Healthy Living Books Books

Rating: - Gabor Mate is the Dalai Lama of the world of addiction
The experience of reading this book is like being bathed in wisdom and compassion. For a recovering addict like myself, it felt as if I had been given a wonderful gift. It presents a brilliantly clear and comprehensive view of the damaged spirit of the addict, for whom warped brain circuitry combined with emotional misery have reduced them to existing in a living hell. My sincere thanks to Mr. Mate for writing this amazing, sensitive, insightful book.

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Rating: - mspodunk
I have been working as an addictions counsellor for 19 years, and currently work in a residential treatment centre. I am excited to find a book that takes this approach to working with our clients, and looks unblinkingly at their situations. I have always had understanding and compassion for the social and emotional problems clients are struggling with, many of which come from childhood. However, this book also discusses the long-standing and sometimes permanent biological and physiological effects of the horrific childhoods so many clients have survived, and the connection to their substance abuse. Some of these limitations greatly affect a client's ability to do the work of treatment and recovery, and in my practice now I will be better able to make adjustments for each client to enhance their treatment experience. The goal is to help them experience success (which may include abstinence or harm reduction),a sense of self-efficacy, and a belief that they deserve and can create a better life for themselves. For anyone working with clients who struggle with addiction, I strongly recommend this book. The book is not written as a "textbook" but does require thoughtfulness in the reading, and as I have just finished it I plan to start reading it again.

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Rating: - A Very Personal, Insightful and Compassionate Study of Addiction
Believe me, I HAVE read the book; I just don't have the time at the moment to write a detailed review. I'll attempt to do so at a later date.

In my work as a security officer I've worked around the Vancouver Downtown Eastside, with it's attendant social problems: homelessness or grossly inadequate housing, drug addiction, trafficing and human misery.

In part, I read this book in an attempt to understand the environment and circumstances of the people I encountered in my security function; mostly "removal of trespassers from private property".

From reading the book I feel I've acquired a much better understanding of the nature of addiction and the personal and social circumstances that tend to give rise to the condition.

The book deals with the subject in considerable depth, and while written for the lay person, this level of detail is not easily absorbed. It may require more than one, or several readings of certain parts and some reference to source materials to properly "digest" the information.

In order not to deter the potential reader, I should point out that the text is highly readable, in large part due to his very compassionate portrayal of the lives of some of his patients, and his frank admission of his own addictive behaviours, along with his ideas about their causes.

A very worthwhile read!