Gabor Maté works with heavily addicted patients in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. He “learned much” about himself from this authorship. He discovers his own addictive tendencies by defining addiction as a continuum that extends from the disheveled street person using injectable drugs—whom we might avoid on street corners—to the well-dressed, successful workaholic, like a physician, who is addicted to recognition, fame, and self-promotion. Addiction “arises near our emotional core,” and Maté holds up a stark mirror, challenging many “comfortable pew” perspectives.
