Welcome to the happiness podcast. I'm Dr. Robert Puff. Do you ever wonder why some people's lives just don't turn out very well? I mean, they start off good, they like life, they're enjoying life, maybe they go off to college,

they start drinking with their buddies in college, and unfortunately in a few years, maybe

in a decade, they're an alcoholic living on the street.

When I was in college, I had the opportunity of spending a summer in Santa Monica near the

beach.

I was working for my uncle at a pet grooming salon and helping clip dogs and taking care of them as they would be boarded at his place.

But he was a very good uncle and he let me have the afternoons off to go to the beach.

And I remember being at the beach and really enjoying

my summer because it had been a busy academic year. And I don't know if you've been to Santa

Monica, but it truly is a beautiful community. But there are a lot of homeless people there, people that are

living on the street and that's their life. They're often addicted to drugs and alcohol and their

lives are hard. But I remember one day meeting a boy, he was probably 1617 and he was down there

just hanging out and I could tell that he was experimenting with drugs and alcohol.

And for him, it was just a good time.

He just wanted to have a good time.

But he was a precursor homeless person.

And he didn't know it.

We talked.

I tried to encourage him to back off on the drugs and alcohol,

but the point was he was clearly headed on a path of self-destruction,

but he couldn't see it. He was too caught up in life and he was going to end

up probably being like the people that were homeless there in a few years.

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