What do YOU do to help those less fortunate in your community?

Question

With government cutbacks and money going to the wealthy and not the disadvantaged, addiction and mental health facilities cannot accomodate all the people requiring help. As addiction, in particular, is a symptom of a bigger, systemic problem, what can you do to help those suffering?

Answer 1

Funny I should see your question since that's been my career for 20+ years. I started out in the mental health field solely, only to discover not too many years into it that substance abuse / dependence was a HUGE factor in most of the "psychiatric" issues in individuals and families. I wish some of the psychiatrists I worked with had opened their eyes to that fact, but maybe they just didn't want to "dirty their hands" with the "drunks and druggies" as they called them. One KEY issue in their "recovery" that is being deliberately avoided and even run down is their own responsibility in dealing with their own addictions, whether that be with some chemical, sexual addiction, "love" addiction, gambling addiction, etc.. Our profession got so involved in calling all addictions "diseases" that would not respond to "self control" or "will power" that we, VERY INCORRECTLY, took away the major curative factor, the addict him/herself. Even those high-priced hospitals and recovery centers have, at the end of all their claims about how good they are, in small print added something to the effect of, "Of course, if the patient is not willing to participate in the program fully, we cannot guarantee their recovery". Now, if THAT doesn't tell you where the responsibility lay, NOTHING will, and yet they keep charging very high prices and wanting more BIG insurance monies, and yet, at the end of all their "hoopla", they tell you who is most responsible for recovery, and I can guarantee you, after 20 some-odd years in practice, no truer words were ever spoken. God Bless you.

Answer 2

assalam o alikum,
From the govt. point of view the ZAKAT system should b in placed. So that equal and fair distribution of wealth can be achieved.

Second, from individual point of view, so many things can b done to help.
In some cases PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE. My observations regarding the comparisons b/w east and west and Muslims (i mean true one) and non-Muslims i have found out that the most of the problems generated because everyone wishes to satisfy his or her own needs, and ignoring the fact that the short term fun can bring long terms problem. Like fornication, adultery, premarital sex, unnecessary expectations and competitions (for becoming bigger in terms of status/ power) and constantly run for the worldly gain will OBVIOUSLY bring the mental health / addiction problems. These evil practices not only created a lot of diseases (like AIDS) but psychological problems as well and created crime as well (and it keep on increasing because of lenient punishment such as on rape, drinking, adultery and even in murder etc)

in this case true teachings of Islam can save which stress the fulfillment of desires in right (halal) manner.
Islam is the solution of mankind.

Just i want to give u a example to ponder....
Suppose u r working in office and if u don’t follow the rules and regulations and not strictly observe its policies and not obey its top man and its policies do u think that organization will work?? if every employ wishes to work from its own way and do whatever he/she thinks right do u think that the organization will able to achieve its objective in peaceful manner?
Even take a example of machine, if u wishes to handle it in ur own way and don’t feel necessary to read its operational manual do u think that machine will work???

i m not saying that believe in teachings of Islam blindly, even Qur’an not says this. it says think, ponder, it always invite to think, understand and accept with open eyes.

may Allah (God) guide us towards the right path, ameen

Answer 3

To help in my community I donate to the food bank as well as volunteer my time.I deliver food to families that have no car to pick it up themselves. As for drug addicts---I do nothing as they choose to be there as well as drunks choose to be there. And until they make a choice to stop being a druggie or a drunkie then I have no use for them and most are on assistance and use the money from our taxes to continue.I have dealt with addicts all my life and even worked with them to try and help and know it is a personal choice to use or abuse.I believe that it is a choice and when you choose the behaviour then live with the consequences of your actions and stop blaming every one else.Does this opinion make me a b1tch? Then I guess thats my choice isn't it?

Answer 4

check out www.csatrust.com to know about our work to help those less fortunate in our community

Answer 5

contribute money to funding institutions