Addiction is a disease. It causes an overwhelming urge to do something that feels almost impossible to control or stop. Regardless of what the addiction is to, be it illicit drugs, prescription pills, alcohol, smoking or gambling, everyone who has an addiction struggles with the same four factors: craving, compulsion, control and consequences, also referred to as the 4Cs of addiction. These four factors differentiate an addiction from other neurological disorders as the driving force.
