"Addiction is the uncontrollable craving for a particular state of feeling, experience or consciousness."(Source: WHO)

Addiction occurs when one repeats a certain harmful behaviour and becomes accustomed to using it, with the clear function of bypassing or avoiding certain negative emotions. This behaviour, e.g. the consumption of alcohol or media, can be harmful on different levels - namely physically, psychologically and also socially.

Addiction is a disease and can basically affect any one of us. An addiction can refer to the consumption of legal or illegal substances with addictive potential, but can also affect many forms of human behaviour (e.g. gambling or media consumption). Every addiction develops through the process: experience - repetition - habituation - abuse - dependence. (Source: Blue Cross)