Are You Wo/Man or Mouse?

The majority of what we know about addiction has been discovered through the study to include those that used rats. Rats are social and sexually driven animals that mimic our own actions. As studies on rats increased in the 70s for a variety of causes, some scientists turned their attention towards addictive behaviors. One of the detailed studies from this era took a rat and placed it in a small box by itself.

Inside the box, two water feeders were offered to the rat. One was filled with pure water, and the second was water laced with an addictive drug. As the mouse sampled the water from each bottle, it became obsessed with the water laced with drugs. Eventually, the rat would overdose and die by drinking too much of the water and drug cocktail. This test was conducted in a variety of ways for a lone rat to access the drug, but they all ended the same way. The rat would die.

Bruce Alexander was one of the scientists who observed and even conducted many of these tests. At first, he believed the tests were valid and showed a clear image of addiction and its consequences. But, as he contemplated the results, he began to feel uneasy. In fact, these feelings led him to abandon the results of these studies.

He did this for two reasons. First, Bruce knows that rats are an extremely social animal, and he believed any social creature that was placed in a box alone would eventually act in negative ways. Second, well, the test subject was a…rat! Rats mimic certain traits of humans, but they are still a rat.

Bruce and a team of scientists set out to create a more realistic approach to the study of addiction. They still used rats, but they would introduce a more human element. This led to the creation of “Rat Park.” It was a test area for rats that had activities, toys, and other rats.

What they discovered was purely inspiring. The same two beakers of water were offered with one pure and the other laced with drugs. However, the scientists were amazed at the results. The rats as a group ignored the drugged water after testing both. The death rate went from 100% in the original studies to almost 0% within “Rat Park.”

One must ask themselves, why did this happen, and does it pertain to us? The answer to the second question is a definite YES. As to the first question, like rats, we are also social and sexual in nature. When we feel alone or excluded from society, we become like the rat stuck in the small box from the original studies. We can become depressed and then seek for relief from the pain. As the depression, anxiety and separation grow, so does our thirst for relief.

However, when we feel connected, loved, and supported and we keep our minds and bodies active then the need for numbing from the drugged water disappears. In fact, to numb our feelings at this point would be extremely painful as it would take away our happiness and joy.

Let me ask you this, do you or someone you love feel stuck in a box of darkness? Do you (or them) feel unloved, not wanted, or feel like an outcast? If so, I am here to tell you there is a way out of the box.

Let me be clear, of course, this has a physical and mental attribute to it. But, I also believe there is a spiritual side. As an individual feels cut off from their loved ones, they can also feel cut off from their Spirituality.

What does Spirituality give us?

Spirituality = Hope.
No Hope = Depression.

Spirituality offers everyone the ability to look outwards and feel loved even when they feel entirely shunned by society. They are given the hope of love, peace, and comfort.

However, I firmly believe that God takes care of the impossible, and he leaves the possible to us. That means you and I have to perform the possible. We must show love to those who need Hope. We can become that Light to others by good deeds, a kind word, an arm around the shoulder, or even a kind smile.

Are you a man/woman, or a mouse…or a rat? It’s time to help others out of the box they are in. Do your part and offer hope to someone today!

Source: Alexander, Bruce. A History of Psychology In Western Civilizations. Oxford Univ. Press, 2019. http://www.brucekalexander.com/…/148-addiction-the-view-fro…