Social Isolation & Addiction: What We Know About a Rat in a Cage
If you’re old enough to remember the Nancy Regan War on Drugs campaign, then you remember the research on addicted rats. If you’re young enough that the 1980s seems like the Dark Ages, here’s a brief explanation.
You take a rat. You put him in a cage. You give him self-administrative access to drug-laced water or food. And you watch. The rat quickly becomes addicted to the drug and stops doing the normal things rats do, things like eating and sleeping. The rat eventually dies due to either drug overdose or self-neglect.
These experiments soon lead to a steadfast understanding in addiction. Basically that once addicted, without intervention you don’t stop until you die. And for years, that’s what people believed.
But you know what?
Being socially isolated can make you feel bad for yourself, which triggers substance abuse.
People are wrong.
While the rat in a cage experiments do give an insight into addiction, the experiments are fundamentally flawed. Like humans, rats are social creatures. In the wild, they live in large family groups and interact with others constantly throughout the day.
Now here’s where things get interesting.
Take that same rat, the one who’s addicted. And put him in a cage with other rats. Make sure there’s plenty of room and lots of fun things that rats like to do.
And you know what happens?
The obsessive addiction goes away. The rat starts interacting with his peers. He starts eating. Sleeping. Drinking plain water. And goes on to live a happily ever after rat life.
So what’s this mean?
Social Isolation Drives Addiction
While all the implications aren’t known, it’s obvious that social isolation not only drives addiction, but keeps people addicted. When there’s nowhere else to turn when life gets bad, people turn towards drugs. If you’re addicted to drugs and looking for a way to get sober, call 888-646-0635Who Answers? today to find the immediate help that can save your life.
If you’re still skeptical, consider what happened during the Vietnam War. Heroin was ramped in Vietnam and American soldiers were not immune to it.
It’s estimated that nearly 20 percent of the soldiers stationed in Vietnam were addicted to heroin. Yet, once they returned home, there wasn’t a huge spike in heroin abuse in the states, nor was there a spike in the number of people admitted into drug and alcohol rehab. No. The majority of these men and women, some 95 percent, simply stopped using.
Now, yes, they probably went through withdrawal, and yes, it was uncomfortable, but the fact remains that these people, once returned to a healthy environment, got clean and stayed clean.
What happens to an isolated rat in a cage shows how important it is to avoid social isolation, especially in recovery. Addiction is isolation. Fight it by putting yourself out there. Have people in your life that you talk to every day.
Go to family events. Go to meetings. Just don’t stay home by yourself, day after day. Because if you do, soon you’re going to start feeling bad for yourself. Then those feelings turn into self-pity and self-disgust. And that drives you to use.
Don’t be the rat in the cage. Seek the help you need and do what it takes to remain sober. If you’re ready to embrace a life of recovery, call 888-646-0635Who Answers? today to find the help you need.
People who suffer from heroin addiction have an incredibly difficult time overcoming the physical and psychological dependence on the drug. It has been stated that no other drug is more physically dependent than an opiate such as heroin and for the addict, this means that getting help is not only difficult but can be painful….
Choosing an addiction treatment program can be a difficult process, especially when there are so many different types of centers and programs available. Because time spent in treatment is usually very important to most recovering addicts, you may be wondering if you should attend a long-term or short-term rehab program. It is important to assess….
Besides alcohol, marijuana exists as the most commonly abused drug among all age groups. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, over 29 million people reported using marijuana as of 2009. While legal restrictions surrounding marijuana use may be loosening, this drug does still carry addictive properties. Anyone considering entering marijuana rehab has likely….
Long after you have finished getting treatment for a drug addiction there’s a chance that you will still be paying the bill. The cost of addiction runs far deeper than just the cost of going into treatment. There are other bills that accrue such as the need to pay back the people you love, the need….
You probably think most people drink. Maybe you make exceptions for really religious people and those with allergies. Of course they don’t drink. But, for the most part, it seems like everyone drinks. A couple glasses of wine with dinner, a couple of beers with pizza, a couple of cocktails after a rough day. Sound….
Alcoholism takes its toll on the alcoholic and their families. An important element of alcohol rehab is building positive relationships with people who will support you during recovery. The alcoholic is never the only one to suffer from this debilitating disease. All family members, including the children, partners, parents, and other loved ones are impacted…..
Unless you’ve been in a cave since the mid-1980’s, you know that drug use, particularly IV drug use, is correlated with HIV and AIDS. But over the last decade, the immune-deficiency disease hasn’t got the limelight it once did and people may not understand the risks associated with drug use and HIV. HIV/AIDS Basics A….
Addiction of any kind can be costly for everyone involved: the person with the addiction, their family, friends, and the entire community. The NIDA estimates that substance abuse cost the United States upwards of $700 billion every year, with around $200 billion going towards healthcare alone. It is safe to say that drug abuse definitely….
Crystal meth causes a sudden rush of euphoric pleasure that can last for somewhere between six and twelve hours. Most people who become addicted to meth continue to use the drug because of the euphoria that it causes within the brain and partially because of a later desire to control the crash that results when….
For years, there has been a debate on whether or not there are similarities between food and drug addiction. However, studies have shown that both addictions have similar characteristics. There are many ways a food addiction and drug addiction are alike. Reward System in the Brain The most relevant similarity between these two addictions is….
Calls to any general helpline will be answered or returned by one of the treatment providers listed, each of which is a paid advertiser: Recovery Helpline or Alli Addiction Services.
By calling the helpline you agree to the terms of use. We do not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon which treatment provider a caller chooses. There is no obligation to enter treatment.
