Some kids are born with no chance whatsoever these days. Born into poverty with parents who have never worked from parents before who have never worked whole families have become institutionalised into the benefit system.

I don’t see an easy solution or answer. I don’t think the answer is universal credit (which in principle sounds a fairer system in practice not) as it seems the people who need help and the vulnerable are suffering most. What’s hard to deny is life for the poorest in our country is getting worse and as a result our country is getting worse. The fact food banks are even needed in a country like ours is a sure sign that things are going seriously wrong somewhere down the line. The same can be said of the growth in homelessness. People are being deliberately distracted from much more important issues such as these by the curse of Brexit.

Saying addiction is a matter of choice is at best factually wrong and incredibly ignorant. Nobody would actually choose to get in any dangerous and damaging cycle that can have such a devastating impact on people’s lives.

People always play the system, I agree that culture exists and it’s annoying. But it doesn’t mean a lot of people are in need of help as well.[/quote]

Not many people are born addicted, most know the outcome from awareness at school, if you then choose to inject or smoke something that is going to affect your entire life, leading to addiction, then my sympathy is zero.
You drink yourself into a zombie state, your choice.
Choices, I worked for 3 years in a hostel for people with addictions, saw it daily and it is horrible to see but even with help most just keep on doing the same thing, one or two see the light but saw corpes being carried out on a regular basis.

so you saw it first hand and seen them die yet others kept doing it and still you believe its a choice and have no sympathy? That appears heartless beyond belief.

What stage would your life have to be at to make those ‘choices’. It’s not really a choice is it the preference to want be temporarily (or permanently) taken somewhere by alcohol or drugs because your reality is so grim.

I think just about everybody sets out to and wants live pleasant happy life. Nobody would actually choose that path they often end up there due to other issues or the fact they had a little chance or choice in the first place. Things aren’t that black and white and straightforward just because you are fortunate enough not to be in that position doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to understand how people up in it.

Yes I did not that that matters as maybe I was struggling myself and couldn't afford to.

Genuine LOL at Derwent, completely lost the plot