There was a time when things like addiction were considered a weakness of character. Now we've gone all the way over to it being a 'disease.' It's not really either thing. You can have a psychological, physiological, or even perhaps genetic obsessive predilection for something. Being exposed to that thing will reveal that preference, but doesn't create it.
From that point on it becomes a choice as to whether you indulge in that thing, or walk away from it. Failing to recognize that this particular thing is something that you can't partake of in moderation is a failure to realize simple fact. Self delusion, if you will, because you want a reason to continue to do it. "I can't stop!" Bullshit. It's uncomfortable to stop, not impossible.
I quit, cold turkey, because I can't drink in moderation. I'm either sober as a judge, or stone drunk far more often than I should be. I see too many people who don't think that they're alcoholics because they only get pissed to the gills once or twice a week. Hint: If there's a pattern to you getting drunk, then you're an alcoholic. If you go home after work and "have a few beers to unwind and get a light buzz", then you're an alcoholic. Stop kidding yourself. The same applies to weed, coke, or whacking off; you're an addict.
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