Dr mate and the 12 steps

Dr. Gabor Maté has a nuanced relationship with the 12 Steps. He deeply respects the healing potential of programs like Alcoholics Anonymous, especially their emphasis on connection, compassion, and spiritual growth. But he also believes they miss a crucial piece: trauma awareness.

Here’s how he sees it:

🌱 What Dr. Maté Appreciates About the 12 Steps

• Acknowledging powerlessness: He agrees that recognizing one’s lack of control over addiction is a vital first step toward healing.

• Spiritual connection: The idea of a Higher Power and moral inventory resonates with him as a path to self-reflection and accountability.

• Community support: He values the sense of belonging and shared experience that 12 Step groups foster.

🔍 Where He Offers Critique

• Lack of trauma focus: Maté argues that addiction is rooted in unresolved emotional pain and childhood trauma—not just poor choices or moral failings2.

• Overemphasis on behavior: He believes that focusing solely on abstinence and action can overlook the deeper emotional wounds driving addictive behavior.

• Missed diagnosis: Many addicts, especially those in marginalized communities, don’t realize they’re traumatized. They just think they’re “bad people,” which perpetuates shame.

📘 His Alternative Lens

In his book In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, Maté defines addiction as a coping mechanism for emotional pain. He often says:

“Ask not why the addiction, ask why the pain.”

He’s not dismissing the 12 Steps—he’s inviting a deeper conversation. One that includes the emotional and neurological scars of trauma, and how healing those can lead to lasting recovery.