there are reasons why so many poor people are smoking, drinking, and/or using drugs. Mental health care, including substance abuse social services, needs a makeover. It's easy to pass judgment when we know nothing about the situation. The problem is, is that the government tries to alleviate the symptoms of an underlying problem and they aren't very successful.
I am not passing judgement on the reason they use detrimental substances. However, when someone uses their kids' ketchup soup as an excuse for trying to avoid consequences - I do have to question their priorities. I think you may be taking my post out of context (and I may be reading too much into yours). I was pointing out that not all moms who can't afford food for their kids make reasonable choices with their money, which is probably a key contributor to the end problem of kids with no food. It isn't always his or her choice, and in some cases it is an impossible choice, but it isn't okay to take personal responsibility completely out of the equation either.
While the issue of children's poverty in a first world country is alarming, I think you've alluded to a point that would be well taken. No matter how much we help, there will continue be a small subset of people who are unable to function in society (or who function poorly). Until we figure out how to integrate and care for all people - and I do believe that caring for each member is a societal responsibility - we will continue to hear the ketchup soup story.
While I take the pragmatic stance, I also believe there is a societal model out there that will reach this goal. The question is whether we, collectively, have the benevolent ingenuity - and the stomach - to make the changes necessary.
I could have phrased the post you're responding to more delicately - I should have avoided the phrase "those people" and thrown a few more qualifiers in there. I suppose I was simply trying to keep the conversation grounded. There is a reality, and I suppose it is shocking for some people to see it on the BBC, but it's important to understand that under every statistic, (societal) systemic failure, & sad story, there is a person, for better or worse.