In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction

Book Detail

Amazon Business : For business-only pricing, quantity discounts and FREE Shipping. Register a free business account Paperback: 536 pages Publisher: North Atlantic Books; 1 edition (January 5, 2010) Language: English ISBN-10: 155643880X ISBN-13: 978-1556438806 Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.2 x 8.9 inches Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Book Description

Based on Gabor MatÃ©â€™s two decades of experience as a medical doctor and his groundbreaking work with the severely addicted on Vancouverâ€™s skid row, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts radically reenvisions this much misunderstood field by taking a holistic approach. Dr.Â MatÃ© 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 storiesâ€”including the authorâ€™s candid discussion of his own "high-status" addictive tendenciesâ€”and science with positive solutions makes the book equally useful for lay readers and professionals.

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