Addiction is any repeated behaviour, 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 behaviour, a preoccupation with it; impaired control over the behaviour; persistence or relapse, despite evidence of harm; and dissatisfaction, irritability or intense craving when the object—be it a drug, activity or other goal—is not immediately available.
