There is a fine but clearly discernible line between addiction and passion. Any passion can become an addiction. It’s simply a question of who is in charge: the individual or the behavior. The addiction is the repeated behavior engaged in despite the certainty that it harms oneself or others. Passion loves the goal or process that is its object (the painting one buys or the painting one does), but the real object of addiction is the thrill of plunging into the behavior, not the love of it. (The objective of the gambler is not winning, but the thrill of gambling.)
