Psychology

In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction

In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction

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  • Create Date：2021-10-15 06:54:07
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Gabor Maté
  • ISBN：0676977413
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Summary

He would probably dispute it， but Gabor Maté is something of a compassion machine。 Diligently treating the drug addicts of Vancouver's notorious Downtown Eastside with sympathy in his heart and legislative reform in mind can't be easy。 But Maté never judges。 His book is a powerful call-to-arms， both for the decriminalization of drugs and for a more sympathetic and informed view of addiction。 As Maté observes， "Those whom we dismiss as 'junkies' are not creatures from a different world， only men and women mired at the extreme end of a continuum on which， here or there， all of us might well locate ourselves。" In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts begins by introducing us to many of Dr。 Maté's most dire patients who steal， cheat， sell sex， and otherwise harm themselves for their next hit。 Maté looks to the root causes of addiction， applying a clinical and psychological view to the physical manifestation and offering some enlightening answers for why people inflict such catastrophe on themselves。

Finally， he takes aim at the hugely ineffectual， largely U。S。-led War on Drugs （and its worldwide followers）， challenging the wisdom of fighting drugs instead of aiding the addicts， and showing how controversial measures such as safe injection sites are measurably more successful at reducing drug-related crime and the spread of disease than anything most major governments have going。 It's not easy reading， but we ignore his arguments at our peril。 When it comes to combating the drug trade and the ravages of addiction， society can use all the help it can get。 --Kim Hughes

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Reviews

Makayla ，

The worst part of first realizing that I come from a family of addicts was knowing that I’d inevitably become one of them。 I battled self-harm for nearly half my life， and eventually fell slave to drugs and alcohol。 My addictions consumed every area of my life， yet I felt like it rooted from a poor combination of genetics and a less than favorable upbringing。 Other days， I felt like it was a choice， a mere lack of willpower。 But this book made me realize that addiction is never about any of thos The worst part of first realizing that I come from a family of addicts was knowing that I’d inevitably become one of them。 I battled self-harm for nearly half my life， and eventually fell slave to drugs and alcohol。 My addictions consumed every area of my life， yet I felt like it rooted from a poor combination of genetics and a less than favorable upbringing。 Other days， I felt like it was a choice， a mere lack of willpower。 But this book made me realize that addiction is never about any of those things， for anyone。 It’s about hurt， and the cruciality of healing it with love and compassion。Maté is clear-headed， open-hearted， and empathetic like no other speaking on the topic。 Reading this book was one of the first opportunities I’ve had to stare into my own addictions without fear or shame。 It allowed me to recognize my own misgivings and misunderstandings， which has been a large part in navigating my sobriety。I hope that other addicts feel whole and understood like I did after reading this。 And for those who have no history in addiction， I hope they read this with an open mind， and think about how to approach it and where to stand on such an important subject。 。。。more

Helene ，

This was profound reading on how to see addiction。 Given we have such problems as societies with drug use， very important reading。 I like his very empathetic view towards those seriously addicted。 It made me think。 Maybe as a society we need to look at the causes of addiction， not focus on the outcome。

Colin McGrath ，

6/5。 A must read for anyone working with the street community; and those who might not understand the complexities of addiction and homelessness。

Jacob Baker ，

On end the most valuable books I’ve read ever read。 No one should miss this book for its insights into what it means to be human， and more fully human。

Erin ，

Yep， looks like we’re officially branching into non-fiction， because hey， I read a lot of non-fiction， and this straight up makes sticking to my goals on here a lot easier。I read this from a clinical standpoint， to gain more insight into working with addiction。 I’ve read and enjoyed Maté’s books in the past， and this was no change from that; I continue to appreciate his approach， his writing style， and the combination of science and anecdote， which grounds the book in research while also helping Yep， looks like we’re officially branching into non-fiction， because hey， I read a lot of non-fiction， and this straight up makes sticking to my goals on here a lot easier。I read this from a clinical standpoint， to gain more insight into working with addiction。 I’ve read and enjoyed Maté’s books in the past， and this was no change from that; I continue to appreciate his approach， his writing style， and the combination of science and anecdote， which grounds the book in research while also helping people to connect with the stories depicted。Furthermore， I enjoyed that Maté put so much of himself in this book; himself as a practitioner， and his own addictive habits。 I don’t see him as creating a 1:1 comparison between himself and his patients， only attempting to broaden our understanding of addiction and how it plays out in people， even in behaviours that we don’t always conceptualize as being part of that cycle。Even if you aren’t someone who has experiences with addiction， or a clinician looking to work with addiction， I would recommend this book to people。 It’s a fairly accessible read， and it doesn’t shy away from being political， actively advocating for harm reduction programs and against police involvement。 Which， really， seems like the only moral path forward。 。。。more

Kristina ，

Little bit chaotic with primary data analysis， otherwise great reference book for all the basics you want to know about addiction。

Speranta Carp ，

An amazing book。 A must read。

Ann ，

Loved this。 Recommended by Dr John Delony in his podcasts， The books he recommenders are really insightful

Kelly Montee conrad ，

Much to think about。 A whole lot in here…

Andrea ，

read for writing research。this took forever to get through！ it made cases for things that were already really obvious to me， i。e。 the war on drugs is bad， harm reduction is good， that left me wishing for more depth/specifics， but there was also a lot of helpful stuff。 the brain science parts were super interesting and applicable for understanding my own brain。 and i feel like the book must have been really progressive for when it was first published （especially with analysis of social roots of a read for writing research。this took forever to get through！ it made cases for things that were already really obvious to me， i。e。 the war on drugs is bad， harm reduction is good， that left me wishing for more depth/specifics， but there was also a lot of helpful stuff。 the brain science parts were super interesting and applicable for understanding my own brain。 and i feel like the book must have been really progressive for when it was first published （especially with analysis of social roots of addiction and the ideas of being addicted to overwork in a capitalist system，） and still must make a difference in readers who are less aware of harm reduction etc。 which makes me glad it exists。 。。。more

Little Zap ，

Starting on 3 Mar， you picked up this book 96 times， reading for 10 hours， 3 minutes。（Okay， so this book was really good but took me forever to finish）Throughout this book Mate continually examines the tension between the controlled and the uncontrollable: the choice to say no but in the face of monstrous adversity。 He’s also approaching the brain with this fascinating respect I’ve never seen before; it’s not awe exactly， nor is it clinical regard。 Maybe he’s just saying that the process of addi Starting on 3 Mar， you picked up this book 96 times， reading for 10 hours， 3 minutes。（Okay， so this book was really good but took me forever to finish）Throughout this book Mate continually examines the tension between the controlled and the uncontrollable: the choice to say no but in the face of monstrous adversity。 He’s also approaching the brain with this fascinating respect I’ve never seen before; it’s not awe exactly， nor is it clinical regard。 Maybe he’s just saying that the process of addiction is a lot more complicated than the current stigma is willing to acknowledge。 Most particularly seen in chapter 17 （“Their Brains Never Had a Chance”）， he examines what occurs to the “microstructure” of the brain in utero and infancy。 I found this chapter is where he really knits together his previous anecdotes and hard neuroscience facts， providing a way for the average reader to assess their own experience in comparison to his patients’。 I have a pretty basic understanding already of the psychology and neurochemistry that undergirds addiction， yet Mate’s easy translation of trauma further enlightens what I already know。Nutrition， physical stability， emotional nurturing: the parent's brain programs the infant's brain。 If one party suffers it is inevitable that so will the other， maybe even more as their brain is going through development。 All hope is not lost， though， and Mate brings in a complicated conversation about harm-reduction， abstinence and what outcomes can look like。 I also enjoyed how he parses apart sobriety from abstinence。 I’d highly recommend this book especially to those who struggle to have compassion towards people dealing with addiction。---“Addiction is centrifugal。 It sucks energy from you， creating a vacuum of inertia。”“The scientific literature is nearly unanimous in viewing drug addiction as a chronic brain condition。” “By three years og age， the brain has reached 90 percent of adult size， whereas the body is only 18 percent of adult size。”“The mind may reside mostly in the brain， but it is much more than the sum total of the automatic neurological programs rooted in our pasts。”“All addictions， substance related or not， share states of mind such as craving and shame， and behaviours such as deception， manipulation and relapse。”“Oddly enough， the addiction really isn’t over until I can see the emptiness （in a Buddhist sense） of the behaviour: not good， not evil， and certainly not exciting， just an outside “thing” I’ve been using unintelligently to dull the suffering edge of life。 I say “unintelligently” because no addiction in the history of the world ever alleviated more suffering than it ended up causing。”“People are susceptible to the addiction process if they have a constant need to fill their minds or bodies with external sources of comfort， whether physical or emotional。 That need expresses a failure of self-regulation-- an inability to maintain a reasonably stable internal emotional atmosphere。”“It’s a subtle thing， freedom。 It takes effort; it takes attention and focus to not act something like an automaton。 Although we do have freedom， we exercise it only when we strive for awareness， when we are conscious not just of the content of the mind but also of the mind itself as a process。”“Irritability begets defensive hostility， and hostility sets off more reactive anxiety and rage。” 。。。more

Simona Mituletu ，

“Raul cel mai mare facut de neglijare， de trauma sau de pierderea emotionala nu este durerea imediata pe care le provoaca acestea， ci deformarile pe termen lung pe care le induc in modul in care un copil in dezvoltare va continua sa interpreteze lumea si locul sau in ea。 Prea des aceste credinte implicite， conditionate negativ， devin profetii pe care le indeplinim noi insine in vietile noastre。 Cream sensuri din interpretarile inconstiente pe care le proiectam asupra evenimentelor timpurii， iar “Raul cel mai mare facut de neglijare， de trauma sau de pierderea emotionala nu este durerea imediata pe care le provoaca acestea， ci deformarile pe termen lung pe care le induc in modul in care un copil in dezvoltare va continua sa interpreteze lumea si locul sau in ea。 Prea des aceste credinte implicite， conditionate negativ， devin profetii pe care le indeplinim noi insine in vietile noastre。 Cream sensuri din interpretarile inconstiente pe care le proiectam asupra evenimentelor timpurii， iar apoi ne construim experientele prezentului din sensurile pe care noi le-am creat。 Fara sa ne dam seama， scriem povestea viitorului nostru din intamplari bazate pe trecut。” 。。。more

Sanjana Dewaji ，

4。5

Jesse Favelle ，

The world would be a much better place if everyone read this book。

Nicola ，

I thought I briefly knew about （drug） addiction but this book changed everything。 I feel like I know so much more about how anyone could become an addict to literally anything， including myself， because of the little things in their childhood - or rather， even during pregnancy。 Really would recommend。 It’s definitely one of my favourites and essentials now。 Proper healthcare needs to be administered to help addicts， not using punitive measures just to get them out of our sight！

Dan Meier ，

This book should be required reading for therapists and medical personal， or anyone who has a friend or family who suffers from addiction。 It offers a compassionate view of addiction that is grounded in Maté's personal experiences and decades of thorough research and observation。 This book should be required reading for therapists and medical personal， or anyone who has a friend or family who suffers from addiction。 It offers a compassionate view of addiction that is grounded in Maté's personal experiences and decades of thorough research and observation。 。。。more

Cindy ，

Excellent！

Ed ，

Maté is a fantastic writer。 He is able in the same paragraph to paint a rich picture with succinct narrative morsels while seamlessly reeling off neuroscience and physiology with elegance。 He is real - he clearly has lived and felt everything that he writes in this book。 I feel like I am sitting next Maté while he is sitting in an armchair as he sails through the woes and occasional triumphs of working in addiction。 You do sometimes forget that what he writes in this book is actually quite an ex Maté is a fantastic writer。 He is able in the same paragraph to paint a rich picture with succinct narrative morsels while seamlessly reeling off neuroscience and physiology with elegance。 He is real - he clearly has lived and felt everything that he writes in this book。 I feel like I am sitting next Maté while he is sitting in an armchair as he sails through the woes and occasional triumphs of working in addiction。 You do sometimes forget that what he writes in this book is actually quite an extreme perspective that stretches into the medical establishment and politics。 But the joy of this book is that it isn't a flimsy attempt at conveying his ideas and experience。 It's a full on piece that almost puts you inside the world he has lived in for the last few decades。 。。。more

Bernardo ，

Fascinating book on addiction。 I learned a lot。 One criticism would be that perhaps the author tries to cover a lot。

Nancy Attoh ，

Life cha

Daniel Nolan ，

One of the most powerful books ever written。

Hanna Kuitunen ，

Very eye-opening on addiction， of any sort。

Tania MacInnis ，

This book has so much good information。 A great read！

Eden Stone ，

The book discusses a fascinating topic， it's insightful and very well written。 I didn't appreciate the author's distasteful comparison of his patients' substance addictions and his own benign and invulnerable addiction to classical music。 I also didn't enjoy the usage of 'she/her' in hypothetical scenarios which discuss addicts。 Gendering all the hypothetical addicts in the book as women is not empowering women in any way whatsoever。 The content of the books however， most definitely compensates The book discusses a fascinating topic， it's insightful and very well written。 I didn't appreciate the author's distasteful comparison of his patients' substance addictions and his own benign and invulnerable addiction to classical music。 I also didn't enjoy the usage of 'she/her' in hypothetical scenarios which discuss addicts。 Gendering all the hypothetical addicts in the book as women is not empowering women in any way whatsoever。 The content of the books however， most definitely compensates for its shortcomings and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in addiction。 。。。more

Oakleigh ，

"。。。creatures with scrawny necks， small mouths， emaciated limbs and large， bloated， empty bellies。 This is the domain of addiction， where we constantly seek something outside ourselves to curb an insatiable yearning for relief or fulfillment。 The aching emptiness is perpetual because the substances， objects or pursuits we hope will soothe it are not what we really need。 We don’t know what we need， and so long as we stay in the hungry ghost mode， we’ll never know。 We haunt our lives without being "。。。creatures with scrawny necks， small mouths， emaciated limbs and large， bloated， empty bellies。 This is the domain of addiction， where we constantly seek something outside ourselves to curb an insatiable yearning for relief or fulfillment。 The aching emptiness is perpetual because the substances， objects or pursuits we hope will soothe it are not what we really need。 We don’t know what we need， and so long as we stay in the hungry ghost mode， we’ll never know。 We haunt our lives without being fully present。"I， like Gabor Maté， am a high-functioning addict with "harmless" behavioural addictions that， at times， completely consume me and turn my life into sad chaos。 Though this book is mostly about extreme drug addictions from which my life could not be further removed， in his chapters on himself and behavioural addictions， I had never felt so seen， and it brought me closer to those other addicts too。 It's the same thing， separated only by the degree of pain/fear/emptiness and the substance of choice。 The thing about addiction is that it isn't about the substance at all。 Addiction is a method to fill a void， and the substance is only the thing that happens to fill it。 I can't quite crystallize this in a goodreads review but the central idea - in this book， in my life - is that addiction is not about the having， it's about the wanting。 Addiction is when you have continual desire， continual hunger and emptiness and malaise， never abating except in the sweet moment when dopamine floods the brain， where for that second， that bright moment， you are free because you are full。 How could you give that up？ No wonder we chase it no matter the costs。 Addiction is not a desire for having， its a desire for no longer wanting。 All we're trying to do is stop this endless craving。 All we are trying to do is stop the aching emptiness， the feeling of life being incomplete， or not quite right。What a beautiful book。 Desperate and honest and filled with compassion but not a little bit of anger and disgust - at addicts， at addiction， at the systems that perpetuate it， at himself， and everyone else。 。。。more

Wren ，

Everyone has to read。 Harm reduction is the only way。

Rick ，

Dr。 Maté does an amazing job of explaining the impact of addiction， the underlying factors involved and how we as society often have a poor view and understanding of those struggling with it。 He tells compelling stories and uses great examples to really drive his message home。 Addicts are compensating for something （trauma， lack of nurturing， stress etc。）。 It's a developmental failure not a moral one and although genetics can play a role， they aren't the driving factor that the media makes them Dr。 Maté does an amazing job of explaining the impact of addiction， the underlying factors involved and how we as society often have a poor view and understanding of those struggling with it。 He tells compelling stories and uses great examples to really drive his message home。 Addicts are compensating for something （trauma， lack of nurturing， stress etc。）。 It's a developmental failure not a moral one and although genetics can play a role， they aren't the driving factor that the media makes them out to be。 Best of all though is that there is hope to overcome addiction as our brain plasticity is a life long attribute we have in our favor。 This book may change how you view addictions and the people who struggle with them。 。。。more

Crista ，

5 stars！Life-Changing。 Honest and real look at addiction and its roots。 This is truth。

Teri ，

I was drawn by this title and subject。 For my clients as well as to gain understanding of myself and my family members who struggle with addiction， I wanted to read。 I was rewarded with excellent insight told at just the right level- not too intellectual nor dumbed down。 I learned a lot。 I’d recommend for many people。

Krishna Trivedi ，

can be triggering for obvious reasons but a rlly good lesson on kindness and how flawed anyone can be

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0