This is off-topic, but too precious not to share! If you know any parents who look down on drug addicts, it might even help them be able to relate a little better and have more compassion, as the author kind of suggests at the end of this piece.
Love & Liberty,
((( starchild )))
Dear Starchild,
I am reading Daniel Goleman's "Social Intelligence," in which Goleman discusses the connection between brain circuits and social (or anti-social) behavior. It seems that brains are wired to promote behavior that would, as your article indicates, result in oxytocin or other pleasure-inducing hormones. Therefore, we are all "addicts," not just parents! Also, we all, not just parents, end up putting up with a lot of pancrea-obliterating adrenalin if the end result is oxytocin. However, we still discriminate between "addictions" which we perceive as ultimately beneficial and ultimately non-beneficial. Therefore, after reading your article, I still lack "compassion" for drug (the kind you are thinking of) addiction. As a libertarian, I still say go for whatever drug (internally or externally produced) floats your boat, just don't expect me to pay too much via my taxes and via my quality of life for whatever it is you choose to do. (But that is a whole different discussion, maybe!)
Interesting article, though. Thank you for posting it.
Marcy