What is Addiction? [Gabor Maté]
Summary
TLDRThe script delves into the root of addiction, highlighting that substances like opiates and cocaine are often sought as painkillers for both physical and emotional suffering. It emphasizes the importance of addressing the underlying pain, often stemming from emotional loss or trauma, rather than the addiction itself. The speaker argues that society's focus on instant relief and distraction exacerbates the issue, advocating for compassion and support to help individuals confront and understand their pain without resorting to harmful escapes.
Takeaways
- 💊 Substances of abuse are used as painkillers, targeting both physical and emotional pain experienced in the same part of the brain.
- 🔍 Addiction often begins with pain and can be an attempt to soothe emotional distress or trauma.
- 🤔 The root cause of addiction is not just the substance itself, but the underlying pain that the individual is trying to escape.
- 🚫 Emotional rejection can trigger the same brain response as physical pain, highlighting the deep connection between emotional and physical suffering.
- 🎸 Famous individuals like Keith Richards have acknowledged that addiction is a form of escape from the self due to distress or pain.
- 🙅♂️ Dismissing addiction as merely a result of genetics or choice overlooks the fundamental role of pain in the development of addictive behaviors.
- 📚 The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying emphasizes the importance of not escaping from pain, as attempts to do so can lead to more suffering.
- 💔 Compassion is essential for individuals to feel safe enough to confront and experience their pain without avoidance.
- 🤝 Support and understanding are crucial for individuals to process their pain and avoid the temptation to seek relief through addiction.
- 🏗️ Society's focus on instant relief and quick satisfaction can make it difficult for individuals to learn how to be with their pain in a healthy way.
- 🌟 The key to overcoming addiction may lie in developing a compassionate presence that allows individuals to face their pain and understand its root causes.
Q & A
What is the commonality between all substances of abuse according to the transcript?
-The transcript suggests that all substances of abuse, whether opiates, cocaine, or others, serve as painkillers, alleviating both physical and emotional pain.
Which part of the brain is associated with experiencing pain from emotional rejection?
-The same part of the brain that lights up during physical pain also activates during emotional rejection, such as experiencing a knife wound to the neck.
Why do addictions begin and end with pain according to the speaker?
-Addictions begin with pain because they are attempts to soothe emotional or physical suffering, and they end with pain because the cycle of addiction itself causes distress.
What is the first question the speaker asks when working with addictions?
-The speaker always asks 'why the pain' instead of 'why the addiction', focusing on understanding the underlying emotional loss or trauma.
What is the common background of severe addicts in the Downtown Eastside according to the transcript?
-The speaker notes that every severe addict in the Downtown Eastside has been traumatized, indicating a strong link between trauma and severe addiction.
What does Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones attribute his heroin addiction to?
-Keith Richards suggests that his addiction was an attempt to escape from himself and the distress or pain he was experiencing.
What does the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying advise regarding dealing with pain?
-The book advises not to escape from pain but to be with it, as the attempt to escape from pain is what creates more pain.
What is the role of compassion in helping people deal with their pain according to the transcript?
-Compassion is essential as it allows people to experience their pain without running away from it, fostering self-love and the ability to see the truth of their suffering.
What does the speaker suggest is the surest way to go to 'hell' metaphorically speaking?
-The speaker suggests that the surest way to metaphorically go to 'hell' is to try to run away from it, emphasizing the importance of facing pain with support.
How does the speaker describe our society's approach to dealing with pain?
-The speaker describes our society as one that is based on instant relief, quick satisfaction, and distraction, which does not support people in being with themselves and their pain.
What does the speaker believe is necessary for individuals to truly understand their pain?
-The speaker believes that individuals need a compassionate presence and support to experience their pain without running away from it, which is essential for understanding and dealing with it.
Outlines
🩹 The Role of Pain in Addiction
This paragraph discusses how all substances of abuse, regardless of type, function as painkillers. They alleviate not just physical pain but also emotional pain, which is processed in the same part of the brain. It is emphasized that addictions are rooted in pain and are efforts to soothe this pain. The author highlights the importance of asking 'why the pain' rather than 'why the addiction,' noting that severe addicts often have histories of emotional loss or trauma. The paragraph ends by mentioning that attempting to escape pain usually results in more pain.
🤝 The Need for Compassion in Addiction Recovery
This paragraph highlights the importance of compassion in helping individuals deal with their pain, which is essential for overcoming addiction. It quotes another teacher, emphasizing that only when compassion is present can people begin to love themselves and confront their pain without running from it. The author argues that our society promotes instant relief and distraction, making it challenging for individuals to deal with their addictions. The solution lies in finding a way to be with one's pain and understanding its origins.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Substances of abuse
💡Painkillers
💡Emotional pain
💡Addiction
💡Trauma
💡Compassion
💡Distress
💡Self-acceptance
💡Instant relief
💡Support
💡Cultural norms
Highlights
Substances of abuse act as painkillers for both physical and emotional pain, affecting the same part of the brain.
Addictions often begin and end with pain, serving as an attempt to soothe it.
Emotional rejection can trigger the same brain response as physical pain.
The root cause of addiction is frequently emotional loss or trauma.
Addicts from the Downtown Eastside have all experienced some form of trauma.
Various addictions, such as sex, internet, relationship, or shopping, are all escapes from distress.
Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones attributed his heroin addiction to escaping distress.
The desire to escape from oneself is often due to being in too much distress or pain.
Genetics and choices are not the primary reasons for addiction; pain is the central issue.
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying advises not to escape from pain, as it creates more pain.
Compassion is essential for individuals to experience their pain without running away from it.
Self-love and self-truth can be achieved through the presence of compassion.
Society's focus on instant relief and quick satisfaction distracts from dealing with pain.
A compassionate presence is needed to support individuals in experiencing their pain.
Attempting to escape from pain is likened to going to hell, emphasizing the importance of facing it.
Support is necessary for individuals to be with their pain and understand its nature.
Our culture and economy are based on not supporting people to be with themselves and their pain.
Finding a way to be with one's pain is crucial for understanding and overcoming it.
Transcripts
all the substances of abuse whether
they're opiates or cocaine or anything
else they're actually painkillers
some of them specifically are
painkillers but physical pain emotional
pain the suffering is experienced in the
same part of the brain so when people
suffer emotional rejection the same part
of the brain will light up as if you
stuck them with a knife
the neck are told this is very nicely
that addictions begin with pain and end
with pain so that all the addictions are
attempts to soothe the pain so when I
work with addictions the first question
is always not why the addiction but why
the pain and what you find is emotional
loss or trauma in the case of the severe
addicts as in the Downtown Eastside er
they were every single one of them
traumatized
there's no women's walk in the streets
here but not be sexually abused not
impacted but but but you know whether
it's a sex addiction or internet or
relationship or shopping or work
addiction these are all attempts to get
away from distress Keith Richards the
rolling stone guitars said who used to
have a severe heroin habit as you know
he said that all the contortions we go
through just not to be ourselves for a
few hours or why would somebody not want
to be themselves because they're in too
much distress in too much pain so I
don't care what they tell you about
genetics or any other choices and that
nonsense it's always about pain well the
tibetan book of living and dying it's
got a wonderful line in it whatever you
do don't try and escape from your pain
or be with it was the Reyes the attempt
to escape from pain is what creates more
pain that's the reality of an addiction
but the question is how can people who
would their pain
well only if they sense some compassion
on somebody so as another teacher says
only when compassion is present well
people love themselves see the truth so
I think that people need a compassionate
present which will permit them to
experience their pain without having to
run away from it and all the attempts to
run away it's like another teacher says
the surest way to go to hell is to try
run away from hell
so you've got to be with that pain you
just have to be with it but you have to
have some support and and we live in a
society that one way or the other is
always about instant relief quick
satisfaction distraction in other words
we live in a culture that is based on
both economically and psychologically on
not supporting people to be with
themselves so it's always the quick
getaway so it's very difficult to deal
with the diction's in a society but yeah
it is a matter of at some point finding
a way of being with your pain so that
you can actually get to know what it's
vide all about
you
you
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