Fascinating Article on Breakups & Withdrawal

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In these kinds of common usages, the term addiction is used to describe a recurring compulsion by an individual to engage in some specific activity, despite harmful consequences, as deemed by the user himself to his individual health, mental state, or social life.

Could it not be said then that a huge part of any addiction is the compulsive factor coupled with the harmful consequences.

So when examining any relationship that is deemed to be mutually exclusive, there is always going to be a compulsive element tied to one or more of our main health component, i.e.; emotional, mental, spiritual, and/or physical. I think the ‘harmful consequences’ is the added ingredient that redefines it as an addiction. It does not matter which component it harms, or to what degree it harms it, for it to convert over to being ‘addictive’.

Emotional: We all have experienced compulsion here, but the A participants have brought in the harmful component to themselves and thier loved ones.

Mental: The drive for education, intelligence, and understanding are compulsions, yet become harmful when they are twisted into destructive behavior and or teachings.

Spiritual: As opposed to healthy religious pursuits, we all have heard or seen the harmfulness of cults and or religious extremist.

Physical: Either end of a physically abusive relationship obviously brings a harmful component into play.

Another component to the addiction that comes to mind is the fact that a lot of the time the person caught up in the addiction does not even realize it is harmful or more likely chooses to ignore that it is harmful, and therefore do not consider it be an addictive behavior. Unfortunately in a lot of addictions, substance abuse as well as the behavioral ones, people need to hit rock bottom before they admit to themselves it is hurting them and the ones they love.

(or I could be completely off base )