George is a rat. He is a normal rat that likes cheese and friends. In George’s early days he found himself surrounded by a community of rats in a cage he called home. One day George was relocated into another cage where it was just him and two water dispensers…nothing else. One water dispenser had normal tasting water and the other had flavorful water that gave him a sensation he had never experienced. Bored, isolated, and lonely all George could think about and do was drink the tasty water. After a short while George died of a drug overdose as the tasty water was laced with cocaine. Sad story…I know.
Many years later, Thelma, another rat, started her life much like George…surrounded in a cage by many rats. One day Thelma was relocated to another cage that was similar to George’s in the sense that it had two water dispensers. One with regular water and the other with cocaine laced water. In every other way their cages were different. Thelma had lots of games to play, rats to befriend, mirrors to look at, and bright colors to enjoy. Thelma was very busy living her life each day. When thirsty, Thelma would drink water. She noticed that one dispenser was very flavorful and the other regular. She noticed that the tasty water made her feel different. She decided to stick to the water she trusted as it had always served her well. She and many of the rats with whom she associated lived a long happy life in what they later called Ratopia and never became addicted to the cocaine water.
These two stories are not fictional but fact. George and Thelma may not be the actual names but these events did take place and the results of the rat experiments are accurate. George’s story is the one that many of us believe and accept as the norm of addiction. Give a man a drug for a sustained period of time and he will become addicted and may suffer death as a result of this addiction. Thelma’s story is the more recent, less known experiment completed by Professor Bruce Alexander. Interestingly, addiction was non existent in the Ratopia community whereas it was inevitable in George’s isolated cage. The professor’s conclusion (later validated by many real life human events and studies); addicts become addicts due to their lack of bonding with meaningful activities.
Human beings have an innate need to bond. If we are not bonding with family, friends, work, hobbies, God, exercise, and/or some greater purpose then we bond with other things. Other things often include drugs, alcohol, pornography, food, technology, etc. Bonding, or connection, is a constant need. If we don’t have meaningful, healthy outlets to plug into then we will default to what is most convenient, easy, attractive, and, in many cases, destructive.
The question each of us should ask ourselves is how can we more fully build and sustain our own Ratopia. For those heavily involved in addiction this question should become the center of their existence. Without the proper support network of friends/family, purpose, Higher Power, and meaningful work then all other efforts to refrain from further addict use will be short lived and frustrated. Creating such an environment can be hard work. It usually requires diligence, discipline, courage, and putting ourselves “out there” to make it happen. The rewards are worth the initial sacrifice for they will lead to what each of us is searching for; purpose, happiness, peace, and fulfillment.
What addictive habit have you formed as a result of your environment?
How can you improve your bond or connectivity to other meaningful relationships?
How can you bond to healthy activities that bring long term benefits to your emotional, physical, and spiritual life?
For further information on how to stop existing or develop new habits, go to the “Your Millennial Coach” Youtube page and watch the videos under the “Habits” section.
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