Alcoholism and the Homeless Population

Alcoholism and the Homeless Population
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Introduction
Last year in January, statistics indicated that the number of homeless people roaming the streets in America were about, 578,424 (Endhomelessness.org, 2015). More than 216,197 of this group had families on the streets as well, while the rest of the groups totaling up to 362,163 were recorded as individuals (Endhomelessness.org, 2015). Going by the numbers and the lack of concrete efforts to resolve the issue of homeless people in America, the figure is likely to have come up this year. The staggering statistics also indicate that, close to 15% of the homeless population are chronically homeless (Endhomelessness.org, 2015). This means despite the efforts, they still end up being homeless.What is even more astonishing is the fact that, more than 9% of the people that are homeless on the streets across the United States are actually veterans (Endhomelessness.org, 2015). Over 25% of this population is composed of children who are under the age of 18 years. It is important to note that close to 30% of the population have at one time in their lives experienced domestic violence and more than 20% suffer from mental illness. There are different reasons that force these people to come to the streets other than lead successful lives (Brown, 2011).
Relative to complexity of life on the streets, stress levels and in some of the cases social pressure among the homeless, cases of alcoholism and drug abuse are high. Most of them tend to use the alcohol to get away from their current predicament and in the end become addicted to the vice. The rate at which the homeless population abuses alcohol is estimated to be higher than that of the general population.However the general notion that homeless people are associated with alcohol and substance abuse are not substantiated (Apha.org, 1989). It is not all the homeless people that abuse alcohol or other drugs and not all the people that abuse alcohol end up being homeless. While there are cases that have followed this general trend, it is not correct to make a generalized bias on the case. All the same alcoholism has been a major concern among the homeless people in the United States, and situation is far from being sustainable resolved (Abel & Cummings, 1993).
Reasons for homelessness
At the center of the homeless people lies the main reason that on most cases renders them to their situation and one that causes the most amount of stress leading alcohol abuse, economic status. Homelessness problem is aggravated by the ever increasing gap between the costs of housing and the wages earned (Brown, 2011).The minimum wage has been decreasing in light of inflation but the housing costs rise. Political factors have also been cited to have led to the situation worsening. In the 60s, the housing projects almost got to a point of resolving the issue, in the 80s the funding to the projects were slashed in half. Aspects such as immigration laws, work requirements and time limits have also exacerbated the problem, by imposing limits and reducing the level of access to the assistance services for people at or below the poverty line (Apha.org, 1989). One other reason that forms the basis of the paper is the social issues. Alcoholism, drug abuse and mental illnesses increase the risks of people joining the homeless population (Didenko&Pankratz, 2007).
Homeless population categories
Homeless families
There is a close similarity between the homeless families and the poor families living in the United States. They do not have the ability to provide for the basic amenities in the right quantity and quality at any given time (Endhomelessness.org, 2015). There are a myriad of reasons that force families to go out on the streets, such as death of family members, medical conditions and financial crisis that prevent them from holding a house (Didenko&Pankratz, 2007). Sometime they bounce back and regain their previous status, but this most certainly requires assistance, such as rent, placement services and jobs among others.
Homeless youths
In most of the cases that have been recorded, youths usually become homeless after experiencing family conflicts that take the forms of divorce, abuse and neglect among others. As such, in most of the cases, a good majority of the youths do not experience long term homelessness as they always go back to their families once their situations are resolved, however some end up on the streets chronically (Brown, 2011). There a variation in data available on the homeless youths relative to the fact that, most of them tend to shy away from the assistance programs where much of the data is collected. This has also led to the fact that, most of the solutions that have been devised have largely ignored the youths or inadequately tackle their issues (Endhomelessness.org, 2015).In an example it is not possible for the youths to be given assistance to rent their own house, as such, there is need for more innovative ways to assist the youths at the point of need.
Homeless veterans
This one of the groups that is most sensitive in light of the fact that, these are people who have in the past dedicated their lives to serving the country and protecting the citizens, but are now left out in the cold. It is a sure way of indicating that the systems in place are highly flawed and there is need to reexamine the priorities relative to the needs of the people that dedicate their live to service of the nation in the most literal manner (Endhomelessness.org, 2015). In most of the cases, the veterans become homeless after they suffer from post-traumatic stress, physical disability and mental illness among others (Abel & Cummings, 1993). As they struggle to readjust to their normal lives within the society, they may develop violent behaviors, addiction and abuse that could then render them homeless as they are not in a position to maintain social order. These too can be assisted with jobs, housing placements and medical services.
Chronic homeless
This is basically a category of people that have been homeless for a long period of time and in most cases seem to get back to it even after moments of finding help. As such, they are people that are constantly taking advantage of the assistance programs without any signs of recovery.Contrary to popular believe, this group is not as large and only comprises of about 15% of homeless population in United States (Endhomelessness.org, 2015).
Alcohol abuse in the homeless population
Over and above all other health concerns that affect the homes population, the aspect of alcohol abuse and related drugs, forms the number one problem for this population relative to health care.It is estimated that a minimum of 30% of the homeless population is suffering from the alcoholism problem (Apha.org, 1989). For most of the homeless population, it is a tough life out on the streets. They do not have the means to provide adequately for their children and individual needs. Some of them have had difficult life situations such economic crisis, abuse, illness and social neglect among other factors, before they joined the population. In some cases, some have tried to get out of their crisis, but the systems are not as supportive (Brown, 2011). In light of the entire predicament and the kind of life struggles that most of them face on the streets, it is easy for them to try and escape their situation through the use of alcohol. This provides them with the temporary relieve from their worries, but in the end, due to the chronic state of their life situations on the streets, end up getting addicted to alcoholism.
Effects of alcoholism on the homeless population
The main problem associated with alcohol abuse, which is quite general in the human body concerns is the fact that, it leads to health complications. When one takes too much alcohol within a single sitting, the alcohol tends to affect the basic mechanisms that the brain uses to communicate. It is for this reason that faculties such as sight, balance and general cognitive functions are affected. This means that their behavior, moods and the ability to make sound decisions are all affected negatively (Brown, 2011). As the person continues to drink excessive amounts of alcohol over a long time, they also tend to develop heart complications such as stroke, high blood pressure, Arrhythmias and cardiomyopathy (Niaaa.nih.gov, 2015). Due to the large amount of alcohol content in the blood, the liver also tends to develop complications such as cirrhosis, fibrosis and steatosis among others (Niaaa.nih.gov, 2015). Due to the toxic substances that are prod...