--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Opiates don't only relieve physical pain…" description: "\"“Opiates don't only relieve physical pain, they also relieve emotional pain. It turns out that the same part of the brain that experiences the sufferin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b5/gabor-mat-1410_addiction_opiates-don-t-only-relieve-physical-pain_2230596.png" --- # Opiates don't only relieve physical pain, they also… ![“Opiates don't only relieve physical pain, they also relieve emotional pain. It turns out that the same part of the brain that experiences the suffering of physical pain also experiences the suffering of social rejection, for example. The sources and pathways of the pain are different, but the…” quote by Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b5/gabor-mat-1410_addiction_opiates-don-t-only-relieve-physical-pain_2230596.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b5/gabor-mat-1410_addiction_opiates-don-t-only-relieve-physical-pain_2230596.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b5/gabor-mat-1410_addiction_opiates-don-t-only-relieve-physical-pain_2230596.png) > ““Opiates don't only relieve physical pain, they also relieve emotional pain. It turns out that the same part of the brain that experiences the suffering of physical pain also experiences the suffering of social rejection, for example. The sources and pathways of the pain are different, but the suffering is experienced in the same part of the brain, where opiate receptors are abudantly present. And if you look at alcohol, it's a pain-reliever. In fact, you know, the old saying, when someone drank too much they used to say "he's feeling no pain". Cocaine.. is a local anesthetic it numbs nerve endings. Cannabis has pain-relieving qualities. All the behaviors of addiction, whether they are substance-related or not, either directly soothe pain, emotional pain, or they distract from it. So my mantra and the first question in addiction is not "why the addiction?", but "why the pain?" And if want to understand why people have pain, you got to look at their lives, not at their genes, not at their choices, but what actually happened to them.”” [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 attempts to alleviate emotional pain, not just physical dependence; understanding the underlying suffering is key. **In simple terms:** Addiction often masks emotional hurt. Key Takeaway Address the root emotional pain. Themes addiction emotional health psychology compassion Mood empathetic reflective Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - therapy sessions - support groups - personal reflection - policy design Key Concepts neuroscience pain pathways behavioral coping Questions to Reflect On - What unmet emotional needs drive addictive behavior? - How can societies better address emotional pain? A Different Perspective Pain relief can lead to dependency if not managed health. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Addiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction/) [Addiction Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction-pain-2428460/) [Brain Opiate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain-opiate-5016149/) [Cannabis Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cannabis-pain-5016150/) [Emotional pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional-pain/) [Old saying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-saying/) [Opiate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opiate/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Physical pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physical-pain/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [“The question is never “Why the addiction?” but “Why the pain?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/the-question-is-never-why-the-addiction-but-why-the-pain/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“Far more than a quest for pleasure, chronic substance use is the addict’s attempt to escape distress. From a medical point of view, addicts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/far-more-than-a-quest-for-pleasure-chronic-substance-use-is-the/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“So this is your brain on wheat: Digestion yields morphine-like compounds that bind to the brain’s opiate receptors. It induces a form of reward,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-davis/so-this-is-your-brain-on-wheat-digestion-yields-morphine-like/) [William Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-davis/) > [We must remind people that there is no typical or predictable person suffering from addiction, and that their pain must be met with resolve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-moore/we-must-remind-people-that-there-is-no-typical-or-predictable-person/) [Wes Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-moore/) > [“Results have not been encouraging. We seem up against a dilemma built into Nature, much like the Heisenberg situation. 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In some cases, it can lead to suicide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-gibney/sometimes-the-only-way-people-can-handle-emotional-pain-is-to-cause/) [Patricia Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-gibney/) > [Emotional Pain is the worst because physical pain can heal, but emotional pain will forever be there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/emotional-pain-is-the-worst-because-physical-pain-can-heal-but/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [The very same brain centers that interpret and feel physical pain also become activated during experiences of emotional rejection. In brain scans, they light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/the-very-same-brain-centers-that-interpret-and-feel-physical-pain/) [Gabor Mate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“I have found that most people are more willing to accept physical pain and limitation rather than acknowledge and deal with the mental and/or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobe-hanson/i-have-found-that-most-people-are-more-willing-to-accept-physical/) [Tobe Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobe-hanson/) ## 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. 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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. 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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. 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