[fullspectrumdev]

Dry shelters are arguably a massive part of the problem.

You fix the housing issue first, make their lives less fucking miserable, then it’s easier to get someone to accept help for their drug addiction.

You can’t “cure” an addict who isn’t ready to be “helped”.

[paisawalla]

> Dry shelters are arguably a massive part of the problem.

As someone who has housed and lived close to addicts, to put it plainly: this is a naive, academic view. Dry shelter are "a massive part of the problem"? Absolutely incorrect, and harmfully ignorant if implemented at societal scale.

As someone who provided food and shelter to an addict in my own home, guaranteeing these things does nothing to increase the willingness to quit heroin. Material deprivation may cause you to seek drugs, but remedying deprivation does not lead to recovery. In fact, I honestly believe offering it unconditionally hampers it.

[p_j_w]

>this is a naive, academic view

Academic maybe, but that's a hell of a lot better than one person who thinks their personal anecdote is more powerful than scientific evidence.

[paisawalla]

If your understanding of the scientific evidence is that it supports "dry shelters are harmful and their existence exacerbates heroin addiction," then I think that's a good argument in favor of the inclusion of anecdotes on this topic.

[p_j_w]

If your understanding of the scientific method and critical inquiry amounts to "if you have some belief I don't like then anecdotes are useful" then you need to level up your understanding of the scientific method and critical inquiry.

[paisawalla]

That is not my understanding.