CLEAN MACHINE –
Sept. 6, 2025 – From friends and acquaintances to siblings and children of friends, the disease of addiction is powerful and can be heartbreaking.
According to Dr. Gabor Maté, who spent years helping residents of Vancouver’s East Hastings St., people can be addicted to anything, even the good doctor himself. In his book, “In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts,” Maté discusses his own vice: spending thousands of dollars a month on music. From old vinyl box sets to CDs, he can’t help himself. (It’s been a while since I read his book, and he worded that explanation far more whimsically).
Addiction can be a scary thing. From the addict pinching pennies to pay for the next fix to the family member spending sleepless nights worried about a loved one, addiction affects everyone.
In Canada, a total of 52,544 apparent opioid toxicity deaths were reported between January 2016 and December 2024. In 2024, 80 per cent of those deaths were in B.C., Alberta and Ontario.
