Thank you, Scott! The experience of addiction is my attempt to solve a quandary. What is my problem that the experience of addiction is meant to resolve? As the Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards wrote about his own heroin habit, it can be a search for oblivion. He writes of “the contortions we go through just not to be ourselves for a few hours.” Why would I long to escape myself? Because, as a result of my life experiences, I am intensely distressed and feel trapped within my situation. To put it another way, all the addictive substances (and addictive behaviors) soothe pain or at least distract from pain. Specifically, substances like opiates are powerful painkillers, both physical and emotional; as is cocaine; as is alcohol. Hence, the question is not why my addiction, but why my pain? And, again, the answer resides neither in genes nor in “choices,” but in my life and my experiences.

I also think it's incredibly important for people to understand the difference between dependency and addiction and that is that the experience of addiction is repeated behavior despite NEGATIVE LIFE CONSEQUENCES. I can be dependent on opioids because I DON'T experience negative consequences. I can be dependent on exercise because I do it every day because I experience positive results. It does not result in the loss of money or relationships or jobs, etc.. I'm not addicted to exercise in that context.