Rat Park Addiction

For 100 years, the “war” on drugs has waged. Hundreds of thousands have lost their lives, few of that number being actual addicts. Billions have been spent, yet the rates of addiction and drug sales are going nowhere but up. Every day somewhere in the world, another loved one of an addict finds themselves asking, “Why?” Addicts become so focused on a drug that it seems impossible to stop. They find ways to nurture their addiction again and again until death sets them free from the terrible cycle. Take a moment to consider this; is it really the drug or is it the addict? Or is it the world the addict is living? The latter has been preached in parts of the civilised world for over a century. However, the “why?” penetrates the fabric that has …show more content…
Each rat was completely isolated, left alone in their cage with nothing to occupy themselves with except from the drug additive water. This in turn gave ground to a new experiment consisting of 2 rats this time in what was known as “Rat Park”. The park was a rat haven. There were plenty of things to do, the interior was luxurious and more importantly, there were plenty of rat friends to socialise and converse with. Like the first experiment, Rat Park also had two water bottles, one with plain water and the other containing a cocaine solution. The rats did drink from both, but what happened next shattered the foundation of drug …show more content…
While posted over in Vietnam, 60% of serviceman became heavy heroin users. This was a metaphorical reality bomb that hit the American public, who were under the impression that a large number of drug addicts were coming home from war. To the surprise of many experts, 95% of returning soldiers simply stopped when they had returned back home, while the other 5% continued their usage due to having no family to return to. The discoveries of both Rat Part and the Vietnam War changed both sides of the arguments over addiction. The right wing states that addiction is the result of a broken moral compass, propelled by bad choices, while the left wing considers addiction to be a disease and a chemical hijacking of the brain.
To challenge these views, consider this: If the right wing theory is correct, and addiction is the result of simple substance abuse, then why is it that hospital patients who receive the purest grades of certain drugs like opiates emerge from the hospital free from addiction? If the left argument is right, and addiction is the result of chemicals wreaking havoc on the brain, where are the chemicals found that build a serious gambling