Re:Most People with Addiction Simply Grow Out of It
by andsoitis on Saturday February 17, 2024 @06:58PM
(#39414712)
> No specific requirement for negative consequences, just a habit.
If addiction is not a psychological or physical dependency with harmful or destructive consequences, what should we call those that do?
The American Psychiatric Association has this to say about addiction, which tells me they view addiction as something worth fixing and hence is harmful: https://www.psychiatry.org/getmedia/e25c07ae-7333-4466-9add-...
> a: exhibiting a compulsive, chronic, physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behavior, or activity
> b: strongly inclined to do, use, or indulge in something repeatedly
If one looks at the Oxford English Dictionary, one sees:
> a state of dependence produced either by the habitual taking of drugs or by regularly engaging in certain behaviours (e.g. gambling).
No specific requirement for negative consequences, just a habit.