adopter of that "profession" way before it became as prevalent as it is today. I was curious so I asked him how much money did he actually make doing this and his answer and I am paraphrasing, "Well, it varies, some days I make more than others depending on the situation and weather". But then he continued "I make about $20,000 per year doing this so it all evens out." Keep in mind this was $20,000 in the 1970's dollars.

Was he telling me the truth? I don't know but he had no reason to lie so I actually believed him. Begging is probably not as lucrative as it was then because there was far less competition but it does make one wonder. It doesn't mean that all people who beg are of that ilk. Too many are poor and homeless not because they are lazy but because of factors that were out of their control such as the lack of affordable housing and jobs that pay at or below minimum wage. Giving those who beg money is not the answer though. Find out the phone number for an agency in your area that can help them deal with whatever is keeping them down and give that to them. If they are just seeking the money then they will not use it but if they are suffering and wanting a way out they at least have the information that can help them out of their hell.

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

That decision is completely within one's ability. Some people actually do wake up in the morning and make the decision that they will no longer be an alcoholic. There is a choice and a lot of people choose wrong. I know of what I speak because my daughter who will soon be 42 was an alcoholic in her 20s and made the decision to no longer be one. She had her last drink over 12 years ago!