--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: By the way, let me shatter a myth about…" description: "\"“By the way, let me shatter a myth about addiction. This whole idea that drugs are addictive... they're not in themselves addictive. Studies have shown..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04d/gabor-mat-1410_addiction_by-the-way-let-me-shatter-a-myth-about-a_1749141.jpg" --- # By the way, let me shatter a myth about addiction. This… ![“By the way, let me shatter a myth about addiction. This whole idea that drugs are addictive... they're not in themselves addictive. Studies have shown that a large number of people can be given opiates for pain and they don't become addicted. No drug, no substance in itself is addictive. Most…” quote by Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04d/gabor-mat-1410_addiction_by-the-way-let-me-shatter-a-myth-about-a_1749141.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04d/gabor-mat-1410_addiction_by-the-way-let-me-shatter-a-myth-about-a_1749141.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04d/gabor-mat-1410_addiction_by-the-way-let-me-shatter-a-myth-about-a_1749141.jpg) > ““By the way, let me shatter a myth about addiction. This whole idea that drugs are addictive... they're not in themselves addictive. Studies have shown that a large number of people can be given opiates for pain and they don't become addicted. No drug, no substance in itself is addictive. Most people who try most substances, even repeatedly, and never become addicted to it. So you can talk about this "highly addictive drugs" like crack and crystal meth and all that. The vast majority of the people who try them never become addicted. So when we ask the question, "is alcohol addictive, yes or no", you know what the answer is? Yes or no. That's what the answer is. If you ask "is shopping addictive, yes or no", the answer is yes or no. Is food addictive, yes or no, is sexual acting out addictive, yes or no, the answer is yes or no. What we have to look at are the susceptabilities. What makes people prone to be addicted. Because the substance itself doesn't explain it. And therefore to put the emphasis on simply trying to stop the flow of drugs, as if that ever made any difference whatsoever, it is by definition to waste a lot of resources and to create a lot of unnecessary pain. That's not where the answer is.”” [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Addiction is driven by personal susceptibility, not inherent drug properties; focusing solely on substances ignores underlying causes. **In simple terms:** Addiction depends on the person, not the drug. Key Takeaway Address root causes, not just drug availability. Themes addiction psychology public health policy Mood concerned analytical Type informative critical When to use this quote - clinical practice - policy making - education - treatment programs Key Concepts susceptibility behavioral health neurobiology Questions to Reflect On - How can we better identify individual risk factors? - What policies target underlying causes rather than drug supply? A Different Perspective Ignoring personal vulnerability leads to ineffective interventions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Addiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [Most of the so-called illegal drugs have vastly increased in use, despite billions of dollars spent suppressing them. I believe 750,000 Americans are arrested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-hancock/most-of-the-so-called-illegal-drugs-have-vastly-increased-in-use/) [Graham Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-hancock/) > [Addiction isn't about substance - you aren't addicted to the substance, you are addicted to the alteration of mood that the substance brings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cheever/addiction-isn-t-about-substance-you-aren-t-addicted-to-the-substance/) [Susan Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cheever/) > [Addiction isnt about substance - you arent addicted to the substance, you are addicted to the alteration of mood that the substance brings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cheever/addiction-isnt-about-substance-you-arent-addicted-to-the-substance/) [Susan Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cheever/) > [“Love is always a cybernetics of addiction. Ending up with an addiction to someone, for someone, making someone the object of the addiction, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-b-preciado/love-is-always-a-cybernetics-of-addiction-ending-up-with-an-addiction/) Paul B. Preciado > [If I post a selfie, and you like it, it's of little cost to you, but it feels great to me. That becomes addictive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stolz/if-i-post-a-selfie-and-you-like-it-it-s-of-little-cost-to-you-but-it/) [Kim Stolz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stolz/) > [Marijuana is not addictive. People are the addicts and they will find a substance or a belief that will feed the addiction they need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-machat/marijuana-is-not-addictive-people-are-the-addicts-and-they-will-find/) [Steven Machat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-machat/) > [There's something very addictive about people pleasing. It's a thought pattern and a habit that feels really, really good until it becomes desperate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hathaway/there-s-something-very-addictive-about-people-pleasing-it-s-a-thought/) [Anne Hathaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hathaway/) > [“Some people, a relatively small minority, are at grave risk for addiction if exposed to certain substances. For this minority, exposure to drugs really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/some-people-a-relatively-small-minority-are-at-grave-risk-for/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [Antidepressants can have troubling side effects and are addictive for some people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-kirsch/antidepressants-can-have-troubling-side-effects-and-are-addictive-for/) [Irving Kirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-kirsch/) > [“Life is addictive. If people complain overmuch, I think I will have to draw that fact to their attention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/life-is-addictive-if-people-complain-overmuch-i-think-i-will-have-to/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“I was diagnosed with ADHD in my mid fifties and I was given Ritalin and Dexedrine. These are stimulant medications. They elevate the level…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/i-was-diagnosed-with-adhd-in-my-mid-fifties-and-i-was-given-ritalin/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“Much like addictive drugs, power uses ready-made reward circuitries in the brain, producing extreme pleasure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayef-al-rodhan/much-like-addictive-drugs-power-uses-ready-made-reward-circuitries-in/) [Nayef Al-Rodhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayef-al-rodhan/) > [“social media addict? This is a very real problem—so much so that researchers from Norway developed a new instrument to measure Facebook addiction called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-leaf/social-media-addict-this-is-a-very-real-problem-so-much-so-that/) [Caroline Leaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-leaf/) > [“The more a sufferer concentrates on his symptoms, the deeper those symptoms are etched into his neural circuits. In the worst cases, the mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-carr/the-more-a-sufferer-concentrates-on-his-symptoms-the-deeper-those/) [Nicholas Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-carr/) > [“Addictive drugs convert the brain to recognize only one face of God, to thrill to only one suitor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-lewis/addictive-drugs-convert-the-brain-to-recognize-only-one-face-of-god/) Marc Lewis ## More by Gabor Maté > [“As parents who make every effort we can to raise our children in loving security, we do not need to feel more guilt than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/as-parents-who-make-every-effort-we-can-to-raise-our-children-in/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“The fact is, we in this society are often quite removed from our own emotional reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/the-fact-is-we-in-this-society-are-often-quite-removed-from-our-own/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“Shame is the deepest of the “negative emotions,” a feeling we will do almost anything to avoid. Unfortunately, our abiding fear of shame impairs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/shame-is-the-deepest-of-the-negative-emotions-a-feeling-we-will-do/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“Many adults have not attained maturity — have not mastered being independent, self-motivated individuals capable of tending their own emotional needs and of respecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/many-adults-have-not-attained-maturity-have-not-mastered-being/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [Autonomy is impossible as long as one is driven by anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/autonomy-is-impossible-as-long-as-one-is-driven-by-anything/) [Gabor Mate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“If a mother has eight children, there are eight mothers. This is not simply because of the fact that the mother was different in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/if-a-mother-has-eight-children-there-are-eight-mothers-this-is-not/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“Without attachment, the parent succeeds at most in cowing a child into obedience, at the price of grave damage to the relationship and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/without-attachment-the-parent-succeeds-at-most-in-cowing-a-child-into/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“Attachment is our connection with the world. In the earliest attachment relationships, we gain or lose the ability to stay open, self-nurturing and healthy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/attachment-is-our-connection-with-the-world-in-the-earliest/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“So what you've actually got is traumatized children. When children are traumatized that affects how they feel about themselves, which is deeply ashamed because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/so-what-you-ve-actually-got-is-traumatized-children-when-children-are/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“Even without world wars, revolutions and emigration, siblings growing up in the same home almost never share the same environment. More accurately, brothers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/even-without-world-wars-revolutions-and-emigration-siblings-growing/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“We think that there are people who are normal over here, and then there’s the pathological ones who have depression, anxiety, addiction or schizophrenia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/we-think-that-there-are-people-who-are-normal-over-here-and-then/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“One cannot get much more vulnerable than to expose oneself psychologically. To share oneself with another and then be misunderstood or rejected is, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/one-cannot-get-much-more-vulnerable-than-to-expose-oneself/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“The areas of the cortex responsible for attention and self-regulation develop in response to the emotional interaction with the person whom we may call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/the-areas-of-the-cortex-responsible-for-attention-and-self-regulation/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“Peer-oriented children live in a universe of severely limited and superficial attachments. The quest for sameness being the least vulnerable way of attaching, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/peer-oriented-children-live-in-a-universe-of-severely-limited-and/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“The United States contains less than 5 percent of the world’s population but houses nearly a quarter of the world’s prisoners.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/the-united-states-contains-less-than-5-percent-of-the-world-s/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) [Explore all 244 Gabor Maté quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) ## More Addiction quotes > [What has drug addiction done for me? It's cost me my career, my fortune and basically my sex life when I found out I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbin-crosby/what-has-drug-addiction-done-for-me-it-s-cost-me-my-career-my-fortune/) Robbin Crosby > [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I really think the disease aspect gets lost when you're talking about alcoholism and addiction; it's not like you're battling leukemia or a heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-irsay/i-really-think-the-disease-aspect-gets-lost-when-you-re-talking-about/) [Jim Irsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-irsay/) > [I had an addiction to artificial points of success. Like being able to run for this or run for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-gallego/i-had-an-addiction-to-artificial-points-of-success-like-being-able-to/) [Ruben Gallego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-gallego/) > [“Addictions are just symptoms of underlying issues, and in my view Nikki self-medicated the emotional pain of his childhood, and being away from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-sixx/addictions-are-just-symptoms-of-underlying-issues-and-in-my-view/) [Nikki Sixx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-sixx/) > [“Oil. The great addiction of the civilized world”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-warren/oil-the-great-addiction-of-the-civilized-world/) [Andrew Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-warren/) > [“They say when you fall in love in love with someone that person becomes like a drug,an addiction you don't want to live without.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-say-when-you-fall-in-love-in-love-with-someone-that-person/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Addictions - Run to Jesus instead of running to your addiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/addictions-run-to-jesus-instead-of-running-to-your-addiction/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [Music is my personal addiction. So much of everything I've done has only been to open more doors for the music itself. It all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/music-is-my-personal-addiction-so-much-of-everything-i-ve-done-has/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [“I am made of a thousand ghosts. Only you can shoot me down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-james/i-am-made-of-a-thousand-ghosts-only-you-can-shoot-me-down/) Bella James > [Religious work is one of the best ways to keep from facing your reality if you are Christian, if you are using it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-miller/religious-work-is-one-of-the-best-ways-to-keep-from-facing-your/) [Keith Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-miller/) > [Cold sweats, hallucinations I wanna speed to stop. The hell I'm going through The addiction's taking you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bullet-for-my-valentine/cold-sweats-hallucinations-i-wanna-speed-to-stop-the-hell-i-m-going/) [Bullet For My Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bullet-for-my-valentine/) > [As addictions go, reading is among the cleanest, easiest to feed, happiest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/as-addictions-go-reading-is-among-the-cleanest-easiest-to-feed/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“Alcoholism is a choice... not a life sentence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-norman/alcoholism-is-a-choice-not-a-life-sentence/) David Norman > [“Suckers think that you cure greed with money, addiction with substances, expert problems with experts, banking with bankers, economics with economists, and debt crises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/suckers-think-that-you-cure-greed-with-money-addiction-with/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) [Browse all 2,134 Addiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“By the way, let me shatter a myth about addiction. 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