Based on Gabor Mat&#233;&#8217;s two decades of experience as a medical doctor and his groundbreaking work with the severely addicted on Vancouver&#8217;s skid row, <i>In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts</i> radically reenvisions this much misunderstood field by taking a holistic approach. Dr. Mat&#233; presents addiction not as a discrete phenomenon confined to an unfortunate or weak-willed few, but as a continuum that runs throughout (and perhaps underpins) our society; not a medical &quot;condition&quot; distinct from the lives it affects, rather the result of a complex interplay among personal history, emotional, and neurological development, brain chemistry, and the drugs (and behaviors) of addiction. Simplifying a wide array of brain and addiction research findings from around the globe, the book avoids glib self-help remedies, instead promoting a thorough and compassionate self-understanding as the first key to healing and wellness. <br><br><i>In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts </i>argues persuasively against contemporary health, social, and criminal justice policies toward addiction and those impacted by it. The mix of personal stories&#8212;including the author&#8217;s candid discussion of his own &quot;high-status&quot; addictive tendencies&#8212;and science with positive solutions makes the book equally useful for lay readers and professionals.