62 Quotes by Gabor Maté

Drugs do not make the addict into a criminal; the law does. When alcohol was prohibited, drinkers were breaking the law.

In the internal world of the psyche, [...] freedom means [...] the ability to opt for our long-term physical and spiritual well-being as opposed to our immediate urges. Absent that ability, any talk of “free will” or “choice” becomes nearly meaningless.

[I]n the realm of emotional freedom and conscious decision making a penniless hermit may enjoy much more latitude than a status-addicted millionaire who, still compensating for unconscious childhood hurts, is driven by an insatiable need to be feared or admired.

If we want to help people seek the possibility of transformation within themselves, we first have to transform our own view of our relationship to them.

If our guiding principle is that a person who makes his own bed ought to lie in it, we should immediately dismantle much of our health care system. Many diseases and conditions arise from self-chosen habits or circumstances and could be prevented by more astute decisions.

Justification connives to absolve the self of responsibility; understanding helps us assume responsibility.

Mindfulness can be practised throughout the day, not only on the meditation cushion. There are many techniques for this but they all come down to paying close attention to one’s experience of each moment, without seeking distraction.When I go for walks now, I no longer have earphones piping music into my head. I try to stay present to the physical, aural and visual sensations I experience, as well as noticing my mental processes and reactions.

Drugs, in short, do not make anyone into an addict, any more than food makes a person into a compulsive eater. There has to be a preexisting vulnerability. There also has to be significant stress [...] - but, like drugs, external stressors by themselves, no matter how severe, are not enough. [...]

There is no addiction centre in the brain, no circuits designated strictly for addictive purposes. The brain systems involved in addiction are among the key organizers and motivators of human emotional life and behaviour; hence, addiction’s powerful hold on human beings.