In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts

A riveting account of human cravings, this book needs to get into as many hands as possible. Mate's resonant, unflinching analysis of addiction today shatters the assumptions underlying our War on Drugs. <br>--Norm Stamper, former Seattle Chief of Police and author of Breaking Rank: A Top Cop's Expose of the Dark Side of American Policing <br> In this brilliant and well-documented book, Gabor Mate locates the source of addictions in the trauma of an emotionally empty childhood, making it a relational rather than a medical problem. Such a radical thesis of cause leads to human connection rather than traditional treatment as the cure. This passionate and compassionate book, filled with scientific evidence and personal narratives, should be on the shelf of every person interested in the pervasive challenge of addiction. <br>--Harville Hendrix, PhD, author of Getting the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples and cofounder of Imago Relationship Therapy <br> Dr. Mate's latest book is a moving, debate-provoking, and multi-layered look at how addiction arises, the people afflicted with it and why he supports decriminalization of all drugs, including crystal meth.... [ In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts ] reads not only as a lively textbook analysis of the physiological and psychological causes of drug addiction, but also as an investigation into his heart and mind. <br> -- The Globe and Mail <br> It's time to give Mate ... the Order of Canada for this erudite and sensitive book about the lives of Downtown Eastside intravenous-drug users, the neurobiology of addiction, and the folly of the war on drugs. It's compulsively readable and packed with new scientific discoveries about addiction. If you know the parent or sibling of an addict--or the prime minister, for that matter--please give him this book. <br> -- The Georgia Straight <br> I recommend this wonderful book for anyone struggling with the heartache of addiction personally or professionally. Dr. Mate makess