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What is Addiction?

Maya Malkin, MSW, Clinical Psychotherapist, Director of Addiction Prevention and Treatment, Department of Mental Health, Maccabi Healthcare Services
15 October 2025

Addiction is a condition in which a person has difficulty stopping the use of a certain substance or behavior, even when they know it is harmful to their health, mental well-being, or social life. Sometimes it involves heavy alcohol consumption, regular use of medications, or drug use, and sometimes behaviors like gambling, compulsive shopping, or obsessive internet use.

Use often begins due to emotional need, curiosity, or social pressure and gradually turns into a habit that becomes difficult to break and begins to take over a person’s life.

Several factors can increase the risk of addiction:

  • Physiological factors
  • Genetic predisposition
  • Gender differences
  • Psychological factors
  • Environmental and social influences

Addiction can lead to depression, anxiety, trouble concentrating, sleep disorders, and even reduced sexual function.

Early identification of addiction enables more effective intervention and can significantly improve quality of life.

Addiction is the development of a physical or emotional dependence on a substance or behavior, to the point where it becomes difficult to control its use. Addiction can involve substances like drugs, alcohol, nicotine, or medications, or behaviors such as gambling, shopping, sex, or internet use. It often starts with one-time harmful use, which gradually leads to regular use and dependency.

People with addiction continue using the substance or engaging in the behavior, even when they’re fully aware of the physical, mental, or social harm it causes.

Addiction is defined as a mental disorder or chronic disease and involves both physical and emotional dependence. The severity of addiction can vary. According to the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders by the American Psychiatric Association), addiction is classified as a "Substance Use Disorder" (SUD) and is categorized by levels of severity: mild, moderate, or severe. In its early stages, addiction may be mild and have a limited impact on a person’s functioning. But if it worsens, it can become a chronic brain disease, causing changes in the brain on both a neural and molecular level. Some of these changes are reversible, while others are not. That’s why early detection and intervention are so important—they allow for a more effective process of recovery and rehabilitation.

Behavioral characteristics of addiction

People living with addiction often repeatedly use substances like drugs, alcohol, or painkillers, or engage in addictive and harmful behaviors such as sex, gambling, or shopping. These substances and behaviors can alter a person’s awareness, mood, thinking, and behavior, to the point where they lose control over the urge to use or engage in them.

Addiction affects daily life. When someone is addicted to a substance or behavior, it can take over their life. They may constantly think about how to get the substance and do whatever it takes to obtain it. They might stop participating in regular life activities, withdraw from their partner, family, or friends, miss work, and stop taking part in social activities.

In extreme cases, people may be physically unable to stop using the substance or controlling the behavior, even though they are aware of the harm it causes. When addiction becomes severe, individuals may spend most of their day thinking about how to get more of the substance or fulfill the addictive need. For example, people addicted to alcohol may drink throughout the day; compulsive gamblers may constantly plan their bets and ways to finance them; and those addicted to sex may obsessively seek out new partners.

Addiction develops along a spectrum

Addiction exists on a spectrum. Occasional alcohol use or smoking cannabis from time to time doesn’t necessarily lead to serious addiction. The process often starts with experimentation—driven by curiosity or peer influence. In other cases, illness or pain may lead people to seek quick relief through substances. When occasional use turns into regular use, it can eventually reach the most severe point on the spectrum, which is when addiction sets in.

Addiction in Israel—the current status

According to 2024 estimates from the Ministry of Health, about 12.4% of the population lives with some form of addiction involving dependence on harmful substances. Since the outbreak of the Iron Swords War, a study by ICA and Reichman University found that 25% of the adult population is at risk of developing an addiction.

Addiction risk factors

  • Physiological predisposition: Some people's bodies are more prone to addiction, for example, because of a metabolic disorder in the body or a genetic component of a tendency to addiction.
  • Genetic predisposition: Addiction has genetic roots. If there is a family history of addiction, the risk of all members of the family suffering from the disorder is higher.
  • Gender differences: Women are more affected by psychoactive substances than men because their muscle mass and the amount of fluid in their bodies are lower compared to men.

  • Emotional factors: The need for excitement, curiosity, or a desire for self-healing can trigger or intensify addiction. Some people with addiction feel that it gives them a sense of control they crave—but in reality, it's an illusion, because the addiction ends up controlling them.
  • Mental disorders: A wide range of mental health conditions are directly linked to addiction and substance use. These include attention deficit disorders like ADHD, mood-related disorders, and especially anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, and clinical depression.

  • Environment and social influences: Using psychoactive substances for fun, excitement, or curiosity often begins in a social setting. The more a person is exposed to certain substances or behaviors and is tempted to try them, the higher the risk they’ll become habits that are hard to break. The risk of addiction increases in environments where substance use is routine or considered normal—especially when there is pressure (either direct or subtle) and role models who engage in such behavior.
  • Family influences: Family dysfunction, lack of support, unhealthy relationships, a family history of alcoholism or psychoactive substance use, and a lack of belonging are all significant risk factors.
  • Sociological factors: Financial hardship and unemployment, combined with a societal indifference toward psychoactive substance use, can also contribute to addiction.

Physical and mental side effects of addiction

Addiction affects not only habits but also harms the body, mood, and daily functioning. The effects vary from person to person. These are some of the possible symptoms:

  • Poisoning
  • Hallucinations
  • Sleep disorders
  • Sexual dysfunction
  • Poisoning: Can occur in varying degrees of severity.
  • Physical dependence: Inability to function without the harmful substance or behavior.
  • Mental dependence and other mental disorders: depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, psychotic disorders, and bipolar disorders.
  • Hallucinations and neurocognitive disorders: Memory impairment, mood swings, difficulty concentrating, impaired ability to control emotions, etc.
  • Sleep disorders: Inability to fall asleep, multiple awakenings, etc.
  • Sexual dysfunction: Inability to function or lack of sexual desire.