Maté tells sold-out Kamloops audience addiction stems from trauma, not moral failure

Full house to hear Maté

Photo: Billie Gladue

Dr. Gabor Mate delivers a lecture on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops.

Compassion rather than condemnation is the answer to addiction, renowned psychologist and author Dr. Gabor Maté told a packed house on Wednesday night at Thompson Rivers University.

The sold-out event, part of TRUSU’s Common Voices Lecture Series, started with a moment of silence for the victims of the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting.

Once he got going, Maté attempted to destigmatize and dismantle myths about addiction. Although it centred on compassion and empathy, the talk was evidence-based and grounded in facts about human development.

Maté discussed what happens in the brain when someone is addicted, describing how he believes stressful, fearful or traumatic environments during childhood can lead to mental disorders as adults. He said trauma is the basis of all mental illness, yet it is underdiscussed and ignored in our culture.

He said addiction cannot be solved through criminal punishment and should be met with understanding and compassion.

“Your addiction wasn’t your problem. It became a problem by definition, but addiction was your solution to a problem,” he said.

"Maybe to a problem of lack of meaning or to a problem of emotional pain. Don’t ask why the addiction, ask why the pain.”

Maté also took questions. Castanet asked how to balance compassion with community safety when it comes to open drug use.

“One particular method is to create supervised injection centres and really support them,” he replied.

"If we do that, and then if we are firm about the boundaries — that you can do it here but you can't do it there — at least you're providing some reasonable alternative, then I think we can have compassion and balance."

Maté’s message frequently included stories from his own life — including his experience with shopping addiction, childhood trauma and living with ADHD. The personal tone seemed to resonate with attendees.

“I personally have been diagnosed with ADHD, so I really wanted to make this lecture,” Kira Jasural told Castanet after the lecture.

"I really appreciate his words. He doesn’t coddle it, he doesn’t make it into something to feel bad about — it was really empowering."

Audience member Libby Juras noted how every topic discussed was “centring the person over anything else.”