The Best Explanation of Addiction I’ve Ever Heard – Dr. Gabor Maté

Gabor wants to help ppl get off addictive drugs, however, it is noteworthy that he is promoting hallucinogenics...not addicting, but certainly harmful for some.

This guy knows what here talking about,but I'm in despair,I'm 52 I'm an alcoholic, compulsive gambler and take pills like they are going out of fashion,I do one pill or one drink or one bet and my life comes crumbling down 😱😱😱 but I had the best family in the world,mam ,dad, brothers,sisters, and do on..and still do,if it wasn't for them bailing me out I be well dead. So that I don't get
.HELP

Everyone in the supporting field telling their client that addiction is a disease and not a symptom and in the worse case addicts are subconsciously seeking for an excuse to suffer should instantly loose their jobs.

Didn’t like this video. This so called explanation is just a dramatized picture of users, but in no way shows how addiction works. Sure, most people that have a substance use disorder come from trauma and broken homes, but to say that criminalizing drugs has something to do with people not getting better isn’t true. Healthy people will too become addicts, if they start doing drugs long enough. The neurobiologic aspects of addiction are totally neglected in this video, and are fundamental in understanding why drugs are so dangerous. Also, every psychiatrist, even the mediocre ones, knows that there is no pill that you can prescribe to treat a substance use disorder, and that the treatment is based on psychotherapy, mostly the behavorial kind.

Simply the best ❤

I feel all of a sudden My addiction is an attempt to escape suffering that has yet to come

I must say he is a master at his field

Trauma doesn't have to be from abuse either, having crippling social anxiety that results in a state of profound loneliness and depression, is a condition worth medicating too.

Currently reading his book, the Myth of Normal.
I have been searching for forty years to find out what is wrong with me, dozens of doctors, specialists etc.
I think i was 3 chapters in and I finally found out.
The word genius is so over used but if Dr. Mate isn't, he must be close.

I applaud the people who've gotten sober here but I bet there are people reading comments even here who are feeling bad because they are still using.

There aren't two groups - (drug) addicts vs sober people. I've stopped using alcohol but I use other stuff. There are food addicts, gambling addicts, shopping addicts, sex addicts.. All just trying to feel more comfortable in a sick culture and not knowing what else to do. Just a bunch of children who need to feel more secure ❤️

Emotional pain can only be healed by our Maker. Jehova

The work this man puts into this world is a gift. As a psychotherapist I read a lot of theory but I’ve never heard anyone make sense of addiction with such deep wisdom. I have such deep gratitude for his teachings, personally and professionally.

I love that one of the segments explains that addiction isn’t a choice. Such a beautiful thing considering the societal stigmas claiming that addicts create their own graves.

I agree with what is stated in this video but it is slightly Utopian.

So addiction has two stages the first stage is psychological where the patient thinks that he is dependent on the drug.

But the second stage is worse and is called physical addiction here the problem is such that the brain is actually physically dependent on the drug due to alteration in the brain's neurochemical pathways.

From experience I can tell you that addiction is really hard to cure, but if people find some meaning for their lives it may be easier for them get rid of addiction but with all that said people should be patient with their lives and not resort to using drugs to cope up with psychological or financial stressors because once addiction kicks in it is really hard to get rid of it.

This is just my opinion, but I’m choosing to get high and harm my body. Treating me like an injured puppy is letting me off the hook too easily. Taking responsibility and not letting past trauma be used as an excuse is far more important. I’m might be wrong(most likely), so convince me otherwise. (I don’t say this with any malice, it’s what I honestly believe)

Of course, it is the society's fault. Humans have no agency whatsoever. We are powerless, and we are incapable of making any choices in our lives.

The all knowing government needs to step in, and fix it. Please vote Democrat.

Survival skill.

This man is amazing. Why arent all treatment centres adopting his methodologies.

Im a recovering addict but had mild trauma so its a wide spectrum.

What a wise and kind person is Gabor Mate, i live in Armenia and im an addict, they dont now how to help addicted youth here they just ruine peoples life, my goal is to translate this speech and try to help addicted people here and help myself!!! It is horrible to be an addict in a place like here no help whatsoever,im very very grateful to Gabor, unimaginable help, carried me through the darkest times, i wish everybody who reades this to get clean soon it is possible with the help of God and people like Gabor!!!!!

I wish this was sub in Spanish to show it to more people

This made me cry so much. It was validating xx

Everything humans have accomplished is due to an experimental approach. scientific practices, medical procedures, mathematics, chemistry, all of it were discovered because of our curiosity and experimental nature nothing in our lives do we know everything about so why is it so hard to believe that we most likely have been wrong about a lot of it? we didn’t even know the Earth was round or what was inside of our own bodies for the majority of our existence but now all of a sudden we are geniuses when it comes to any and all human behaviors?!?

To me, from my gathering of the big book, the disease is simply from the desire to escape the present desires......which makes us human. Their is no right answer, but fir now simply go ti what works

In my poor vew the biggest chalenge is find someone thats can hear ones truh past history and traumas and not run away

15yo out of home, sexually abused, childhood neglect ,19yo prison, 24yo university. 44yo director of sustainability in finance, a miracle but I still smoke cannabis. I'm an INFJ, my grandfathers in WWII camps but survived. It's rough out here. ❤ Lone wolf

Controlled substances

What frustrates me is you go to a meeting as a recovering addict and you hear people at meetings say; "getting locked up is the best thing to ever happen to me," or "I never would have quit unless I got arrested.' I feel this kind of dialogue confuses the narrative when in reality, it's the help that came after getting arrested that made the difference.

The help should be offered, not the punishment before it.

As a sociologist, I love this!

Thank you for your incredible work! I found this video to be very insightful and reaffirms my belief that life coaching, as taught by The Life Coach School, is one of the ways we can help people to heal themselves. In my experience, the first step is for all people to feel like they are being heard.

The hardest part about addiction is breaking that vicious cycle. The addict has to force his body and trick his own mind because he doesn't know better. The awareness of an addict is extremely limited, he doesn't see hope and he doesn't see a way out. You have to go through that wall of fire but it is worth it, a beatiful life awaits you on the other side.

Treatment is poor :(

I have to disagree that all addicts have been through trauma. Then it depends on what you define as trauma. It's just too simplistic.

Yep

The NWO

Im in hospital at the moment, ive been in and out of here for the past 5years,and the mental health service i have received is just a joke, ive been an addict for 25 years and its my mental health is total hit rock bottom. Thus guy is right no sevice inthis country (England) want to get to the reason behind the addiction, they think just putting you in anther hostal and throwing a methedone script at you is the answer, strust me this never will help me stop using drugs. Totally had enough, i despair..Im embarrassed that im not strong enough to stop. This is my last rock bottom. ✌️

Treatment of addiction? Addicts treat themselves. They overdose and then there’s one less to worry about.

This is the only time in history children have been abused or traumatised?

Addiction is one of the hardest challenges I am facing is my addiction I was going to get 5 months clean today and I relapsed last night. I was doing so good I was so happy like really feeling true happiness I momentarily I forgot that I have an incurable disease I learned my lesson this sickness is always alive and waiting to take advantage of me when I let my guard down. I have learned that I will always be a sick person. I am going to break the cycle of generations every family member I have has died of drug or alcohol use.

Dr. Gabor are wrong. Addiction IS a choice. The best choice at the moment. It is person who makes that choice. And so he chooses, because he has a benefit from it. And the benefit is the suppression of emotions. Addiction is a choice.

It's nothing to do with trauma nor your background ...it's a case off I want ...just one last time then I'll stop ...you want a hit and as soon as that thought comes nothings stopping you ..your getting that hit nomatter what ...but maybe if you done something else if you put your thought somewhere else ...maybe you wouldn't need that hit

This is Beautiful ❤

Oh that not my family only one i trust are my children i have that dint take pills for it and camt take them pills

I live this video. I am incredibly addicted to video games and I have been for nearly my entire life. I’ve attempted suicide and suffer from a traumatic childhood and severe depression no matter what I do. Video games are the only thing that numbs the pain of our world for me. Every day it’s a battle to not play video games all day.

this eloquently stated what i known half my life. but it does leave a looming question unanswered. id agreed MOST of the "addicts" are self medicating old traumas, but their are certainly those that became addicts that have no sizeable traumas, good families,good childhood,no neglect or abuse. i find myself looking for a message or explanation to point my familie to understand my addictive behaviour n the damage it caused. This looming question is what theyd focus on if i were to share this with them. feedback welcome, thanks

Maybe you should share needkes you junkies

Oh me and my vjildrn dont shoot ip drugs

This is why AA works. Because you're in an environment which takes the shame away for long enough that you can heal emotionally, without the typical judgement and ignorance from society. It's like they say you won't find the answers to your problems at the bottom of a bottle. It's often from an outsider giving a fresh perspective of your situation. I was using alcohol to solve an emotional problem. Whereas I needed trustworthy people instead.