What Rat Park Teaches Us About Loneliness, Connection, and Being Human
Published on July 31, 2025
You’ve probably heard the story, put a rat alone in a cage with nothing but food and drug-laced water, and it’ll keep drinking until it dies.
For a long time, that experiment shaped how people understood addiction.
The takeaway? “Addiction is about the drug.”
But then came Rat Park, and everything changed.
🐭 So... What Was Rat Park?
In the late 1970s, Canadian psychologist Bruce Alexander asked a simple question:
What if the problem isn’t the drug... but the cage?
So he built a bigger one. A literal rat paradise. Open space. Toys. Tunnels. Food. And most importantly, other rats.
When rats lived in Rat Park, they barely touched the drug-laced water.
Even if they had tried it before.
Even if it was still available.
They just… didn’t need it.
💡 What This Means for Us
The lesson here isn’t really about rats.
It’s about us.
When people are isolated, disconnected, or feel like they don’t belong, the “escape” becomes stronger. It might not be a drug. It could be binge-scrolling, self-doubt, shutting down, chasing distractions, or just staying silent when what you actually need is someone.
But when we feel seen, supported, and safe, those cravings lose their grip.
The opposite of addiction isn’t sobriety.
It’s connection.
🌍 Why This Matters to ImpulsTrip
We didn’t build this platform to help people plan perfect weekends.
We built it because so many of us are living in tiny cages, quiet ones no one else can see.
A new country. A tough week. A cold season. A lonely dorm.
And sometimes, all it takes is one good plan with one good person to feel like things can shift again.
You’re not the only one who’s felt this way.
And you’re definitely not stuck.
❤️ Real People. Real Plans. Real Connection.
If you’ve ever thought:
“I just want someone to hang out with today”, we hear you.
We’re building this for you.
To make it easier to say yes to something spontaneous, and feel like you’re part of something again.
You don’t need to be fixed.
You just need your own version of Rat Park.
📖 Learn more about the study here:
Rat Park – Sunshine Coast Health Centre
❤️ And when you’re ready...
Join the waitlist →