As of 2023, there are nearly 7,500 people facing homelessness in the city of Portland. According to Portland city data from 2014, 57% of those who are homeless are also disabled. Unfortunately, substance abuse is prevalent amongst the homeless population. A series of experiments conducted by professor Bruce K. Alexander provided evidence of the importance of social relationships in society. Data from the 20th century suggested that addiction worked in a predictable way - when the drug was consumed, addiction was formed. This hypothesis had been reached by testing on rats in a confined environment where they were given two options, regular water, and water laced with heroin or cocaine. In this experiment, rats would more often than not choose the laced water and eventually overdose on it.
Professor Alexander took the same experiment but gave the rats greater other options. They created a stimulating environment for the rats, where they could play, socialize, and eat alongside other rats. The experiment results shifted drastically. While the rats still occasionally consumed the laced water, they did not become addicted to it and the overdose rates dropped significantly. The theory was that by creating a community for the rats, they created something that was more enticing than the substance laced water. Furthermore, Alexander suggested that when individuals feared losing their social connections and relationships, they were less likely to fall victim to substance abuse.
Data from the CDC might support this theory. Drug related death rates increased by 50% between 2019 and 2021. Additionally there was a decline in mental health during the first year of quarantine. Between April 2020 and February 2021, there was an increase of about 9% in the number of people who reported having symptoms of anxiety or depression. During the summer after quarantine ended, trends “remained stable” (Hari). This data supports the theory that there is a relationship between communities and mental health and provides some insight on how to rehabilitate people who struggle with mental health and substance abuse.
"The opposite of addiction is connection" -Johann Hari
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY9DcIMGxMs
“Everything You Think You Know about Addiction Is Wrong | Johann Hari.” YouTube, 9 July 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY9DcIMGxMs.
Nirmita Panchal, Heather Saunders, and Mar 2023. “The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use.” KFF, 25 Apr. 2023, www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/#:~:text=Over%20the%20course%20of%20the,pandemic%20continued%20(Figure%201).
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