@andrew.bagley: What are you escaping from? In the 1970s, researchers gave isolated rats a choice between plain water and morphine water. Most chose morphine — until they died. For decades, that was the story: drugs hijack your brain, end of discussion. Then one psychologist asked a question no one else was asking: what if the problem isn’t the drug? What if it’s the cage? He built Rat Park — a space with room to explore, things to do, and other rats to connect with. Same drug. Same choice. Completely different outcome. The rats barely touched the morphine. The most powerful human version of this? During Vietnam, roughly 20% of U.S. soldiers used heroin heavily. When they came home, 95% stopped — without rehab. The drug didn’t change. Their world did. Addiction. Escapism. Numbing out. We keep blaming the substance, the screen, the habit. But maybe the real question isn’t what are people escaping into — it’s what are they escaping from? Environment is everything. Connection isn’t a luxury. It’s the antidote.

The Visible Hand

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Wednesday 24 June 2026 17:58:54 GMT