Terminally Unique

Just stop right there.

This word — "addiction" — is thrown around very casually these days, but there is a difference between dependence and addiction. Someone can be dependent, but if they have zero desire to quit, they are not addicted. For a long time, I was certainly dependent on alcohol, but I had no interest whatsoever in giving it up. I found drinking very rewarding, and I was intent on keeping it up until I died. I even looked forward to retirement so I could drink with impunity.

I'm not sure when exactly the change occurred, but it was only when I wasn't so sure anymore that I wanted to keep it up, but kept doing it anyway, that I crossed over into addiction. Addiction only exists in the context of ambivalence, and unless someone tells you that they don't like being dependent, it is incorrect to say that they are addicted. I would also add that not everyone is dependent, either.