No doubt many of us have come across a friend who claims to have an 'addictive' personality type or thought of addiction as the result of the pharmacology of drugs acting on the individual. But how many of us truly believe that environment could be the sole determinant of addiction?
A study conducted in the late 1970s by Bruce Alexander and his colleagues at Simon Fraser University in Canada provides compelling evidence to support the idea that there is nothing inherently addictive about drugs.
It’s a radical claim that seems even more so in light of the biological model of addiction endorsed by much of the media and medical establishments.
Alexander’s conclusions are based on an experiment he conducted in the 1970s called 'Rat Park.' Alexander and his colleagues separated 32 rats into two very different cages. The first group (of 16) was provided a two-hundred-square foot housing colony.
The space was furnished with all manner of tin cans, wheels and bright balls. Ample space for mating, birthing and warm nests for lactating females was provided. The alternate cage, which housed the rest of the rats was cramped and isolated.
The researchers gave both sets of rats morphine-laced water sprinkled with sucrose. Here’s what they found: the caged, isolated rats drank up to sixteen times more than the rat park residents.
According to Alexander, drugs are a way of adapting to difficult circumstances and that if you remove life’s various hurdles (weak communities, poverty, job instability, inequalities) that permeate the lives of drug addicts, dependence ceases to be a problem.
The Vietnam War is a prime example, with an oft-cited study conducted in 1974 by Robins et al. concluding that 90% of men who became addicted to heroin on the war fields stopped using once they returned from battle.
In saying that, Alexander’s conclusion calls into question a lot of compelling research that has so far dominated the literature on the subject. It makes you wonder…
Is drug addiction the result of nature, nurture or the inevitable affects of drugs on our brains?
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Sarah
about 2 years ago
This study makes a lot of sense, I am sure that circumstances have a big part to play in how 'addicted' someone becomes to a drug, particularly hard drugs like heroin. However, not everyone with a low standard of living is on drugs, so I think it also depends on how well the individual can cope with extreme situations, people cope in different ways - and humans are obviously more complex than mice, so a field study would also be interesting to see.
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zoe
about 2 years ago
A person's circumstances can contribute to his or her state of mind, which in turn may determine whether that person sees repeated drug use as a legitimate option in the first place. But mental states are more complex and depend on multiple factors - not just one's external living conditions. Excellent living conditions may not guarantee a mindset against excessive drug use, just as terrible living conditions may not guarantee a mindset that would be more condusive. Still, if you ensure a certain quality of life, as with the rat park residents, it seems like the appeal of drug use would be less widespread. It would be interesting to study the other factors involved.
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