I think that addiction knows no social class nor income status and that addiction happens to even those that are financially well off. The difference comes when the financially well-off are able to afford to deal with their addictions (counseling, rehab) whilst those who are addicted and in poverty have less of a chance to be helped because the services are not available to them for many reasons.

I am also stating this from a USA perspective. Not sure about other countries.

I have a few close fiends and relations who are clean and sober and they have become much better persons because of it.

On the flip side, my younger brother, Michael died in 2007 from complications of a meth addiction. The saddest part was that Michael refused to get help.

You can watch a video slideshow
that I did a couple of years ago as a tribute to my brother.

Addiction *is* a scourge and I wish that we as a society would see it for what it is: an illness and not a personality responsibility issue.

Debra Cowan