In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction

by Gabor Maté

no human being is ever beyond redemption.

people jeopardize their lives for the sake of making the moment livable. Nothing sways them from the habit—not illness, not the sacrifice of love and relationship, not the loss of all earthly goods, not the crushing of their dignity, not the fear of dying. The drive is that relentless.

The question is never “Why the addiction?” but “Why the pain?”

Addiction is any repeated behaviour, substance-related or not, in which a person feels compelled to persist, regardless of its negative impact on his life and the lives of others.