In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the author of When the Body Says No and The Myth of Normal—The definitive book for understanding the roots and behaviours of addiction.

Dr. Gabor Maté is one of the world’s most revered thinkers on the psychology of addiction. His radical findings—based on decades of work with patients challenged by catastrophic drug addiction and mental illness—has helped reframe how we view all human development. In this award-winning modern classic, through first-person accounts, riveting case studies, pioneering research and compassionate argument, Maté takes a panoramic yet highly intimate and compassionate look at this widespread and perplexing human ailment, whether it be addiction to alcohol, drugs, sex, money or anything self-destructive. He presents it not as a discrete phenomenon confined to a weak-willed few, but as a continuum that runs through (and even underpins) our society—not as a medical ‘condition’, but rather the result of a complex interplay of personal history, emotional development and brain chemistry.

Distilling cutting-edge research from around the world, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts avoids glib self-help remedies, instead promoting self-understanding as the first key to healing and wellness. Blending personal stories and science with positive solutions, and written in spellbinding prose, it is a must-read that will change how you see yourself, others and the world.