Somebody once told me a certain definition of addiction - they attributed it to Nietzsche I think, but I'm not sure whether to believe that. Anyway it was this: An addiction is something that promises to cure that of which it is the cause.

This compact definition covers surprisingly many addictions. Pick one, I dunno... heroin. Promises to eliminate all the pain, while bringing tons of pain into your life.

Even things like gambling - promises excitement & riches, makes you poor and predictable.

Or even, things like religion - the thing it causes/cures is "awareness of being a weak sinner."

Or even, social media - the thing it causes/cures is disconnection.

EDIT: This popped up on HN just now: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14851057