Are You 'Addicted' to Something?

The definition of "addiction," and what people can become "addicted" to, are hotly contested issues. In everyday conversation, of course, people throw around the word "addicted" a lot, as in, "I'm addicted to Game of Thrones."

Addiction, whatever it might be, is a subject that's related to my current fascination: habits. As I explain in the introduction of Better Than Before, my discussion of habit formation doesn't cover addictions, compulsions, nervous habits, or habits of mind. Nevertheless, I did a lot of reading and thinking about addiction, because it's a useful area to consider.