The Power of Addiction and The Addiction of Power: Gabor Maté at TEDxRio+20

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Published 2012-10-09

Canadian physician Gabor Maté is a specialist in terminal illnesses, chemical dependents, and HIV positive patients. Dr. Maté is a renowned author of books and columnist known for his knowledge about attention deficit disorder, stress, chronic illness and parental relations. His theme at TEDxRio+20 was addiction -- from drugs to power. From the lack of love to the desire to escape oneself, from susceptibility of the being to interior power -- nothing escapes. And he risks a generic and generous prescription: "Find your nature and be nice to yourself."

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

All Comments (21)

@RajPLifts 5 months ago

39 days sober. This is the most difficult fight of my life. Not the fight of wanting to use, but fighting to find myself and seeing the destruction I left behind.
@mchris65 2 years ago

So glad he included all addictions. People who look down on a drug addict need to look at what they are using to escape pain.
@mandydean1327 2 years ago

The single most highly intelligent, compassionate addiction specialist I've ever come across
@adamrafal6587 1 year ago

In 2001 I was a PhD student writing my dissertation on ADHD in children. I contacted Dr. Mate and he spent a good part of an afternoon with me talking about my work and his perspctive regarding ADHD. He was so generous with his time, and incredibly helpful!
@JudValeski 7 years ago

"if they don't want me... at least they're going to need me." wow. powerful.
@toddmarten1364 4 years ago

I'm over 40 months clean from drugs and alcohol and this man hits the nail directly on the head. I highly recommend reading his books.
@bovinityleak2066 2 years ago

“People in power are very often some of the emptiest people in the world, so don’t look to them for change” Well put! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
@thetruthaboutsobriety2448 2 years ago

Without finding this man I would not be on day 4 of sobriety. I will never look at people's addiction the same. EVER.
@staceyjones124 8 years ago

“And yet we judge the drug addict because we actually see that they are just like us and we don’t like that. So we say, “You are different from us, you are worse than we are.”
@kimberleyvirgint5865 3 years ago

I'm an addict in crisis right now and I've watched this 3 times now. It's the best talk on addiction I've heard and it brought me some peace today. Thank you for that.
@warangkanatempati8693 1 year ago

Dr. Gabor Maté is a world treasure. His talk is filled with compassion and wisdom.
@beweslee 1 year ago

I am a physician. I am also a compulsive overeater in recovery and a workaholic. Dr. Gabor Mate’s approach has helped me on my inside and the outside. A moment of compassion for a patient can change their whole life. I feel it and I see it in my work. In fact, I chose my specialty of Emergency Medicine to give to the most vulnerable in their crucial times of need. Healing can be shared and can happen in a moment.
@TripGuerrilla 4 years ago

"Nothing records the effects of a sad life as graphically as the human body." -A Legend
@powpow1080 4 years ago

7 and a half years later, and this is still one of the most powerful talks I have heard.
@lynnelowe8461 2 years ago

This made me cry. Absolutely spot on. Today I celebrate 4 years sober. Very grateful for this amazing talk. Thank you 😁🙏
@AndreaCherry 11 months ago

My son was addicted and died by suicide at the young age of 27. If only he had the right support. Everything I tried pushed him further away. He wasn’t abused but my husband died when he was 14 and our family was never the same. I wish he had a compassionate doctor like you, he’d still be here. 💔
@soulopticc 9 years ago

It kills me that people like this don't have a louder voice or bigger platforms.
@jomontanee 8 years ago

This is one of the most powerful speeches I've ever listened to. Without any tricks, any flair or any glamorization. Just a small man speaking in the simple manner about the great truth from the great heart. Thank you so much for posting it. "Find a lamp inside yourself, be a lamp unto yourselves, find a light within." It made me cry.
@Live4Style 2 years ago

Thank you for acknowledging the root cause of the problems we face as Indigenous people fighting to retain our culture. It really means a lot hearing an expert such as Gabor Maté validate our reality. Tēnā rawa atu koe.
@Patriot303Co 1 year ago

Gabor you have saved my life. Never have i been able to get over the shame and guilt of having an addiction. You have allowed me to feel human again.With this, being ADHD, I have always felt so much frustration, shame, and disappointment in myself for always frustrating the people around me. I thought I was just a bad person who didn't care enough to remember to shut the cabinet, lock the door, or to start a load of laundry my wife asked me to start. You took 1000 pound weights off my shoulder. I am not a bad person, I am just the who i am, for good or bad.