One of my favorite books on addiction is In Realm of Hungary Ghosts: Close encounters with addiction by Gabor Maté, MD. I wanted to include a short part of his book where he defines addiction that I find very helpful when working with my clients.
“Addiction is any repeated behavior, substance-related or not, in which a person feels compelled to persist, regardless of its negative impact on his life and the lives of others. Addiction involves:
- Compulsive engagement with the behavior, a preoccupation with it;
- Impaired control over the behavior;
- Persistence or relapse despite evidence of harm; and
- Dissatisfaction, irritability, or intense craving when the object — be a drug, activity, or other goal — is not immediately available” (Source: Realm of Hungary Ghosts pp. 136-7).
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