Normal Addictions

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ddiction refers to a compulsive coping mechanism that can both help and harm us. Addictions (think: sugar, coffee, pain relievers, shopping, eating, following the news, drinking alcoholic beverages, etc.) help by lifting mood and lowering pain. A quick snack, for example, can provide a hit of dopamine, a boost of energy, and a pleasant distraction from stress. Similarly, a few minutes of scrolling for online deals can harness our focusing and joyful chemicals and gives us a break from tedious tasks.

Frequently — even obsessively — utilizing a substance or engaging in a behavior that makes us feel good does not, in itself, constitute an addiction. Other criteria have to be met in order for normal foods, beverages, drugs, and activities to become addictions. Here are some of the things that need to happen to transform an ordinary, if obsessive activity, into an actual addiction:

Whatever it is that you’re consuming or doing, over time you find yourself consuming or doing it more and more.

You’d like to cut back or stop altogether and you might for a while, but you find yourself starting to consume or do it again. You can’t seem to cut it out of your life.