Embraced By The Needle Analysis

426 Words2 Pages
Gabor Mates Essay “Embraced by the Needle” Uses his clients and research studies to show how addiction can be a result of absence of nurture and attention during the developmental stages of life. Mates is a doctor who spends time working with individuals who suffer from drug addiction and mental illness. He is based in one of Canada largest drug areas; downtown Vancouver. From experience with his clients and research examples, he writes on how the effects of deficiency of nurture during the developmental stages of life can lead to drug addiction. It is not about the drug being addictive but the negative interactions during childhood. The author uses studies done on rats and monkeys to explain how neglect during the infant age effects parts of the brain development “Infant rats who get less grooming from their mothers have fewer natural benzo receptors in the part of the brain that controls anxiety. Brains of infant monkey separated…show more content…
But when these are not there it cause problems later on in the individuals life. “The fewer endorphin-enhancing experiences in infancy and early childhood, the greater the need for external sources.”(p. 289) He goes on to explain that experiences as a child such as: sexual assault, abandonment, physical and psychological abuse are recurring factors in he treats his clients for. Mates addresses people that grew up in stereotypical upbringings, where they did receive love and attention, and why they can be prone to addiction. He states that there are unseen factors that could contribute to a feeling of neglect even if it is subconscious. Stressors such as relationship problems, outside circumstances, and problem
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    353 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Dr. Gabor Mate’s article “Embraced by the Needle” he states his belief that addiction originated from unhappiness. He found his patient asking “Why the pain?” instead of “Why the addiction?” Many addicts suffer from mental illnesses. The prescriptions that he writes to help with their reliance on drugs do not help with the emotional struggle that they have to deal with. Methadone keeps the withdrawals at bay, but it does not create a high that other drugs do. The drugs give its users a warm feeling

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