Discussion What makes homeless people hold on?

[hannahryan]

I honestly don't know how people who are homeless hold on. Now I'm know that anyone can become homeless through eviction etc... I'm not talking about temporarily homeless, I mean those on the streets. I live in Ireland and in the winter, it gets pretty fucking cold. Yesterday, I was in my house and even with the heater on, I was still shivering. I imagined what it would be like to be exposed to the elements.

I would attempt suicide everyday until I succeeded. Why would anyone be okay with sleeping on a cardboard box for a month is beyond me. As someone said most on the streets for months/years on end either have drug addiction and/or mental health issues

 

[FuneralCry]

If I became homeless, I would find a way to ctb instantly. I think the reason could be that suicide is very difficult. It requires a lot of courage and we are programmed to survive after all. Methods can fail.

 

[fox_wannabe]

I heard that suicide rate is quite high in homeless people. It is maybe that we never notice It because suicide might be by things likely drinking to death, overdose or freezing. We may never know If person died because he have no friends or family. I think It is simpler to classify every homeless death as accident than suicide, maybe paperwork is easier that way.

 

[Rational man]

Many homeless people have mental health issues, or drink or drugs.Many are ex forces. Other's just like you and me, but they dont have the basic human rights of a home. Let down by global governments, we would rather keep empty offices warm than convert the space into living space.

 

[Apricity]

Some people just don't mind it. No rent to pay, no electric or heating bill. I guess it depends on the climate too. I live in California, and there are thousands living in tents along the river here. Got so bad, that section of the river was closed to swimming due to E. Coli because they dumped their shit buckets there.

 

[odradek]

I think it's fairly easy to understand actually. Why do any of us hold on when a lot of us are miserable? A multitude of reasons from fear of death, to fear of pain, to fear of failure, etc.

Homeless people do have less then us but they're still humans with the same fears or hopes or whatever. I think it's very easy from our place of privilege to say "I would ctb instantly if I were homeless". It's never that easy, we of all people should understand that otherwise I think most of us would not be here.

 

[PinkSakura]

Drugs

 

[MiraculousMisery]

I guess everyone's mental health, karmic, spiritual and biological trajectories are different

 

[KiraLittleOwl]

Opioids.

 

[NONO89]

There is also a lot of pro-life propaganda that is culturally embedded within society.

 

[Pluto]

Drugs are often involved, and the impulse to get the next fix can outweigh any sort of rational cognition. And other factors mentioned here, failed CTB attempts, primitive survival impulses, hope for change, etc. If we offered genuine resources for those in need, and humane end-of-life solutions for those who do not want to continue, nobody would be left to rot in the gutter.

 

[toforigivelife]

I've wondered the very same thing myself.

There may be a few different scenarios at play.

Living is not really appealing to them under these circumstances but maybe human primal of death prevents them from ending their lives.

Maybe a lot of them hold on to a sense of false hope (this probably has a connection to primal fear of death or survival instinct).

As one poster on this thread said, they are addicts and keep living for that next high.

As another poster stated, some people are homeless by choice.

They might live in a mild climate like California which makes being homeless at least a little more comfortable, and they like the complete lack of responsibility and they find some value in life on the street.

And, as another poster said, many homeless people probably do die by suicide, it's just that those suicides are discussed in the media and no one's done a study on it.

 

[1lastchance]

I've been homeless twice. Living on the street isn't easy in my area, but it's still doable. If you think about what people had to live with before the internet age and realize that life use to be a lot harder. Homelessness from a surviving perspective isn't much different than the much older days. Although digging around in grocery store trash bins is far easier than hunting and gathering for food. Plus there's shelters and churches that provide assistance on rare occasions. It all boils down to the mental fortitude of the individual and as I've been a long time lurker on here just recently approved for an account. We all know how strong SI can be for a person. What most I would assume, at least for me. Anyway is the lack of indecision to make a choice to move in any direction and massive depression that makes me stuck at being indecisive.

 

[eternalmelancholy]

Anyway is the lack of indecision to make a choice to move in any direction and massive depression that makes me stuck at being indecisive.

Man this post really spoke to me. I just stoodbye and let life happen to me. I didn't fight or struggle I just accepted whatever came my way.

Living like this will always lead to homelessness in the end. The longer you wait to take action the harder it is. Reading all the stories on here it is clear that death is the superior option to homelessness. If you still can't ctb at that point is there any hope you'll ever do it?

 

[1lastchance]

Man this post really spoke to me. I just stoodbye and let life happen to me. I didn't fight or struggle I just accepted whatever came my way.

Living like this will always lead to homelessness in the end. The longer you wait to take action the harder it is. Reading all the stories on here it is clear that death is the superior option to homelessness. If you still can't ctb at that point is there any hope you'll ever do it?

I honestly don't know if I ever will depends on what circumstances happen in my life and if the amount of despair is enough to push me to action and One Direction or the other all I know is that from a very young age I was never a very good fighter I was always beaten up and beaten down verbally and physically abused and told that I would never amount to anything and that's what I believed and still believe which is why I'm at where I'm at now the only last shred of hope that I have left is in my faith and my hope and faith that there is something better after this life but choosing to CTB is essentially self murder and that is a difficult choice for anyone to make which is why there's still so many of us on here that haven't yet I wish I could be rescued by someone I wish I could be saved by someone but I know that's probably not going to happen just like my chances of winning the lottery will never happen because I don't play the game of lottery just like I'm stuck with all of my indecisions of life. I think in someway we all just want someone to come and pull us out of our own pit but that's not going to happen because we're all too busy being stuck in our own pit. How could anyone possibly save me when they're still struggling to save them selves and no one has the resources to spare or share with someone with the likes of me who can barely pull himself up out of bed to go to work.

 

[eternalmelancholy]

Hope really is a tricky thing. I've passed that point already. Life is not a fairytale and I am not getting a happy ending. It just wasn't in the cards for me. Maybe accepting this will make ctb'ing easier.

I wish I could be rescued by someone I wish I could be saved by someone but I know that's probably not going to happen just like my chances of winning the lottery will never happen because I don't play the game of lottery just like I'm stuck with all of my indecisions of life.

 

[1lastchance]

you can always shuffle the deck and see what happens. Think long and hard before you CTB. You only have to get it right one time.

 

[eternalmelancholy]

you can always shuffle the deck and see what happens. Think long and hard before you CTB. You only have to get it right one time.

I get what you are saying. But from my experience it gets harder and harder to kill yourself after every failed attempt. The right opportunity does not come often. If you miss a good chance to ctb then you might not get another.

 

[greyhound]

It's hard to say. I mean some homeless hippy people look almost happy. No rent/mortgage to pay. Free food at shelters. If you didn't mind being at the bottom of the social pecking order it might not be that terrible.

Hope has a lot to do with it too. For some maybe they just lost their job due to pandemic but are still relatively healthy and feel they could get back on their feet at some point.

For me I have a comfortable place to live and roof over my head but am chronically ill with no hope of getting better. I've said before that I'd rather be healthy and in jail with a known exit date than in my current poor health. I'd probably also trade health and homelessness for it. At the end of the day your body is your actual home and it could be a decent place to be even if you're sleeping in a tent.

 

[eternalmelancholy]

For me I have a comfortable place to live and roof over my head but am chronically ill with no hope of getting better. I've said before that I'd rather be healthy and in jail with a known exit date than in my current poor health. I'd probably also trade health and homelessness for it. At the end of the day your body is your actual home and it could be a decent place to be even if you're sleeping in a tent.

Man that hit deep. Your mind and body will begin to deteriorate with age no matter how healthy you are. Avoiding old age could be seen as a form of self care. Life only gets worse as you get older.

 

[kittymagic]

I was with my ex when I was homeless and that was the only reason I managed as long as I did. It's miserable. Nowhere to escape the cold and rain in the winter or heat in the summer and everyone looks at you as less than. Constantly kicked out of any places you did try to seek shelter, even if you bought something.

I never would've made it on my own.

 

[eternalmelancholy]

I was with my ex when I was homeless and that was the only reason I managed as long as I did. It's miserable. Nowhere to escape the cold and rain in the winter or heat in the summer and everyone looks at you as less than. Constantly kicked out of any places you did try to seek shelter, even if you bought something.

I never would've made it on my own.

I am so sorry you had to go through that. It blows my mind how people are able to survive and escape homelessness. I know for a fact I don't have the willpower to make it out.

 

[Fadeawaaaay]

I live in Southern California and I have had conversations with homeless people here quite often. Their conditions are absolutely miserable no doubt. They fear for their safety every single night. They get robbed all the time. The cops make them move every single morning. They're filthy and Looked down upon by everybody else. And I think many of them have tried CTB. But as discussed, CTB can be difficult to pull off. One fella told me he jumped off an overpass but it was only about 25 feet high and he landed on the freeway and miraculously was not hit by any cars. A lot of these people have acclimated to their lifestyle. It's like a frog heating up in water things change and you get used to it and that becomes the new normal. Even for myself right now, I went from a certain level of spending and comfort to a radically reduced level in the past six months but I'm already getting used to it. Unfortunately. It's going to get a lot worse pretty soon which is why I really need to get my act together for CTB. I don't want to acclimate to the next level down.

 

[Crimsonghost3]

SI is strong even for the homeless self preservation means you kinda adapt to it. Long term homeless usually know that's how their life is and are forced to mentally accept very much like someone who's never been to prison would have to adapt to that setting. It's very stressful and draining but you're worried about eating or people taking your things or people harassing you there isn't much time to contemplate life.