Blogging addiction.

I watched an interview last week with(in my opinion)the amazing legend that is Alice Cooper. He talked about how he had been addicted to alcohol, which is, of course, the norm in his line of work. But he then went on to say that, after battling with this addiction, he turned his focus on to golf, and now plays it as much as he can. He described it as focusing his addictive personality on something that won't kill him (unless he used his head as the golf ball of course). So, basically, he has an addictive personality... right?
This made me wonder - what constitutes an addictive personality? Do you only qualify if you have had a serious addiction in the past? Obviously, addictions to drugs, alcohol, and even sex, are the ones that make the tabloids. But are these the only vices that you can get seriously addicted to?
People often joke about being shopoholics and chocoholics, but can even these turn into serious problems? Food addiction has been brought to our attention over the last few years – because, surely, isn’t that what overweight people must suffer from?
Is it that black and white, though? You're either susceptible to addictions or you're not?
I'm not certain if I really know what it feels like to have an addiction, I'm not really sure that I can comprehend the enormity of it - but on the other hand, I've found myself questioning whether I have addictions in the making myself.
There's a lot of things I think I'm slightly addicted to, and I think they're all link to adrenaline. I often crave excitement; getting caught, going fast, conflict, even fiery arguments, sometimes. And I'm definitely addicted to spending money. Adrenaline can't be dangerous though...can it?
Addition is described as something that 'induces pleasant states or relieves distress', that doesn't sound too life threatening does it? Therefore it obviously depends on what you're addicted to, for example if you were addicted to cigarettes, it is them that cause problems, not the addiction itself.
Also, my (admittedly, not so intensive) research has told me that 'continued use of the addictive substance induces adaptive changes in the brain that lead to tolerance, physical dependence, uncontrollable craving and, all too often, relapse'. So the more one gives in to an addiction – the worse it becomes.
All of the definitions that I read seemed to steer towards drugs and alcohol, but surely if you like something a lot, it sends endorphins to the brain so therefore can be chemically addictive? I'm no expert, but people seem to joke about being addicted to TV programs, and different foods and things, but it's possible isn't it?
Apparently more and more people are becoming addicted to the internet and video games, obviously because of advances in technology. So if these advances hadn’t been achieved, would these people have found something else to fuel their addictive tendencies?
I think addiction is a funny concept. It can be destructive and ruin people’s lives – but all it is, is a dependency in the brain to whatever the addiction is based on. For example, an alcoholic is dependant on alcohol to the extent that everything else in life can be jeopardised. Yet other people manage to enjoy a few drinks now and again, but don’t feel the urge to binge. What separates these two kinds of people? Is it an emotional or a mental difference?
This is all too confusing really, I’m off to spend some money.