I look forward to seeing your thoughts about it. Peace.

@rainmanjr just a follow up tidbit. I am about half way thru the book. This sentence from the book says alot...illness and health are manifestations of the social macrocosm.

@JGal Thank you. I have been of this opinion for some time now. Modern chemicals also cause illness, like cancer or Parkinson's and, probably, Alzheimer's.

Dr. Mate's definition: Addiction is a complex psychological, emotional, physiological, neurobiological, social and spiritual process. It manifests through any behavior in which a person finds temporary relief or pleasure and therefore craves, but in the long term causes them or others negative consequences, and yet the person refuses or is unable to give it up.
Main hallmarks: 1. Short term relief or pleasure and therefore craving; 2. Long term suffering for oneself or others; 3. An inability to stop.

He also asserts that "no drug is in itself addictive, not even the most notorious "high-risk" ones like crack or methamphetamine. Most people who try drugs, any drug, even repeatedly, never become addicted."

Every addict is a dopamine fiend, outsourcing the hunt for the homegrown chemical hit that makes the present moment exciting and vibrant...Addiction begins as an attempt to induce feelings that we were biologically programmed to generate innately, and would have --if unhealthy development hadn't got in the way.

@rainmanjr another gem from the book,... the mind can rigidly maintain it's convictions for a long time even when such views are self- defeating , contrary to experience, and even dissonant with other, neighboring beliefs.

*Healing , in a sense, is about unlearning the notion that we need to protest ourselves from our own pain. In this way, compassion is a gateway to another essential quality: courage."