In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts

Physician Gabor Maté draws on his work with patients at a clinic in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to examine the scientific and psychological causes of addiction. Through first-person accounts, case studies and research, he presents addiction as a continuum running through society rather than a discrete condition confined to the weak-willed, the product of brain chemistry, emotional development and personal history acting together. He widens the lens to higher-status addictions to power, sex and wealth, and challenges the War on Drugs, proposing more holistic alternatives. Instead of quick self-help remedies, he puts self-understanding first on the path to healing. It became a number one national best seller.

Peter Attia said he had just finished it and found it upsetting and illuminating at the same time.