Recognizing addiction? Habits vs. addiction?

I also really enjoyed reading your response.  I appreciate when people take the time to explain how they feel or how they are learning and achieving and growing through social groups, therapy and self exploration.  We are all learning on this path; I totally agree that we need positive people around us and people that are committed.

Ok so that really irritates me that your social worker said that!

In general (and this is coming from someone with a LONG history of addiction in her family so I've done a good bit of research), the foundation for addiction is having an addictive personality disorder. The "thing" you are addicted to (alcohol, drugs, sex, etc.) is a manifestation of that disorder.

Programs like AA define addiction as the point where your fixation on something makes your life unmanageable. Some psycholotists don't like that definition because unmanageable can mean so many different things to so many different people. 

I tend to associate addiction more with dependency personally. Could I stop doing X easily without intervention IF X were threatening my life, livelihood or well-being? For ME, when the answer is yes, I generally tend not to think myself addicted or even close to it. If no, I seek help!

That said, I don't think there is such thing as an addiction to sugar in and of itself. That's not to say I don't think there's a physical link but it's kind of like the "guns kill people vs. people kill people" argument. The causation is a bit fuzzy. EVERYONE's brain has a certain reaction to sugars. Some of us are more sensitive to that reaction, perhaps like the reaction and maybe even subconsciously seek it out by eating more sugar. But we are all hard-wired to respond favorably to sweet foods (which, from an evolutionary perspective, usually means in nature that said food is not poisonous vs. bitter foods which have a higher likelihood of being so). 

So all this is to say yes I think she made a generalization. She also over-simplified something that is not very simple at all. I think that's dangerous. If anyone thinks they have an addiction they should seek help in determining it by a reputable, licensed medical professional. But telling a room full of people they are sugar addicts? Not helpful.