Great topic, for me it is definitely a symptom. Truth be told, I have flopped from addiction to addiction my entire life: pot, booze, fitness, sex, painkillers, stress, work. Pretty everything except gambling. (Why I skipped that one I really don't have a clue. It just pisses me off to loose money. Too much of Scotsman I guess-LOL) I have been working on the why for several years and only recently got down to turning off the tap.
Best wishes,