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Drug Addiction and Poverty
Drug addiction and poverty tend to go hand in hand. Although most researchers have not been able to make a conclusive study as to whether drug abuse leads directly to poverty, there is sufficient evidence that abuse does bring about poverty.
Can't Finish School and
Can't Find Work
An inability to get an education is one link between drug addiction and poverty. People who are addicted to drugs have trouble finishing school and finding - and keeping - jobs. Miss too many days at work or show up stoned, and you're likely to get fired.
Higher Health Costs
Higher health costs are another problem that can lead to poverty. Drug addicts are far more likely to wind up in an emergency room more than once for reasons such as overdoses and injuries related to drug abuse. Without insurance, those visits are extremely expensive.
Jail Time
Most drugs are illegal, and if you're caught either carrying or dealing drugs, you will spend time in jail, meaning you are off work and not getting an income. Legal costs are also expensive. If you support a family and especially children, they also suffer because they have to get by without your income.
Loss of Family Support
Dealing with an addict can be extremely difficult, and the friends and family members of many addicts have had to distance themselves from the addict for survival reasons. We all need help from time to time, but the drug addict doesn’t have that support.
The Cost of Illegal Drugs
I take medicine for a thyroid condition and usually pay my pharmacist about $4 for a three-month supply. But if I didn't have a prescription and had to buy my medication online instead, my cost would be about three times that amount. Any prescription obtained illegally, even a harmless thyroid medication, is always going to cost more because you're obtaining it, well, illegally.
The cost is far worse with a drug you become addicted to. Start to abuse drugs, and your body will quickly develop a tolerance to the drug. That means that instead of taking one Vicodin to get through the day, you will soon find yourself needing three or four. At that rate, you can go through a bottle of 100 tablets pretty quickly. That cost adds up over time, a definite link between drug addiction and poverty.
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