In the realm of hungry ghosts. Close encounters with addiction
Gabor Maté works with heavily addicted patients in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. He “learned much” about himself from this authorship. He discovers his own addictive tendencies by defining addiction as a continuum that extends from the disheveled street person using injectable drugs—whom we might avoid on street corners—to the well-dressed, successful workaholic, like a physician, who is addicted to recognition, fame, and self-promotion. Addiction “arises near our emotional core,” and Maté holds up a stark mirror, challenging many “comfortable pew” perspectives.
