In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts

Close Encounters with Addiction

By: Gabor Maté MD

Narrated by: Daniel Maté

In this timely and profoundly original book, best-selling writer and physician Gabor Maté looks at the epidemic of addictions in our society, tells us why we are so prone to them and what is needed to liberate ourselves from their hold on our emotions and behaviours.

For over seven years Gabor Maté has been the staff physician at the Portland Hotel, a residence and harm reduction facility in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. His patients are challenged by life-threatening drug addictions, mental illness, Hepatitis C or HIV and, in many cases, all four. But if Dr. Maté’s patients are at the far end of the spectrum, there are many others among us who are also struggling with addictions. Drugs, alcohol, tobacco, work, food, sex, gambling, and excessive inappropriate spending: what is amiss with our lives that we seek such self-destructive ways to comfort ourselves? And why is it so difficult to stop these habits, even as they threaten our health, jeopardize our relationships, and corrode our lives?

Beginning with a dramatically close view of his drug addicted patients, Dr. Maté looks at his own history of compulsive behaviour. He weaves the stories of real people who have struggled with addiction with the latest research on addiction and the brain. Providing a bold synthesis of clinical experience, insight, and cutting-edge scientific findings, Dr. Maté sheds light on this most puzzling of human frailties. He proposes a compassionate approach to helping drug addicts and, for the many behaviour addicts among us, to addressing the void addiction is meant to fill.

I believe there is one addiction process, whether it manifests in the lethal substance dependencies of my Downtown Eastside patients, the frantic self-soothing of overeaters or shopaholics, the obsessions of gamblers, sexaholics and compulsive internet users, or in the socially acceptable and even admired behaviours of the workaholic. Drug addicts are often dismissed and discounted as unworthy of empathy and respect. In telling their stories my intent is to help their voices to be heard and to shed light on the origins and nature of their ill-fated struggle to overcome suffering through substance use. Both in their flaws and their virtues they share much in common with the society that ostracizes them. If they have chosen a path to nowhere, they still have much to teach the rest of us. In the dark mirror of their lives we can trace outlines of our own.
(from In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts)

©2011 Gabor Maté (P)2018 Vintage Canada

Gabor should have been the narrator

I am a big fan of Gabor's work and have had the privilege of seeing him speak in a small group setting. I love his voice and am very disappointed that he is not the narrator. It changes everything for me. I'm only on the first hour and debating whether to return it and head to youtube to watch his talks and interviews instead. His son has a fine voice it's just not what I was expecting or wanting. I'm losing interest in listening. Gabor's energy comes through his voice. It calms my nervous system.
I would love Gabor to narrate any future audio books.

Fantastic

This is a phenomenal book about addiction! As a therapist I found this book engaging and incredibly insightful.

Very mind opening

Gives you new insight into the world of addiction and what people actually suffer with!
Okay

Excellent helpful humane

I highly recommend it only only to anyone who has personal connection with addiction but to anyone who cares to understand the phenomenon
Brilliantly narrated human stories!
Practical insights
Thank you Gabor!

Enlightening

There’s so much despair and depravity in this world, but Gabor reminds us that there can still be beauty, light, and hope if only we put humanity first.

Such an incredible book

The moment I finished listening to it, I wanted to start it again. So very grateful for the work of Dr. Mate and his son!

must read for all humans

hmust read for all humansad to buy the book to take notes and highlight reccomend both formats.

Incredible combination of story telling and science

Gabor paints a picture of reality and forces us to look at it; the good the bad and the ugly. This book is for anyone who’s ever looked at an addict on the side of the street and thought that they were less than someone else. Gabor does an amazing job at weaving elegant storytelling and fact based research to communicate his message about addicts. This book truly will help you see this group of people in a new light and better understand their journey.

Deep yet simple

A beautifully written exploration of the addiction phenomena, Scientifically rigorous when such an approach becomes imperative, but also an enlightening narrative that won’t hide the author’s loving nature, nor evade an introspective look that isn’t afraid of self-criticism.
Being a physician myself, having lived through the terrifying experience of childhood traumatic events, then a slave of substance addiction, not for pleasure just to feel a little less guilt and pain -almost ravaged in all aspects of my being-, now in recovery aided by combined treatment (psychotherapy and pharmacological); i think reading this title is to be found an interesting and enriching instance of learning, whether the reader is versed in neuroscience or medical knowledge, being oneself afflicted by an addiction, or having to deal with the saddening proximity. of a loved person’s blind path of self-destruction.

Excellent

I'm currently 10 years sober from my addiction. This book has given me more understanding than all the treatment I've had and all the meetings I've been to and all the other books I've read and all the therapy I've had combined. Mate nails it. From the addiction process to the War on Drugs, to empathy, to healing. An amazing book. Definitely the best I've ever read, and I've read dozens of addiction books.