In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts

In its sheer force, originality and deep scholarship, this book represents a landmark in the theory, treatment and prevention of addictive disorders. No-one seriously interested in this subject can afford not to be aware of what it says about addiction and how we should respond to it * Nick Heather PhD, Northumbria University, UK * With unparalleled sympathy for the human condition, Gabor Mate depicts the suffocation of the spirit by addictive urges, and holds up a dark mirror to our society. This is a powerful narrative of the realm of human nature where confused and conflicted emotions underlie our pretensions to rational thought * Dr Jaak Panksepp, author of Affective Neuroscience * I recommend this wonderful book for anyone struggling with the heartache of addiction personally or professionally. Gabor Mate makes the thought-provoking and powerful arguments that human connections heal; and that the poverty of relationships in the modern world contribute to our vulnerability to unhealthy addictions of all manner. His uniquely humane perspective-all too absent from much of the 'modern' approach to addictions-should be a part of the training of all therapists, social workers, and physicians * Bruce Perry, MD, PhD, Child Trauma Academy Houston, and co-author of The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog * Gabor Mate is one of the most important, wise and compassionate voices in the world on addiction. Everyone should read this profound book * Johann Hari, author of Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs * Gabor Mate's connections-between the intensely personal and the global, the spiritual and the medical, the psychological and the political-are bold, wise and deeply moral. He is a healer to be cherished and this exciting book arrives at just the right time * Naomi Klein, author of No Logo and The Shock Doctrine *