In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction

by Gabor Maté

It is not helpful, however, to compare any one person with another. Just because one person succeeds doesn’t mean that we’re entitled to judge another for having failed. For all our similarities, from the moment of conception we are each shaped by our own unique makeup and set of life experiences. No two human brains look alike, not even those of identical twins. One person’s pain cannot be compared with anyone else’s, nor can we compare any two people’s capacity to endure suffering. In addition to the visible factors, there are also many subtle, invisible ones that may positively influence our psychic strength and our capacity for choice: a kind word spoken long ago, a fortuitous circumstance, a new relationship, a flash of insight, a memory of love, a sudden opening to faith. People who have overcome severe addictions deserve to be celebrated and they have much to teach, but their example cannot be used to condemn others who have not been able follow in their footsteps.