Use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs in a sample of homeless migrants in Bilbao

There are not many studies in Spain on substance abuse by the homeless, and even\r\nfewer considering such a specific sector of the population as immigrants. The aim of\r\nthe paper is to analyse substance abuse and find out the influence that this has on the\r\nchronifying the situation of the homeless. 107 in-depth interviews were carried out\r\nsupplemented with psychometric questionnaires about substance abuse, acculturative\r\nstress, impact on life of the experience of homelessness and psychological distress.\r\nThe results show that substance abuse is not massive among the homeless people\r\ninterviewed. 59.8% (n=64) of the sample did not consume any alcohol and 67.3%\r\n(n=72) did not consume any drugs. Almost half of the sample had however abused\r\nalcohol throughout their lives and 65% (n=32) believe it has influenced their current\r\nhomeless situation. Those who currently abuse alcohol show average higher scores\r\non psychological distress and emotional distress as well as greater changes in personal\r\nidentity as a result of sleeping rough. Alcohol abuse is furthermore one of the most\r\ninfluential variables in the chronicity of the homeless, in turn a risk factor in starting to\r\ndrink or increasing previous consumption.