Kim
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Uploaded by invisiblepeopletv on Mar 11, 2010
Kim
Posted by invisiblepeople | Filed under alaska, face and voice of homelessness, road trip
Until my recent trip to Anchorage, Alaska, I had never heard the term Chronic Public Inebriate, yet in Alaska the word inebriate is spoken everywhere. It is so grafted in Anchorages culture that even the homeless call themselves inebriates. At first it bothered me, but I soon learned that Anchorages homeless problem is very complex, caused by severe alcohol addictions.
I met Kim while he was panhandling on the side of the road. His wife had gone up the street for a cup of coffee. Although to an Alaskan this last week was a bit of a heat wave, I still had a hard time holding the camera without gloves because it was so cold. Probably around 35 degrees!
Kim started drinking when he was nine years old, and hell be fifty-two this May. Alcoholism is a horrible disease. Looking in from the outside, people think that drinking is a choice. But at some point along the way, alcohol completely takes over and the choice is gone. Alcoholics need booze just like we all need air, making it nearly impossible to stop. Add to that the dehumanizing experience of living without permanent shelter and people will drink until they die, which is whats happening in Alaska.
Kim is very knowledgeable about laws that local city governments are trying to pass to solve this crisis. No matter what laws are passed, people addicted to alcohol will find a way to get it. Kim talks about his friends drinking Listerine when they cannot get served. One of his friends was the first homeless inebriate found dead last year. The mans body was found with an empty bottle of Listerine next to it.
I wish I had answers for Kim and the people of Alaska. Please watch this video and share it with everyone you know. People are dying, and we must find a solution.
Special thanks to Hertz [http://hertz.com]
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All Comments (11)
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@blazelmtdedtn Hawaii
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@JACQSIErae is anyplace a good place to be homeless?
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He's a real fighter to still be living homeless in snow. =)
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Snow
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not a good place to be homeless
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damn hes smart
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they drink because of two things
1. its coldddddd in alaska. alcohol warms you up
2. if you've been homeless for a long time, drinkings a way to ease pain
this guy is a fighter! go kim
halorocks945 1 year ago 3
Alcohol creates depression not the other way around. But you cant convince the victim of that. Alcoholism is a battle fought round the globe. It's right up there with drug addictions. Homelessness can be over come but many give up the fight.
smartcarfor2 1 year ago 2