Based on Gabor Mate's two decades of experience as a medical doctor and
his groundbreaking work with the severely addicted on Vancouver's skid
row, "In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts" radically re-envisions this much
misunderstood field by taking a holistic approach. Dr. Mate presents
addiction not as a discrete phenomenon confined to an unfortunate or
weak-willed few, but as a continuum that runs throughout (and perhaps
underpins) our society; not a medical "condition" distinct from the
lives it affects, rather the result of a complex interplay among
personal history, emotional, and neurological development, brain
chemistry, and the drugs (and behaviors) of addiction. Simplifying a
wide array of brain and addiction research findings from around the
globe, the book avoids glib self-help remedies, instead promoting a
thorough and compassionate self-understanding as the first key to
healing and wellness. "In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts "argues
persuasively against contemporary health, social, and criminal justice
policies toward addiction and those impacted by it. The mix of personal
stories--including the author's candid discussion of his own
"high-status" addictive tendencies--and science with positive solutions
makes the book equally useful for lay readers and professionals. -- Publisher Marketing
