In the world of hungry ghosts

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In the World of Hungry Ghosts by Gabor Mateh... Addiction of all kinds, whether drug addiction or behavioral addiction such as gambling, eating—or addiction to anything else, really—is rooted in pain, often stemming from childhood suffering. It is unexpected that many of the parents who have lost children to addiction express appreciation or understanding for their children; instead, they often feel pain, anger, or a sense of being constantly blamed. This book does not aim to assign blame but rather to embrace suffering humanity, to show that addiction is one of the most common manifestations of human suffering. There is no accusation, only an acknowledgment of the fact that suffering is passed down through generations, and that we unwittingly perpetuate it until we understand it and break the chain of transmission within each family, group, or society. Blaming parents is neither emotionally kind nor scientifically sound. All parents do their best, but our best is constrained by our own unresolved traumas or the unconscious residues that remain from them. This is what we unintentionally pass on to our children, as I did. The silver lining of this book is that this trauma and family breakdown can be healed. Given the right conditions, we now know that the brain can heal itself.