In general, many addictions are self-diagnosed. Some guidelines include: * is the behavior unwanted? * is it frequent? * is it uncontrollable? * is it progr

In general, many addictions are self-diagnosed. Some guidelines include: * is the behavior unwanted? * is it frequent? * is it uncontrollable? * is it progressive? * do you choose it to the detriment of more important things? If you can answer yes to enough of those questions about anything it can be counted as an addiction. I don’t think the author was out of line. As a recovering addict, I would worry more about dismissing other peoples’ struggles just because they don’t fit your idea of a “real problem.” Is substance addiction a different animal than behavioral addiction? In some ways, yes. But substance addiction is not the only kind of addiction there is. No, I think normalizing the use of the word removes some of its stigma.