Drugs Are Most Addictive When There Is No Way Out
People have tried to explain addiction and the use of certain substances in many different ways. They may all be a little right. One of these perspectives treats environmental factors as a risk factor for the intake and dependence of certain drugs.
To understand the problem of drug addiction, we need to think beyond the substance itself. We need to keep in mind its addictive power. We must also not forget that every person who uses drugs is different.
This leads to questions. For example; why are there people who drink alcohol really often and to a large extent, but they are not alcohol dependent?
Rats that used only drugs and rats that had an esophagus
We can better analyze the phenomenon of addiction by looking at it in laboratory settings. In one experiment, there was a rat with two bottles of water in its cage. One bottle contained pure water and the other was mixed with heroin or cocaine.
Almost every time the experiment was performed, that rat developed an addiction to drug water and returned to it until his death. This makes sense given the effects of drugs on the brain. But in the 70s, Bruce Alexander, a psychologist from Vancouver, redesigned this experiment.
This psychologist developed his own park (rat park) for the rats. It was a cage full of entertainment. Here, the rats had colorful balls, tunnels to explore, lots of friends, and plenty of food. This was basically everything a rat wants. All the rats in the rat park tried water from both bottles because they didn’t know what was in them.
Rats that lived a good life did not become “prisoners” of this drug. They avoided drinking from this bottle. They consumed less than a quarter of the amount of drug consumed by isolated rats. None died. While those rats that were alone and unhappy developed addiction, and their luck was worse.
The first experiment did not take into account the fact that the rat did nothing but stray following the reflections and basic stimuli. It could do this, or it could drink intoxicated water that would act as at least a new motor activity. This had nothing to do with the charm of the intoxicated water towards the rat.
The next experiment, in turn, gave the rats an alternative . This option was really attractive, interesting and self-reinforcing. Rats with an option, and even some pleasant routine in their lives, did not feel the need to drink water, which stimulated their enjoyment. Or at least they didn’t notice this imbalance.
It was even more amazing when someone made a third version of this experiment. Rats that spent 57 days in a cage where they would only receive the drug were used in this experiment. The researchers found that when the rats were exchanged for a happy environment, they all recovered.
The good life: the best way not to fall into bad habits
If we are happy, we have no need to fill in the blanks. And if we are unhappy, we may try to fill in the missing chemicals with different substances. Nucleus accumbens is the dopamine reception center in the brain. It also deals with feelings of pleasure associated with behavior. This part of our brain is like a king holding his courts in his environmental and chemical subdivisions.
He has faithful subordinates who bring him supplies and serve him constantly. These subjects are chemical servants for dopamine: food, water, strengthening social interactions, a comfortable bed in which to sleep. If there are shortcomings in these pleasures when they come in a limited and individual way, it means more pleasure.
Drugs can control our behavior immensely. This happens when we lack love, healthy routines, or good work. They can become addictive as soon as they step in our door. They stay with us for mere repetition, and begin to destroy our lives.
This is a hopeful explanation that goes with a sense that has no moralistic or chemical reductionist ideas that paint drug addicts into uncharacteristic people. It helps us see that addicted people can be just like those rats in the first cage: alone, isolated, with only one way out, or just one way to get pleasure. On the other hand, someone who uses drugs but returns to a satisfactory environment can avoid falling into addiction. This is because there are other stimuli available to him that trigger the reward system in his brain.
The key is in making a “cage” that feels free. “Cage,” with several options that can give us a sense of pleasure. In this way, we do not create dependence on anything. Drugs are clearly bad for us. But they are even worse if they are used in a desperate scenario where the person has no other options. We all want to feel good, even if it only takes a moment.
