Addictions are powerful, yet destructive.  They have built-in rewards and immediate results that make them hard to break.  Steven Unruh works with individuals with addictions on a weekly basis. Addiction is an uncontrolled search for gratification through a relationship with a substance or activity to the exclusion of other more diverse life experiences. The substance or activity with which the addict forms a relationship, varies with each person.

The addictive quest for pleasure has some defining characteristics. Many addictions aim to increase arousal. This is the all-powerful feeling that might come from cocaine, amphetamines, the first few drinks of alcohol, shoplifting, sexual acting out or gambling. This omnipotent feeling, however, is undermined when the addict realizes that a dependency has been formed. A feeling of fear replaces the feeling of being all-powerful – fear of losing the source of addiction and fear that others will find out how powerless the person actually is. Negative experiences always accompany the positive feelings the addict is seeking. Sometimes an addiction is coupled with an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).