To have felt a bit sorry for this shoplifter / drug addict?

[Estelvia]

I was in savers this afternoon and a man was caught trying to steal. The staff got the items back before escorting him out of the shop, as he was being lead out of the door he was pleading with them saying that he's ill / withdrawing and needs 'dark' (which is slang for heroin)

The employee told him to sling his hook and get a job, cue some swearing from him and calling them knob heads among other things.

We saw him walk up the highstreet and into Holland and Barretts where he presumably tried the same thing.

My initial thought was "scumbag" but then it hit me just how desperate somebody must be to resort to that and what an miserable existence it is having to steal to ward off painful withdrawals. I'm not condoning theft or any other crimes they commit to fund the habit.

Do you have any sympathy for these types of people?

I watched a documentary about a town in the US where the majority were addicted to a prescribed opiod (sp) it was so bad with overdoses and crime there was a emergency services unit just to deal with that.

He is desperate, yes it makes me sad for him.

A close relative died of an overdose when he first tried heroin. I have always thought that part of me is glad he never became desperate like the man in the shop.

@WellIWasInTheNeighbourhoo

Heroin addiction used to be managed by doctors here in the 60's and it was available on prescription. Still is in some other more humane countries. Its a shame it's still not, would cut out the underworld crime element and treat them as patients which is what they become. Dreadful addiction.

This is true as well. A lot of street homelessness is caused by heroin addiction and the change in drug policy from then.

I have sympathy. The life of an addict is utterly shit. I always feel sympathy for anyone who has a worse life than me.

I feel sorry for them but I also think addicts are stupid fuckers as it's no secret that drugs and excess booze will wreck your life.

Very much so. I spent a day in magistrates court and 90% of people were being charged for shoplifting offences due to circumstances like this. All of them had previous offences and were in a cycle of getting clean in prison then, finding themselves jobless and/or homeless, started using again and eventually back in court. Huge amounts of money is spent on processing people through the criminal justice system with addiction services practically non-existent. It needs to be treated as a public health issue.

I have a relative nearing 60 and has been an addict since the 80s started with herion. They had children removed put into care ,burgled houses stole from their poor mother I could go on and on they have done nothing with their life except exist and take drugs its such a waste of life.

It's not about 'types of people'. One different throw of the dice and any one of us could end up being in a scenario like the one you describe.

No one grows up with 'drug addict' as their ambition in life.

I believe very much in 'there but for the grace of God'.

I can understand how people first come to try heroin. Imagine having had a shit life (and I mean truly shit - abuse, negligent parent(s), bullying etc), being on the fringes of circles where heroin use takes place (perhaps the area you live in, the company you keep) and feeling at rock bottom with whatever issues are affecting you. Feeling like there's no way out. Like you might be better off topping yourself. Then someone you know says 'Want some...'. What is there to lose? Life is already as shitty as it gets, it always has been and it always will be. This might make you feel better, fuck it, yeah, go on...

So yes, I do feel sympathy for addicts. I feel sympathy for those who are left to pick up after them too, the people who work in Savers, people who are mugged and burgled. But as you look at an addict with contempt, bear in mind that people have probably treated that person in a contemptful manner for as long as they can remember. Which is why they ended up as they are.

I do have some sympathy for him, no one aspires to that, however I have more sympathy for the shop assistant who probably has to deal with him perhaps daily. Having worked in retail in a busy town centre you get people like this all the time, it's exhausting having the same argument with them every bloody day!

YANBU

I imagine he had a pretty damaging childhood, so I sympathise with both parties.

Saw something similar in poundland the other week - how desperate do you have to be to shoplift (or attempt to) in poundland?

• but no, little sympathy

I feel sorry for both the addict and the retail worker.

It is very tough having to work with troubled customers multiple times a day with no training and on minimum wage.

Yanbu. It is an awful life waking up every day and your first thought is to score.
I watched a documentary recently the young lady was sleeping with 20 mena day to fund her habit, another from a mc well educated family it is the stuff of nightmares.
Addicts usually use a vice to hide some suffering they are to be pitied.

It’s a waste of a life. I recently met someone of my age (mid 40s) who’s had a leg amputated due to injecting heroin. I felt sorry for him.

I have no sympathy.

I have addicts in my family.

We all suffered abuse as kids, but they have actively chosen this path. They made that choice to take that shit and ruin their lives, their (now ex) partners lives, their kids lives. They lie, steal and their whole life, and only concern is about their next hit. They have even stolen off their children.

I suffered far worse than they did and had the same opportunities to take that path, but I chose not to do that, because it is a choice imo.

It's not like anyone thinks that heroin is a great idea when they first take it, there are no good stories that come from using it.

It's not about 'types of people'. One different throw of the dice and any one of us could end up being in a scenario like the one you describe.

It must be on some level surely? Otherwise everyone who had suffered a trauma or had a shit childhood, bad divorce, loss of job etc etc would be an addict.

We all have a choice, no matter what life has thrown at us. Those choices might not be the ones we want or crave but it's still a choice.

I work in a shop and we get shoplifters all the time, not all drug addicts I might add but it’s tiresome, and can be intimidating and threatening. I’d rather not have to deal with it so no I have zero sympathy for them.

It's entirely possible to have sympathy and not tolerate the behaviour. They are not mutually exclusive.

The man is clearly in a desperate situation. That does not mean he should be allowed to get away with stealing.

It's really not hard to feel sorry for anyone with such a shit life

Everyone's only about 3 meals away from anarchy

Not sympathetic. My brother does drugs. He took my grandmas last penny before she died. There is no sob story, bad childhood or anything like that, he's just a lazy piece of shit who does drugs.

I have empathy.

I do feel for them because to get to that point they have had some serious bad luck or made some seriously bad decisions in life.

None of us knows what tomorrow brings and what we'd do if we fell on hard times.

But I sympathise with those who end up having houses broken into, or cars or mugged to feed the habit.

Better funding for MH and support for those leaving the forces etc would probably be a much better preventative. I know methadone programmes are actually really good nowadays and the pharmacists I've seen are really sensitive and discreet.

People don't grow up hoping to be a drug addict and it usually stems from trauma

There must be some genetic aspect too, since as a pp says, lots of people have abusive childhoods and they don’t all become addicts.
Maybe their parents were addicts/alcoholics and that’s why they suffered abuse and neglect.
Also there are plenty of well off addicts but since they’re well off and can afford to buy drugs they’re not shop lifting and burgling so they don’t end up in court (unless they’re caught with large amounts of drugs)

I have sympathy to a degree, in so much as I'll donate to local homeless charities. Not all homeless are addicts of course and I don't begrudge helping those who want to help themselves where I can. I'm not naive enough to think it isn't a lifestyle choice for some though.

However, I've been subjected to some awful behaviour from addicts in my workplace (shop) when I've tried to stop them shoplifting. Noone deserves to be spat at or threatened to be stabbed at the end of their shift, regardless of whether they had a deprived upbringing. We also had a significant break-in at the start lockdown from what Police assume were addicts. Six figure sum of irreplaceble items (that have most likely been destroyed by now as they're too niche to be sold on) stolen and no insurance payout so far. I find it hard to feel sympathy for the scumbags who chose to commit that crime. My partner and I have worked hard to build up our business and it was a kick in the teeth we could have done without.