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Overcoming Addictions: The Spiritual Solution
Praise for Deepak Chopra,
"A new medicine is in the making, one in which mind, consciousness, meaning, and intelligence play key roles. One of the architects of the new medicine is Dr. Chopra, a credentialed, respected physician who has 'paid his dues' as a modern doctor."
Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Healing Words
"Deepak Chopra is being hailed as a modern-day Hippocrates for his novel approach of combining ancient healing traditions with modern research."
Irv Kupcinet, Chicago Sun-Times
"We can't help wishing he lived close enough to make house calls."
Judith Hooper, New York Times Book Review
"Dr. Chopra's writing has great beauty, great power, great delight, and much common sense"
Courtney Johnson, author of Henry James and the Evolution of Consciousness
"Dr. Chopra presents us with information that can help us live long, healthy lives."
Bernie Siegel, M.D., author of Love, Medicine and Miracles
"A new medicine is in the making, one in which mind, consciousness, meaning, and intelligence play key roles. One of the architects of the new medicine is Dr. Chopra, a credentialed, respected physician who has 'paid his dues' as a modern doctor."
Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Healing Words
"Deepak Chopra is being hailed as a modern-day Hippocrates for his novel approach of combining ancient healing traditions with modern research."
Irv Kupcinet, Chicago Sun-Times
"We can't help wishing he lived close enough to make house calls."
Judith Hooper, New York Times Book Review
"Dr. Chopra's writing has great beauty, great power, great delight, and much common sense"
Courtney Johnson, author of Henry James and the Evolution of Consciousness
"Dr. Chopra presents us with information that can help us live long, healthy lives."
Bernie Siegel, M.D., author of Love, Medicine and Miracles
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
22 people are currently reading
234 people want to read
About the author
Deepak Chopra
687 books19.1k followersDeepak Chopra, MD serves as the Founder and Chairman of The Chopra Foundation, and Co-Founder of the Chopra Center for Wellbeing.
As a global leader and pioneer in the field of mind-body medicine, Chopra transforms the way the world views physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social wellness. Known as a prolific author of eighty books books with twenty-two New York Times best sellers in both fiction and non-fiction, his works have been published in more than forty-three languages.
Chopra’s medical training is in internal medicine and endocrinology. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. Dr. Chopra serves as Co-Founder and Chairman of The Chopra Center for Wellbeing, Founder of The Chopra Well on YouTube, Adjunct Professor of Executive Programs at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School, Columbia University, Assistant Clinical Professor, in the Family and Preventive Medicine Department at the University of California, San Diego, Health Sciences, Faculty at Walt Disney Imagineering, and Senior Scientist with The Gallup Organization.
GlobeIn acknowledges Chopra as "one of top ten most influential spiritual leaders around the world." TIME magazine has described Dr. Chopra as "one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century and credits him as "the poet-prophet of alternative medicine."
As a global leader and pioneer in the field of mind-body medicine, Chopra transforms the way the world views physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social wellness. Known as a prolific author of eighty books books with twenty-two New York Times best sellers in both fiction and non-fiction, his works have been published in more than forty-three languages.
Chopra’s medical training is in internal medicine and endocrinology. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. Dr. Chopra serves as Co-Founder and Chairman of The Chopra Center for Wellbeing, Founder of The Chopra Well on YouTube, Adjunct Professor of Executive Programs at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School, Columbia University, Assistant Clinical Professor, in the Family and Preventive Medicine Department at the University of California, San Diego, Health Sciences, Faculty at Walt Disney Imagineering, and Senior Scientist with The Gallup Organization.
GlobeIn acknowledges Chopra as "one of top ten most influential spiritual leaders around the world." TIME magazine has described Dr. Chopra as "one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century and credits him as "the poet-prophet of alternative medicine."
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 12, 2007
Typically, addicts are ashamed. Society, acquaintances, friends, and family criticize their behavior. They should be ashamed, one might say. Really, though, we all do unhealthy things to our bodies. To do so is to be human, except for those lucky yogis who can exceed human limitations.
Chopra’s perspective is refreshing. He argues that addicts are simply searching for joy in all the wrong places. They began their addiction because they were looking for bliss. Moreover, those who have rarely or never experienced joy (often those in lower economic brackets) are more inclined to turn to drugs or other addictions as substitutes. Instead of using guilt or fear as ammunition against addiction, Chopra concludes that the real solution is to find true, honest-to-good joy in the addict’s life.
At 128 pages, this book won’t suck up your whole weekend. You’ll leap up from the couch mere hours later, inspired to change your ways. (The bags of potato chips you ate while reading will have to go. You should probably consider eliminating the fifth of gin and pack of smokes as well.)
The best thing about this book is its universality. Chopra tackles the usual suspects (alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs) and covers some unexpected areas as well (TV, food, work). Unless you’re one of those yogis, you’ll find something that applies to your life, and hopefully your joy will overflow. Enjoy. (Get it? En-JOY?) :)
Chopra’s perspective is refreshing. He argues that addicts are simply searching for joy in all the wrong places. They began their addiction because they were looking for bliss. Moreover, those who have rarely or never experienced joy (often those in lower economic brackets) are more inclined to turn to drugs or other addictions as substitutes. Instead of using guilt or fear as ammunition against addiction, Chopra concludes that the real solution is to find true, honest-to-good joy in the addict’s life.
At 128 pages, this book won’t suck up your whole weekend. You’ll leap up from the couch mere hours later, inspired to change your ways. (The bags of potato chips you ate while reading will have to go. You should probably consider eliminating the fifth of gin and pack of smokes as well.)
The best thing about this book is its universality. Chopra tackles the usual suspects (alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs) and covers some unexpected areas as well (TV, food, work). Unless you’re one of those yogis, you’ll find something that applies to your life, and hopefully your joy will overflow. Enjoy. (Get it? En-JOY?) :)
June 3, 2014
I'm not ashamed to admit it. I have an addictive personality. It's been shopping, booze, TV, CandyCrush, food, and social media. This book is great! It's short. It's to the point. It's all about mindfulness. You're spirit. Your memories. I loved it. Basically, it's finding an old happy place, diet, meditation, exercise, mindfulness, joy and laughter, being by yourself, being quiet, and observing and enjoying what surrounds you.
January 8, 2015
pretty good book. it's for people who already know that true joy is a possibility. I find it highly unlikely that people will just blindly believe what chopra says about joy vs. addiction without some prior knowledge that life without addiction is infinitely more pleasurable. however, for those of you who have experienced true joy, this book reconfirms that it is better than any addiction. much better. what chopra has to offer those in the know is invaluable and can be used as a guide and handy reference tool to continue finding and experiencing true joy.
also, and this is VERY important, one does NOT have to be spiritual at all to glean the benefits from eating right, exercise, meditating, being mindful, expressing/receiving love, laughing, and all the other things chopra suggests one engage in to experience joy. our bodies and brains are magnificent instruments that respond really well and really quickly to being treated with excellent care, beliefs in higher power/gods/spirituality non-withstanding. for those of you who DO have a feeling of spirituality, you will enjoy that chopra believes that attending to the mind and body helps the soul and that all are inextricably linked.
also, and this is VERY important, one does NOT have to be spiritual at all to glean the benefits from eating right, exercise, meditating, being mindful, expressing/receiving love, laughing, and all the other things chopra suggests one engage in to experience joy. our bodies and brains are magnificent instruments that respond really well and really quickly to being treated with excellent care, beliefs in higher power/gods/spirituality non-withstanding. for those of you who DO have a feeling of spirituality, you will enjoy that chopra believes that attending to the mind and body helps the soul and that all are inextricably linked.
September 25, 2014
I read this book in hope to have it help me quit smoking but it gives such a SMALL section to cigarette addiction compared to other addictions and that disappointed me.
I still smoke.
I still smoke.
December 31, 2018
Deepak Chopra, M.D. sees the addicted individual as one having potential, and one who is just a misguided seeker. The true object that we are all seeking he tells us is transcendence and he wants to show us how to reach this condition in his book “Overcoming Addiction, The Spiritual Solution.”
He suggests that addiction is manifest in a variety of mood-altering substances and that they can include alcohol, coffee, cigarettes, drugs, and even just food. Traditional approaches in dealing with addiction are negative, instilling fear as a motivator. Chopra guides the reader to replacing addiction with lasting sources of joy and spiritual fulfillment.
The spiritual is explained as being mystical, an advanced sense of self, beyond our normal self and reaching a point where we abandon the self. To do this we need, according to Chopra, a new medicine: one in which mind, consciousness, meaning and intelligence work together to conquer self. He believes that a person may attain "perfect health". He further develops this theme in another book, “Ageless Body, Timeless Mind: The Quantum Alternative to Growing Old.”
The ideas in the book are interesting but didn’t really address what the human spirit is, in this reviewer’s opinion. For more on this book and author see https://connectedeventsmatter.com/blo...
He suggests that addiction is manifest in a variety of mood-altering substances and that they can include alcohol, coffee, cigarettes, drugs, and even just food. Traditional approaches in dealing with addiction are negative, instilling fear as a motivator. Chopra guides the reader to replacing addiction with lasting sources of joy and spiritual fulfillment.
The spiritual is explained as being mystical, an advanced sense of self, beyond our normal self and reaching a point where we abandon the self. To do this we need, according to Chopra, a new medicine: one in which mind, consciousness, meaning and intelligence work together to conquer self. He believes that a person may attain "perfect health". He further develops this theme in another book, “Ageless Body, Timeless Mind: The Quantum Alternative to Growing Old.”
The ideas in the book are interesting but didn’t really address what the human spirit is, in this reviewer’s opinion. For more on this book and author see https://connectedeventsmatter.com/blo...
July 7, 2023
Desde el punto de vista del Ayurveda, Chopra nos explica cómo liberarse de las adicciones, explica su funcionamiento y ahonda en diversas técnicas muy diferentes de acabar con cada una de ellas. También explica los diferentes tipos de mente y cuerpo (doshas) en los que se basa todo el sistema ayurvédico. Tengo ganas de leer más libros de esta colección, el Ayurveda me resulta muy interesante.
June 24, 2020
Great book to start on your journey of healing.
October 14, 2020
Varios consejos de manera general.
Esto me ha permitido mantenerme en enfoque.
Esto me ha permitido mantenerme en enfoque.
April 29, 2022
'Vrij van verslaving' ik las het boekje in het Nederlands in een ruk uit. Een mooie positieve benadering van verslaving.
January 13, 2025
Absolutely amazing, helped me overcome various addictions in my life that I have sustained for over two years now.
January 31, 2025
Conciencia y Alegría
January 1, 2016
The only really insightful thing I got from this thin little book on addiction is the idea that people who become addicted to things are really seeking a higher spiritual experience, but are looking for it in the wrong places. I really like this idea and it does ring true to me, based on my own and others' experiences. I do think there is an aspect to addiction that is about trying to reach something greater than your current reality. If people who are susceptible to addiction are actually just very sensitive people who seek self-improvement and higher levels of spirituality, then in a way, the addiction can be seen as a kind of struggle that must be overcome on the path to spirituality.
Aside from the above point, though, I don't think anything else in this book was really all that helpful or informative. Its short chapters covering various addictions, including alcohol, drugs, food, etc., were pretty basic in terms of the information it presented on each addiction, and wasn't anything new. The advice given on how to deal with these addictions is based on Deepak Chopra's Ayurveda practice, which categorizes people into 3 basic types (based on body, metabolism, etc.) and gives a little bit of information on how different addictions might manifest in these 3 types. Ultimately though, I don't think knowing your type was all that important (plus I am pretty skeptical of labeling people as one type or another), since the way to overcoming addiction as stated by the book all boiled down to meditation, eating right, exercise, and trying to find joy in your life. Not bad advice, but nothing most people haven't already heard before, and contained little practical advice on how to integrate it into daily life.
Aside from the above point, though, I don't think anything else in this book was really all that helpful or informative. Its short chapters covering various addictions, including alcohol, drugs, food, etc., were pretty basic in terms of the information it presented on each addiction, and wasn't anything new. The advice given on how to deal with these addictions is based on Deepak Chopra's Ayurveda practice, which categorizes people into 3 basic types (based on body, metabolism, etc.) and gives a little bit of information on how different addictions might manifest in these 3 types. Ultimately though, I don't think knowing your type was all that important (plus I am pretty skeptical of labeling people as one type or another), since the way to overcoming addiction as stated by the book all boiled down to meditation, eating right, exercise, and trying to find joy in your life. Not bad advice, but nothing most people haven't already heard before, and contained little practical advice on how to integrate it into daily life.
October 19, 2009
People who are addicted are sapiring to get to a deeper level of life. We seek addiction because we need esctasy in our lives and cannot find it another way. This reminds me of the blood type book I read years ago that has people in categories of what when and why they crave. That was not a part of the book I liked.
January 10, 2011
I'm sure this will be a book I will go back to again. It makes sense to look at a problem usually considered a "disease" from a spiritual perspective.
March 4, 2013
Let me say I love Deepak and this book had some helpful insights. However overall I felt like it had too much of a little of everything. It seemed to jump all over the place and lack focus for me.
July 2, 2013
This is a powerful little book for anyone suffering from addiction of any kind.
April 16, 2015
Quite interesting perspective on specific methods to cure addiction in specific cases, centering on a 3 mind-body type approach.
January 20, 2008
It really changed my life
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews