Systemic Addiction

When we hear the word “addiction”, we often imagine drug or alcohol abuse. While substance abuse disorders are absolutely examples of addiction, addiction is also a systemic pattern that appears in many different contexts and settings. Like other systemic patterns, once you learn how addiction truly works, you’ll see it everywhere.

Why the Pain

In his outstanding book In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction, Dr. Gabor Mate recounts his experiences working with heavily addicted patients in Vancouver’s Eastside neighborhood. This work led Dr…