Alcoholism, drug abuse, and the homeless.

Abstract

Credible estimates of the prevalence of alcohol and drug abuse suggest that alcohol abuse affects 30% to 40% and drug abuse 10% to 15% of homeless persons. A review of policies that address substance abuse among the homeless finds that interventions alternate between control and rehabilitation. However, the unique needs of a changing homeless population require an integration of alcoholism and drug abuse recovery services with programs for women, adolescents, and the mentally ill. Alcohol- and drug-free housing is essential to support and maintain recovery. Psychology can contribute in the development of effective programs for homeless individuals struggling with addiction and alcoholism.

Substance Misuse, Suicidal Ideation, and Suicide Attempts Among a National Sample of Homeless

“…Although Native Americans are often stereotyped as the "drunken Indian" and they do have higher rates of alcohol dependency than other ethnic groups (Office of Applied Statistics, 1998), their use of other drugs is much greater relative to the rates of other groups (Moore et al, 2005;Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2005). Similar trends are noted among the homeless (McCarty et al, 1991;Stahler, 1995).…”

“…First, while males were more likely to report higher rates of both drug and alcohol use and women were more likely to report that they had seriously considered suicide in the past year, there was no statistically significant difference in reported suicide attempts by gender. In general, these findings are typical of those found in other populations, with the exception of suicide attempts, where researchers typically find males to be at a greater risk for using alcohol and drugs (McCarty et al, 1991;Moore et al, 2005;Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2005) and females to have higher rates of suicidal ideation but lower rates of completion (Kessler et al, 1999). As we note with the higher overall rate of suicide attempt within this population, it is possible that women follow through more readily when they are homeless.…”

“…Males use more illegal drugs, alcohol, and tobacco than women (Moore, et al, 2005;Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2005). This pattern is found among homeless individuals as well (McCarty et al, 1991). Also consistent is the pattern of a higher prevalence of substance misuse reports among younger adults.…”

“…Although the prevalence of substance misuse is often thought to be higher among the homeless population than among the general population, estimates have differed widely due to sampling and operationalization variations (McCarty, Argeriou, Huebner, & Lubran, 1991;Robertson, Zlotnick, & Westerfelt, 1997). Many past studies of substance misuse among the homeless have relied upon geographically isolated samples or homogenous or convenience samples that make generalizability to the general population virtually impossible.…”

A Clean and Sober Place to Live: Philosophy, Structure, and Purported Therapeutic Factors in Sober Living Houses

“…As reviewed elsewhere , homelessness affected nearly 6 million people from 1987 to 1993. Conservative estimates indicate 40% suffer from alcohol problems and 15% suffer form drug problems (McCarty et al, 1991). In one county in Northern California, a study of homelessness revealed a lifetime prevalence for substance use disorders of 69.1% (Robertson & Zlotnick, 1997).…”