In American society, a person is thought to be solely responsible for his or her own actions. It is rare that the confines of society are considered to be part of anyone’s problem, especially in the case of homelessness. It is said and thought all-too-often that a homeless person must be in an unstable situation because they are a drug addict, an alcoholic or otherwise a degenerate. This point of view overlooks the causes of addiction and ignores society’s ability to intercede and effect change for those unfortunate people who fall into vagrancy.
Aaron James was once a hopeful young college student with goals and drive. He hoped to become a figure in the US government so that he might help better the nation. However, Aaron was unprepared for the challenges of college and soon found himself struggling with the workload his higher education demanded. “I just couldn’t focus, it was a constant struggle. I was felt that I was behind.” Aaron said in the interview.
To make matters worse, Aaron did not “fit in” with his classmates. “We came from totally different backgrounds. I came from a poor, hard-nosed, area and everybody else, well, we just didn’t have anything in common, me and anyone, we didn’t have the same concerns. What mattered to them didn’t matter to me and what I thought was important had never been a concern of theirs.”
Young, ostracized, over-worked, overstressed and with nowhere to turn, Aaron began drinking heavily and using drugs as a means of escape. At first, Aaron was using only as an escape from the stress of school life. But, as his grades began to suffer and his dreams began to slip away, the escape he found in oblivion became a permanent hiding place.
“It didn’t matter as long as I could get drunk or high on something, whoever I had to lie to whatever money I had to steal or how badly my grades suffered, it didn’t matter as long as I could get away. I lied to friends I lied to family I lied to myself.”
Eventually, Aaron ran out of money for not only his addictions, but for the basic necessities of life. He had emptied his trust fund and was cast out by his now-distrusting family. When his financial aid was taken away from him (because of failing grades) he could no longer afford college. Having lost most of his friends, family and a chance at education, Aaron hit bottom. Aaron knew he needed help but had no money, no residence, no one left to rely on. Then, he went to Cambridge Hospital and told the staff he was depressed and not thinking clearly. He was admitted and after telling his story, sparing no embarrassment to himself, he was placed in a state funded psychiatric and addiction treatment facility.
There he endured 6 days of withdrawal. After being counseled through his difficult withdrawal, Aaron spent 10 days at a post-detox support house. Finally, Aaron took up residency at a sober house until he was able to restore the trust of an old friend with whom he currently resides.
During the interview, Aaron stressed how important his time at the state funded support centers was. “The six days I spent withdrawing made me feel right. Having gotten through that with the help of the people there made me feel ready to face life clean and sober, but they wisely convinced me to go to the detox clinic. My time there was even more important. I had not realized how much damage I had done relationship wise, I had lost friends, my own brother was barely speaking to me, the people at the detox clinic prepared me for that. They made me realize I had to stop lying, that I had to own up to my past mistakes, they prepared me for the struggle of repairing others trust in me.”
Currently, Aaron is drug-free and sober, living with a friend, working, and paying rent. He is trying to get his life back in order, revive the relationships he lost and even hopes to return to school one day. He hasn’t given up his dream of working in politics and hopes to be an influential advocate for the less fortunate, using his first hand experience to benefit others.
Aaron is person who has fallen through the cracks and his effort to pull himself towards a bright future is stupendous and something worth celebrating. Also, the state funded institutions that helped and are still helping him should be commended. However, I wonder if it had to be this way. Perhaps if Aaron had had a place to go to for support at school, somewhere he felt accepted, a place that could recognize his growing problem before it became full-blown addiction, it would have turned out differently. Perhaps a campus locale that could have offered him a safe haven, an alternative means of coping with stress. In school institutions available to students who are fighting with some of the same struggles Aaron experienced may help prevent some from having to endure the same trauma Aaron lived through.