What is Addiction?

Before one can understand if they are or are not addicted, it is important to understand what addiction is. Combining both the British and the American definitions, I would confidently say that addiction is a persistent health condition characterised by a powerful and increasingly difficult to control drive to repeat a substance use or behaviour, in which the person gives it increasing priority and continues despite significant negative consequences. It arises through interactions between biological, psychological and environmental factors and can involve changes in learning, motivation, reward and self-control.

Let us break this down into more digestible chunks.

1. It is a persistent health condition

This means it has been going on for a long time and it is not simply someone being bad, weak, or lacking willpower.

2. It is characterised by a powerful and increasingly difficult to control drive

The person develops a very strong urge to do something or use something, and controlling that urge becomes harder. They might not want to do this anymore, but they keep feeling like they have to.

3. It leads a person to repeat a substance use or behaviour

Addiction comes in many shapes and forms: drinking alcohol, taking drugs, gambling, using pornography, gaming, overeating or restricting food, or engaging in another behaviour. The list is continuously expanding.

4. The person gives it increasing priority

It starts becoming more important than other things in their life. For example, they may start choosing it over family, relationships, work, school, hobbies, sleep and health. Something that used to be one part of their life can gradually become a central part of their life.

5. The person continues despite significant negative consequences

The person keeps doing it even though they know it is causing problems. This is a very important part because it emphasises the lack of control. The person knows it is damaging their relationships, health and finances, but feels they are still unable to stop.

6. It arises through interactions between biological, psychological and environmental factors

Addiction does not usually have one single cause. It can be influenced by biology, such as genetics, brain development and how someone's brain responds to rewards; psychology, such as emotions, stress, trauma, mental health, coping mechanisms and learned behaviours; or environment, such as family, friends, availability of substances, culture, poverty, social circumstances and life experiences. So, addiction is not simply something wrong with the person's brain or something wrong with their character. Multiple factors can contribute.

7. It involves changes in learning, motivation, reward and self-control

The brain learns that the substance or behaviour provides something valuable like pleasure, relief, escape, excitement or comfort. Over time, the brain naturally becomes increasingly focused on getting that reward. The more the behaviour is repeated, the stronger those learned associations can become.

In the simplest terms, addiction is when something becomes so powerful in a person's life that they struggle to control it, it starts taking priority over other things, and they keep doing it even when they know it is hurting them.