Addiction is craving fulfillment from something that cannot provide fulfillment. In this sense it is not different than the basic mechanism of ignorance that keeps everyone in bondage. With substance addiction the mind/body sets up a vicious cycle that perpetuates the dependence.
Deepak ChopraLife is like a tree and its root is consciousness. Therefore, once we tend the root, the tree as a whole will be healthy.
Deepak Chopra