It's not the morphine, it's the size of the cage: Rat Park experiment upturns conventional wisdom

[RainDog]

84. this study calls the issue of physical addiction into question

Because the study also notes an interdependence between what would be assumed to be a physical addiction and a psychological one.

That's the point of creating a better psychological enviro for the rats - the physical dependence beliefs don't hold true.

And the guy did studies with humans that indicated a reward that was great enough was great enough to make some ignore whatever physical addiction might come into play.

This study is also borne out in studies of alcoholics. Those who have more to lose, in terms of jobs, family, etc show better rates of long-term abstinence from alcohol. That, of course, indicates a better social system is in place for the person - but it also has to do with someone having a future, in contrast to, say, someone with no family, no job that offers satisfaction beyond a check that often for a job that doesn't pay much - so no financial or creative satisfaction, etc.

I think addiction, like most things, is more complicated than is presented as an issue in society. It's pretty much a given, now, that addiction is often self-medication, and stopping the use of something is only the first step - so that the underlying problems can be addressed.

Nicotine, like caffeine, is the drug for a capitalist system because it's all about focusing attention and making it possible to work longer hours than someone might be able to otherwise.

Other interesting work concerning addiction has focused on things like ibogaine to "reset" the addict's brain. Unfortunately, psychotropics are illegal, even when they have medical value, because of their association with the 1960s. There's a sort of "underground railroad" of addicts helping addicts, tho, with ibogaine. Someone wrote about it not too long ago.