soulpower89

I thought it was interesting, and makes a good point. I think there's always more at play though. For instance, alcoholism runs in my family. My grand-father, mother, uncle...so I would say there's definitely and extra kick in my DNA that makes me act the way I do when I drink. Connection is good, but sometimes a lot more is needed to beat this monster. That's what I'm hoping to figure out.

Jsbodhi

Agreed, but I often wonder about the nature vs nurture thing.
I think alcoholism is passed down through learned behaviours and being socialized into it.
But at the same time, my mother has never been drunk a day in her life, I've met my father, but he wasn't a drinker when he was with my ma.
I often wonder how I became an alcoholic because I feel connected to people and. I really find it easy to make friends, and I enjoy socializing, especially sober.
Who knows what the hell went wrong with me

Fly N Buy

No rats in rat park died of an overdose.......hmmm, interesting. I wonder if this were duck park - would the ugly duckling feel ostracized (fowl pun) to the point of abuse/addiction or overdose???

Interesting points made by all

JeffreyAK

This little guy was the last common ancestor between humans and rats, and he lived 70+ million years ago.



Rat Park is interesting, but apart from not always being reproducible and frequently criticized for various logical leaps, it's not clear how much we can learn about human behavior from rat behavior. But it is interesting.